Country music erupted through the large ballroom of the Gaylord Texan Hotel Resort as hundreds of North Texas’ most influential GOP leaders gathered to watch Election Day results.
One of the stars of the night was U.S. Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, the first woman to be elected mayor of Irving who also served in the Trump administration’s Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Van Duyne, the incumbent, easily beat challenger Democrat Sam Eppler, the principal of North Lake Early College High School in Irving, winning 60% of the vote.
Tuesday night’s festivities included live music by the band Big City Outlaws. The ballroom was decorated with green and gold balloons and featured a pair of large-screen TVs. Among the special guests was Chris Salcedo, a popular broadcaster and executive director of the Conservative Hispanic Society.
“I am your liberty-loving Latino,’' he told the cheering crowd. “Are we ready among other things to make America great again?”
The crowd included state senator Tan Parker, as well as state representatives Nate Schatzline, R-Fort Worth, Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, Brian Harrison, R-Waxahachie and Tony Tinderholt, R-Arlington. Also in attendance were Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare, Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn and numerous North Texas mayors such as Keller’s Armin Mizani, Coppell’s Wes Mays and Southlake’s Shawn McCaskill.
Shortly after she was declared the winner, Van Duyne greeted the crowd.
“The American people want to get back to policies that put America first by lowering taxes and inflation, expanding new job opportunities and protecting our families by securing our borders and deporting criminal aliens,’’ Van Duyne said.
That can only happen with former President Donald Trump in the White House, said Van Duyne, who organized Tuesday night’s watch party.
“This is the heart. This is the soul of Texas if not [the] country,” she said. “You all represent the conservative values that our nation was born on. It is humbling to sit in front of you.”
She was introduced by Schatzline, the state representative.
“Are you ready to take back our country tonight?” he shouted to roaring applause. “Are you ready to see Donald J. Trump become president once again and continue to stand for our conservative values?”
Schatzline then turned to prayer.
“I want to be very clear, I believe the most powerful thing we have — as a pastor, not just as a politician — is the power of prayer. And even now we’re going before the Lord and I believe that we’re about to see something supernatural happening inside our country.”
While the state has grown more diverse, Democrats, who have hoped for a groundswell of support in the last several elections, continue to lose opportunities with many voters, particularly the state’s growing Hispanic population.
Polls showed 31% of Hispanic voters in Texas identified the economy as their top concern. By a small margin, 48% to 47%, presumed Hispanic voters in Texas said that Trump would do a better job at handling the issue than Harris.
“We look forward to victory tonight,” said Tarrant County District Clerk Thomas Wilder, among the first elected officials to arrive at the party.
Wilder, who is not up for reelection, said one reason he attended was to support his GOP colleagues.
“I have enjoyed working with the sheriff, judges and other Republicans who are on the ballot this year to ensure that Tarrant County stays red,” said Wilder, who assumed office in 1995.
