Dewey Collier

During the primaries, three Republicans compete for the House District 5 State Representative position, while House District 6 candidates Daniel Alders, a Republican, and Cody Grace, a Democrat, are uncontested in March and set to run against each other in November.

Each candidate spoke to the Tyler Morning Telegraph to share their views and legislative priorities ahead of Tuesday’s joint primary elections.

The Texas House of Representatives (HR) comprises 150 members, each elected for two years.

The Texas Legislature is composed of the HR and the state senate. The legislature’s duties include:

• Considering proposed laws and resolutions.
• Proposing constitutional amendments for submission to the voters.
• Appropriating all funds for the operation of the state government.

House District 5 Candidates

District 5 encompasses 19% of Smith County, 100% of Winona, Lindale, and Hideaway cities, and 7% of Overton. There are no Democrat candidates in the primary race.

Cole Hefner

An East Texas native, Hefner has represented HD5 since 2017.

Hefner was influenced by his maternal grandparents and raised with strong conservative values. As a family man, he became increasingly concerned with the country’s direction.

America’s freedoms are being attacked from every direction, according to his website. The country he enjoyed growing up in looks drastically different from his children.

Hefner’s beliefs include protecting the lives of unborn babies, the U.S. Constitution, securing and defending the Southern Border, stopping handouts to illegal immigrants, reducing government spending and defending the 2nd amendment.

He highlighted successes in the last two Legislative Sessions, including banning abortion, boys in girls sports, pornographic material in schools and gender modification and passing constitutional carry, historic property tax relief, border security and election integrity bills.

“We’ve had legacy success wins on policy in the last couple of sessions,” Hefner said. “We need to keep going. There’s more to do.”

Hefner served as county commissioner in Upshur County. He also owned a construction business for 16 years and took over his family’s commercial construction company. He currently owns a small insurance business.

In the Texas House, he’s served on multiple committees, including the Public Education Committee, the Appropriations and the Calendars Committee.

“My beliefs align with the vast majority of my district with East Texas values,” Hefner said. “I don’t let people pressure my vote. I vote for my district. I vote for what I think is right.”

Hefner voted to support an impeachment trial for Attorney General Ken Paxton, a decision he said wasn’t easy. He said he is running on his record to maintain a top conservative ranking.

“I wasn’t raised to take the easy route. I was raised to do what’s right,” Hefner said.

Gov. Gregg Abbott, Texas Sen. Bryan Hughes, Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith, Smith County District Attorney Jacob Putman and numerous others endorse him.

Hefner is a South Jefferson Baptist Church member, a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association and a concealed handgun carrier. He is actively involved in his community and is a member of the Lindale Chamber of Commerce, the Hide-A-Way Lake Kiwanis Club and South Jefferson Baptist Church.

Dewey Collier

Collier, a 26-six-year Army veteran, worked as a combat soldier and nurse on the battlefield and medical frontlines. He has received the Legion of Merit and Soldiers Medal for Heroism award for his service.

“Most people don’t understand the passion of the individual who’s running for office,” Collier said. “I have served my country, and I want to continue to serve my country, and this is the best way that I can do that.”

Collier ran against Hefner in the 2022 Republican primary. He ran again after Hefner voted to impeach Paxton and his support for House Speaker Dade Phelan and Democrat committee chairs.

“You can see the bill patterns and things that they voted on,” Collier said. “[Hefner], in my opinion, has abandoned the residents of HD5 to follow the leadership in Austin.”

He knows the importance of commitment, integrity and sacrifice. As a military officer, he has experience with the political process, from briefing, debating and presenting information to congressional members.

Legislation is causing the loss of farm and ranch lands, which can’t be recreated elsewhere for the price people are being paid to leave. Leaving a place with a family history of hundreds of years is emotionally stressful.

Collier stated there is a need for legislation that would give the state the power of eminent domain instead of private individuals. Moreover, the state should be required to pay the property owners twice the value of their property to help them recreate their operation, he said.

He said infrastructure and limited resources put undue stress on rural constituents.

“We’re not able to continue to make a living off of these with all the restrictions that Austin keeps putting on the district,” Collier said.

His priorities include defending and securing the Texas border, protecting parents’ rights and families, freezing spending and reducing the budget.

Collier graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Phoenix and has extensive military education, including advanced life support and combat casualty care. He is a lifetime member of the Order of Military Medical Merit, has held numerous instructor appointments and published works.

“I can fight for you,” Collier said. “Do you want a salesman, a lawyer or soldier fighting for you in Austin?”

Collier is endorsed by State Sen. Angela Paxton, Dr. Mary Talley Bowden, Parents’ Rights in Education PAC, Rains County Republican Assembly and more.

Jeff Fletcher

Fletcher has a long Wood County lineage, with ancestors who served in the Civil War.

Fletcher served as the 402nd State District Court Judge for three years until 2020. He also sat on the State Board of Directors of the Texas Center for the Judiciary.

Encouraged by the community and divine interactions, Fletcher, a Christian constitutional conservative, seeks to represent the state with priorities such as election integrity, border security, child protection and gun rights.

“I just want things to be better for everybody. It’s got bad. Things were becoming way too woke, way too liberal,” Fletcher said. “We’ve gotten away from what makes Texas great.”

Fletcher urges constituents to defend Texas values, principles, and priorities from inactive elected officials who don’t share those traits.

“Being Texan means to keep your word, protect your family, and make your way with integrity,” his website states. “This is not a time for political silence. It’s time for us to unite and fight.”

Fletcher criticized the border situation and questioned election integrity. Despite the GOP’s majority in the House and Senate, bills promoting conservative values are often halted by Democrat chairs appointed by the House Speaker.

“We have a lot of people that say they’re Republicans and say they’re conservative but don’t vote that way,” Fletcher said. “I’m hoping our race and many other races across the state can change that.”

There is some controversy surrounding Fletcher’s candidacy, which includes automated calls that make defamatory claims about his character.

A senior journalist for Texas Scorecard, an online source for government and cultural news, reported on lawsuits, reprimands and an allegedly hot temper that have caused concern for some.

“People believe everything they hear, and they don’t look into things that occurred or the context of things,” Fletcher said. “Am I perfect? Absolutely not. No one is, but I have nothing to hide, and I’ve got legitimate and truthful responses to everyone with questions.”

Fletcher graduated from Beaumont High School, got a degree in Business Administration and played football at Baylor University. He then pursued law, starting his practice in 1994.

He runs a private practice in Mineola, where he is a First Methodist Mineola Church member.

Fletcher is endorsed by Attorney General Ken Paxton, Grassroots America: We The People, Sam Curry of the Kiwanis Club of Mineola and First Methodist Church of Mineola, and more.

House District 6 candidates

District 6 encompasses 81% of Smith County, 100% of the cities of Arp, Emerald Bay, New Chapel Hill, Noonday, Tyler, and Whitehouse and a majority of Bullard and Troup. Rep. Matt Schaefer held the position for 12 years but announced he would not run for reelection.

Republican

Daniel Alders

Alders’ roots run deep and can be traced back to his family’s arrival in East Texas in 1836.

When he started his professional career in real estate, he prioritized his faith, family and community. Throughout that process, he became more politically active in his community and the surrounding East Texas regions.

Alders was born in Dallas. Alders earned a bachelor’s degree from New Saint Andrews College in 2009. His career experience includes property management.

In 2015, the family moved to Tyler, where he became the East Texas Regional Director for Sen. Ted Cruz. In this role, he was the Senator’s primary liaison to business owners, organizations, community leaders and constituents across the 35 county region.

In 2017, with young children and a desire to refocus on issues closer to home, he joined the Drake Real Estate team to run their commercial property management company.

Growing up on a farm, Alders is grounded in fundamental truths. He appreciates the land, where things come from, and the hard work, dedication and sacrifice that comes with producing a crop or raising livestock.

“It’s not about clocking in and clocking out but doing the job and seeing it through,” Alders said. “That’s taught me a lot about how to handle my work and what’s before me in my current career and politically.”

Alders values accountability, competency, transparency and conservatism, according to his website.

He got a taste for the political sphere through his experience working for Commissioner of Agriculture Todd Staples campaign for lieutenant governor in 2014 and later for Senator Cruz.

When Schaefer announced he wouldn’t run for reelection, and with encouragement from community members, Alder saw an opportunity to step into the role to continue to serve.

Alder said he’s open and honest, which are critical characteristics for elected officials in conducting business and building relationships with people, whether they agree or disagree.

His priorities include securing the Southern border, empowering Texas parents, and reforming property tax.

“East Texas is the best place to live, to raise a family, and to own a business,” his website states. “As a seventh-generation East Texan, my goal is to make sure our community remains that way for the generations to come.”

Alders has served his community, including as Chairman of the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce’s Governmental Affairs Committee and as a deacon at Fifth Street Presbyterian Church. In 2022, he was selected to be a Texas Agricultural Lifetime Leadership Program member.

Grassroots America endorses Alders: We The People, and he’s also received endorsements from U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, Former Congressman Louie Gohmert, State Sen. Bryan Hughes, Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith, Smith County District Attorney Jacob Putman and others.

Democrat

Cody Grace

Tyler native Grace is a single father and business owner who values hard work that benefits entire communities.

In 2011, when his daughter was 2 years old, 20 students and six adults were shot and killed at the Sandy Hook Elementary School. Grace is a gun owner with a license to carry, but the event was eye-opening. He said that was the first time he’d written a letter to a member of Congress.

“It touched me, and it affected me a lot just because I was thinking of myself as a parent in that position,” Grace said. “I was horrified.”

However, he said he received a cookie-cutter response and decided things needed to change, whether it be a rational conversation on gun control or more safety and security for children. He said he believes Rep. Schaefer has done nothing to protect children from gun violence.

“I just feel like we don’t have the representation in Tyler, Texas, that we need,” Grace said.

Grace has an associate degree from Tyler Junior College and has worked in the technology services industry for over 20 years after attending the University of Texas at Tyler.

A lifelong Tyler resident, he actively supports the community’s success through involvement in the Chamber of Commerce, professional organizations, and volunteer work.

He believes partisan politics have hindered everyday Americans and wants to work towards good policy regardless of the political agenda.

“The more opportunities we have as a community, the more our community grows, and I don’t see that happening,” Grace said. “I see a lot of negativity in the state legislature. That negativity is just focused on divisive politics and not growth.”

Grace said Tyler has seen massive growth over the past few years, causing housing shortages and rising costs. He’s an advocate for increased funding for public school districts. He will fight to protect healthcare and schools and fight crime and violence.

He believes empathy, listening, leadership and out-of-the-box thinking are critical for elected officials. He said he can listen to multiple sides of an argument and understand the core challenges, then take those core challenges and form an action plan.

As a business owner, Grace understands the need for small business growth, an educated workforce and a stable infrastructure. As a single father, he knows the challenges of raising a child in the public education system while having a career.

“Regardless of how this race shakes out, I will be here to advocate for this community because I’m invested in this community,” Grace said. “I think if I were in this leadership position, I could help more.”

Moms Demand Action, 314 PAC and Mothers for Democracy endorse Grace.