State Rep. Four Price/Screenshot by Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District YouTube

In 2024, voters will be casting their ballots in the Amarillo area to replace longtime State Rep. Four Price (R-Amarillo) in a race for his open seat. However, it wasn’t that long ago that Price was a wide-eyed attorney and political newcomer who was making his first bid for elected office — for an open Texas House seat.

Back in 2010, State Rep. David Swinford announced that he wouldn’t be seeking another term in office. With Swinford out of the way, the District 87 seat was on the market and a few candidates began pondering whether to throw their hats into the ring. Ultimately, two Republicans came forward in hopes of replacing Swinford: Price and restaurant owner Victor Leal.

At the time, Price was a local attorney who had never ventured into politics. A graduate of St. Mary’s University School of Law, Price was a talented attorney with a solid educational pedigree, but he was an unknown commodity for many voters.

Meanwhile, Leal was a well-known local restaurateur who had been around the political scene for a while. Occasionally flirting with bids for other offices, Leal had previously served as mayor of Muleshoe.

According to the Texas Ethics Commission, Price raised $305,756.69 between January and June 2010 for his campaign. Meanwhile, Leal raised $239,317.61 between the same time period.

In the end, Price ended up narrowly besting Leal in the primary, 55-45 percent. Price then went on to defeat Democrat Abel Bosquez and Libertarian James Hudspeth in the general election that year, winning 77 percent of the vote.

So, what does 2010 mean for an election in 2024? Perhaps nothing, but it is always interest to look back at the elections of yesteryear — and one of the few times that a Texas Panhandle House seat has been up for grabs without an incumbent on the ballot.