Candidates clash as State Senate District 30 race heats up ahead of November election

Democrat Dale Frey and Republican Brent Hagenbuch will face off in November to fill the spot being vacated by state Sen. Drew Springer, R-Muenster, who did not run for reelection for Texas Senate District 30.

Since before the primaries, Hagenbuch has faced allegations that he lives outside the district, but he still managed to win the Republican nomination in the May primary runoff election over Jace Yarbrough.

Frey beat out Michael Braxton in the runoff for the Democratic nomination to the state Senate seat.

District 30 spans 11 counties, including portions of Denton, Collin, Parker and Wichita counties, and all of Grayson and Cooke counties. In Denton County, that includes the northeastern and eastern parts of the county and most of the city of Denton.

In interviews with the Denton Record-Chronicle, Hagenbuch spoke about keeping conservative values, which include building a border wall, while Frey spoke about progressive goals such as advocating for a better health care system.

Brent Hagenbuch

Hagenbuch is a U.S. Navy veteran who owns and operates a transportation company and was elected chair of the Denton County Republican Party in 2021.

During the run-up to the primaries, candidate Carrie de Moor challenged Hagenbuch's eligibility to run for the seat over claims that he lives outside the district . A judge ruled against Hagenbuch's attempt to dismiss the suit but let him remain on the Republican primary ballot.

Hagenbuch said the lawsuit was a political tactic against him and that he has since then focused on the election.

"They tried to go to court and lost," Hagenbuch said. "I am a resident of District 30, and certainly eligible and plan to be the next senator for this district."

Hagenbuch said Frey supports progressive and far-left Democratic values, while his own are more traditionally conservative.

"I think my values line up a lot more with the majority of the people of District 30 counties," Hagenbuch said. " ... I'm pro-Christian, pro-family, pro-life, pro-gun, pro-free market."

If elected, Hagenbuch said he would address the crisis at the Texas-Mexico border. He also said he has spoken to public safety officials who are concerned about fentanyl and trafficking issues. He pointed to safety concerns regarding violent gangs as a border issue, citing the reported increase in activity by Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua in North Texas .

"There's concerns about that in every county," Hagenbuch said.

Voters have also told him they are concerned about the economy.

"People have a hard time making ends meet these days," Hagenbuch said. "I think it's because — I know it's because — of Biden's inflation."

He said he would advocate for school choice and addressing the rapid growth within District 30's counties, and address infrastructure issues to keep up with the growth.

Hagenbuch said he has been motivated to keep the county red and is inspired by former President Donald Trump, who has endorsed him, to keep traditional values in the area.

"I think Texas is like the place that America used to be, and I want to keep it that way," Hagenbuch said. "... I was very motivated by a businessman like Trump, who can cut through all the bureaucracy and everything and actually take our country back and return it to its original values."

Dale Frey

Frey said he is surprised Hagenbuch has made it this far into the election with the accusations about his residency.

"Hagenbuch lives in a nice, beautiful lake house in Senate District 12," Frey said. "... He leased an apartment — a rundown, cheap apartment — in Senate District 30, and he claimed to have residency there."

Frey claimed there would have been a replacement if Hagenbuch had been disqualified earlier. Frey told the Record-Chronicle, though, that his lawyer advised him to focus on the election for now and then on a potential lawsuit after the election.

"Should he win the general election, in this case, the seat will simply remain vacant," Frey said. "That's why we haven't quite pulled the trigger yet."

Frey graduated from George Mason University and has worked with various government agencies, including the General Services Administration, the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

He is currently in web development, supporting scientists and technical writers reporting on climate change and its effects on the environment, farming and economy.

Frey moved to Denton County several years ago with his wife to be closer to her family. He said his father-in-law's cancer diagnosis led him to see the Texas health care system is flawed.

That inspired him to run for for office, he said, advocating for a better health care system. Since then, he said, he has spoken to several people who have struggled because Texas failed to expand Medicaid.

"I really want to try to do what I can to fix the broken health care system down here," Frey said.

Frey also wants to support funding for public schools and, if elected, will advocate for better pay and better retirement funds for teachers. Frey said he will also focus on blocking or eliminating education savings accounts, also known as vouchers, because they could take away funding for public education.

Frey also said he will advocate for better road and water infrastructure, with a specific focus on issues in Wichita Falls.

About a decade ago , Wichita Falls was in danger of running out of water. While the water didn't run out, building a new lake, Ringgold Lake, has been an ongoing issue.

Ringgold Lake is a 16,000-acre reservoir that Wichita Falls city leaders want to build in Clay County, about 30 miles east of the city. City leaders say that a new reservoir will help keep Wichita Falls from running out of water during droughts. Opponents say it would permanently flood thousand acres , and a lawsuit was filed to stop lake construction in August.

Frey said the area needs to create a water recycling system, which he said will cost more but will address the water scarcity issue. He believes other areas within the counties would benefit from water recycling.

"We can fix our broken roads — we pay for infrastructure today, upgrade our water infrastructure, which is also desperately needed, and if they really wanted a school choice program, they can fund that with our massive surplus," Frey said. "But that is not what is being proposed. Instead, the voucher program specifically takes money away from a public education system."

Early voting for the Nov. 5 general election runs from Monday, Oct. 21, through Nov. 1.