BEAUMONT – Plaintiff’s attorney Tina Bradley, who held a significant financial edge over her opponents going into the March 6 Primary Election, couldn’t capture the 50 percent needed for the right to represent the Democratic Party in the race for the 172nd District Court.
Bradley, a partner at Hobson & Bradley, is a toxic tort specialist.
She will have to beat Melody Chappell in a May 22 runoff election to continue her quest to replace retiring Judge Donald Floyd, who has sat behind the bench since 1989.
Bradley
In fact, Bradley will have to make up some ground, as she received less than 5,000 votes for 35.86 percent of the total vote.
Chappell, on the other hand, netted more than 6,000 votes for a total of 43.66 percent.
The third Democrat competing, Kent Johns, landed 2,823 votes.
The winner of the runoff will square off against Republic Mitch Templeton.
According to her firm bio, Bradley has been handling asbestos and benzene cases throughout Texas. She has also handled matters involving toxic exposures in Alabama, California, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Oklahoma.
Chappell is an attorney for the area law firm Wells, Peyton, Greenberg & Hunt and specializes in school law and employment defense litigation.
The Republican in the race, Templeton, has practiced law for 26 years and is currently a partner at the Beaumont law firm Templeton & Brinkley.
The other Jefferson County district judges up for reelection ran unopposed, including Judge Kent Walston of the 58th District Court.