Daniel Takes District 52

Bryan Daniel has won the run-off for the Republican nomination to replace outgoing Rep. Mike Krusee in Williamson County's House District 52. The director of Agricultural Workers Mutual Auto Insurance and onetime staffer to former U.S Rep. Larry Combest, R-Lubbock, beat out Assistant County Attorney Dee Hobbs by 7 points, 53.6% to 46.4%. Daniel, who faced criticism for a campaign mailer that accused Hobbs of being "hostile to Second Amendment rights," outspent his opponent in the run-off by more than 4-to-1, dropping $53,599 into the race. Turnout fell from the March 4 GOP primary, with only 3,088 ballots cast, down from 10,377 a month ago. Daniel will now face Democrat Diana Maldonado and Liber­tar­ian Lillian Simmons in November. While Maldonado recognizes Daniel's fundraising abilities, she suggests his short track record in the district poses a challenge for him. "Williamson County, while it's grown at a phenomenal rate, still has that network of small-town togetherness. He'll have to do that work, and not have other people do that for him," she said.