Lake Highlands incumbents rolled to reelection this weekend in what could be Dallas’ last May election.
Voting sign. Photography by Liesbeth Powers.
Dallas City Council Member Kathy Stewart of District 10 and Richardson ISD Place 5 Trustee Rachel McGowan both won reelection by wide margins, according to the final unofficial election report from the Dallas County Elections Department. Place 4 Trustee and former Board President Regina Harris was elected to another term after running unopposed.
Stewart received 3,537 votes, good enough for 92.52% of the vote, with challenger Sirrano Keith Baldeo receiving 226 votes (up from 93 in 2023). Write-in candidate L.D. Pullen received 31 votes. Going into her second two-year term, Stewart has named public safety, transformational projects, and parks and green space as top priorities.
McGowan won reelection with 3,072 votes received, or 87.40% of the vote. Her opponent, Cristina Angelina Neria, had not recorded any campaign contributions or expenses for the March-April filing period.
As the Advocate reported at the end of the early voting period, early voting totals in Lake Highlands showed turnout behind that of past elections in which candidates ran for election in 2022 and 2023. That trend seems to have carried through election day, with 3,823 votes counted in the District 10 race, down from 5,720 votes counted in 2023. In the Place 5 race, 3,515 votes were counted, down from 5,817 votes counted in 2022.
This may have been the last time Dallas voters cast votes in May municipal elections. Two identical bills have been filed in the Texas Senate to allow Dallas to potentially move elections to November to align with national elections after Dallas voters passed a charter amendment clearing the way for the move. The bills are currently scheduled for a public hearing at an undetermined date.
