Former Amarillo City Councilwoman Elaine Hays has lost her bid to be elected to the Texas State House, earning only 10% of the vote in the Denton-area Republican Party primary.

Though Hays did not win, neither of her two opponents secured a majority, sending the race to a May runoff.

The runoff will feature incumbent Lynn Stucky, who earned 43% of the vote, and Andy Hopper, who earned 47% of the vote.

Hopper nearly defeated Stucky in the 2022 primary. This year, Hopper has earned the backing of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, largely due to Stucky voting to impeach Paxton last year.

Hays served on Amarillo City Council from 2017 to 2021. After choosing not to seek reelection in 2021, Hays moved to Wise County, which is within the State House 64 District she ran in this year. The district also includes some western portions of Denton County.

Just over 25,000 votes were cast in the District 64 primary, roughly on par with the Amarillo-area District 86 primary where incumbent John Smithee defeated challenger Jamie Haynes.

The runoff election will be held on May 28th. The only runoff expected for the Amarillo area is the 108th District Court race, with Tim Pirtle and Sam Brown Silverman competing for the open seat following the March 5th primary. No statewide offices were sent to runoffs.