Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN, Texas – J Allen Carnes, a farmer and current mayor of Uvalde, is seeking the Republican nomination for Texas Ag Commissioner. What Carnes doesn’t tell you, is that the first Republican Primary Election he voted in was 2012, and that he has recently donated to numerous Democrat candidates … over Republican incumbents.
State-wide races are heavily contested this primary season, with veteran Republican officeholders and comebacks attempting to slide into a higher position with better prestige. One race in particular, the opening for Texas Agriculture Commissioner, has an outlier in the running – a first time candidate who’s donated and voted time and time again on the other side of the aisle.
The GOP Data Center, a system used by the Republican Party and its affiliates to judge supporter strength, lists Carnes as a “Hard Democrat”, meaning he’s voted in more than 4 consecutive Democrat primaries.
This begs the question of whether J Carnes voted for Barack Obama, or 
Hillary Clinton in 2008.
Carnes also has a lengthy list of contributions to Democrats, most notably donating to State Rep. Pete Gallego, a Democrat, over Republican Congressman Quico Canseco in CD 23, a heavily coveted swing district that reaches from El Paso to San Antonio. In 2012, the Republican Party of Texas and other major conservative organizations prioritized a re-election bid for Canseco and party activists, along with major GOP donors rallied behind the freshman Congressman.
Carnes on the other hand donated to his opponent and 3 other Democrat challengers in various Congressional Districts, while voting in the Republican Primary the same election cycle.
Another candidate in the race for Texas Agriculture Commissioner, former State Rep. Sid Miller of Stephenville (right,) has brought on rocker Ted Nugent to be his campaign treasurer, and gathered headlines in the 
press. Candidate Eric Opiela once served as Executive Director of the Republican Party of Texas.
Carnes’ campaign has brought Janey Briscoe Marmion, the daughter of former Governor Dolph Briscoe and patriarch of the Texas Democratic Party. The Briscoe’s have also donated 10’s of 1,000’s of dollars to the Democratic Party and Democrat candidates all around the state.
J Allen Carnes is running as a Republican, but urges aid from a Texas Democrat power family who is primarily funding his campaign, according to TEC filings. He is also backed by the Texas Farm Bureau, which has become wise in picking losers over the last two decades – like John Sharp over Governor Rick Perry, and Lt. Governor David Dewhurst over now United States Senator Ted Cruz.
When it comes to the actual issues that the Texas GOP stands for, Mayor Carnes is the only candidate seeking statewide office that is distancing himself from the core values of the people he hopes elect him.
Several newspaper interviews around the state reveal that Carnes believes key political issues, such as the 2nd Amendment and Pro-Life stances, are unnecessary in the race for Texas Agriculture Commissioner. In fact, out of any Republican candidate running, Carnes scored the lowest rating from the Texas State Rifle Association (TSRA).
With the average age of a Texas farmer or rancher being around 60, it may be more important to be pro-life in 
order for Texas to continue its agriculture heritage. However, Carnes has made that statement that the issue is unimportant and that he is “pro-cow”.
As the primary season comes full circle prior to the March 4th Election, voters are looking for authentic answers to choose the candidates invested in promoting their party’s beliefs. They are also trying to discern who will act accordingly once elected.
Carnes’ voting log, donation record, and campaign rhetoric begs the question of whether he is accurate in his self-description as a “Conservative Republican”, or if he is really a Democrat trickster seeking to secure the Republican nomination for Texas Agriculture Commissioner.
