U.S. House District 32: Barrios leads for Democrats, Yarbrough hoping to avoid Republican runoff

ROCKWALL, Texas - Dan Barrios and Jace Yarbrough are in the lead for Julie Johnson's old U.S. House District 32 seat in November.

For the Democrats, Barrios took an early lead with 60% of the vote and 62% of precincts reporting as of 11 p.m., followed by Anthony Bridges at nearly 40%. 

For the Republicans, Yarbrough has been in the lead for most of the night with between 49% and 51% of the vote.  He needs more than 50% to avoid a runoff with Ryan Binkley.

LIVE: U.S. House District 32 Election Results

The backstory:

District 32 was held by Julie Johnson, but was redrawn during the last legislative session. She was forced to run in District 33. The district went from a solid Democratic stronghold in Dallas to a Republican-leaning district that covers parts of northern Dallas County, Rockwall County, and East Texas.

The race for the Democratic nomination was between just two candidates. Dan Barrios has served as a member of the Richardson City Council since 2023 and Anthony Bridges is a combat veteran and first responder.

On the Republican side, Ryan Brinkley ran for president in 2024 and currently serves as the lead pastor at Create Church in McKinney. Paul Bondar or "Big Paul Bondar" gained attention with television commercials highlighting his size. He's a former football player and business leader. Aimee Carrasco is a Marine veteran and mental health advocate. Darrell Day is a small business owner and former Arlington City Council member. Gordon Heslop, a retired educator, calls himself a MANA candidate – Make America Normal Again. Meanwhile, Jace Yarbrough, a veteran and constitutional lawyer, was endorsed by President Donald Trump.