According to unofficial Ellis County election results, **Matt Zajic** defeated John Paul Dineen III with 1,986 votes, or 67.55%, while Dineen received 954 votes, or 32.45%. The result was a strong showing for Zajic, whose campaign had a highly visible presence across the county, including widespread yard signs in the final stretch of the race. County commissioners play a major role in everyday local government, including roads, budgets, development decisions and county services. For Precinct 2 residents, this race was one of the most direct-impact contests on the ballot. Statewide, Texas Republicans overwhelmingly chose **Ken Paxton** as their nominee for U.S. Senate, defeating incumbent John Cornyn. Paxton will face Democrat **James Talarico** in the November general election. In Ellis County, Paxton also won decisively, receiving 64.19% of the local Republican runoff vote. In the Republican race for Texas attorney general, **Mayes Middleton** defeated Congressman Chip Roy statewide. He will face Democrat **Nathan Johnson**, a state senator from Dallas, in November. Democrats also selected **Vikki Goodwin** as their nominee for lieutenant governor. She will face Republican incumbent **Dan Patrick** in the general election. For the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 3, **Thomas Smith** won the Republican runoff over Alison Fox. One of the closest statewide Republican races was for Railroad Commissioner, where former chair of the Tarrant County Republican Party **Bo French** defeated incumbent Jim Wright by a narrow margin. Ellis County voters also favored French, who received 51.94% locally compared with Wright’s 48.06%. Tuesday’s runoff sets the stage for the November general election — and in Ellis County, it also shows how much influence a small turnout can have on major decisions. Only 10.75% of registered voters cast ballots in the Ellis County Republican and Democratic runoffs, with 16,512 ballots counted out of 153,586 registered voters. That means roughly one in nine eligible voters helped decide several important races. *The results are unofficial until finalized.*