Carter Estes, who serves as the intergovernmental affairs liaison for the City of Amarillo, is considering a bid for State House, the local government employee confirmed during a phone call with The Amarillo Pioneer.

The news of Estes considering a bid comes after Rep. Four Price, who has represented House District 87 since 2011, announced he will not seek reelection in 2024. Estes is likely to face a heated primary in the open race, as several other names have publicly expressed interest.

Estes previously served as campaign manager for Josh Winegarner, who ran for congress in 2020 and was defeated by Ronny Jackson in a runoff for the Republican Party nomination. Estes has also worked for political consulting firm Murphy Nasica & Associates. He was hired as an assistant to city manager Jared Miller in 2022 and was made intergovernmental affairs liaison in May 2023.

Estes did stress that he hasn’t made a final decision about joining the race. “There’s no formal movement on this,” he said. “But, obviously, I’m thinking about it.”

A number of other candidates have also expressed interest in running or are rumored to be considering running. These candidates include former Randall County Commissioner Craig Gualtiere, former Potter County precinct chairman Mike Yazbek, Potter County Republican chairman Dan Rogers, and Perryton Mayor Kerry Symons.