Diane Symons

Diane Symons (Democratic Party) is running for election to the Texas House of Representatives to represent District 97. She is on the ballot in the Democratic primary on March 3, 2026.^[source]

Biography

Diane Symons was born in San Antonio, Texas. She earned an associate degree from Tarrant County College in 1997. Her career experience includes working as an activist.^[1]

Elections

2026

General election

The primary will occur on March 3, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 97

Beth Llewellyn McLaughlin (D), Ryan Ray (D), and Diane Symons (D) are running in the Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 97 on March 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Beth Llewellyn McLaughlin
		Ryan Ray
	Submit photo	Diane Symons

	There are no incumbents in this race.
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Republican primary

Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 97

Incumbent John McQueeney (R) is running in the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 97 on March 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		John McQueeney

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
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Endorsements

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2024

General election

General election for Texas House of Representatives District 97

John McQueeney defeated Carlos Walker in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 97 on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	John McQueeney (R)	58.1	51,432
	Carlos Walker (D)	41.9	37,132

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 88,564
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary runoff election

Democratic primary runoff for Texas House of Representatives District 97

Carlos Walker defeated Diane Symons in the Democratic primary runoff for Texas House of Representatives District 97 on May 28, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Carlos Walker	55.7	1,228
	Submit photo	Diane Symons	44.3	977

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,205
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary runoff election

Republican primary runoff for Texas House of Representatives District 97

John McQueeney defeated Cheryl Bean in the Republican primary runoff for Texas House of Representatives District 97 on May 28, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	John McQueeney	51.4	5,477
	Cheryl Bean	48.6	5,175

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,652
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 97

Diane Symons and Carlos Walker advanced to a runoff. They defeated William Thorburn in the Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 97 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Diane Symons	44.1	3,083
✔		Carlos Walker	34.6	2,420
		William Thorburn	21.3	1,485

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 6,988
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 97

Cheryl Bean and John McQueeney advanced to a runoff. They defeated Leslie Robnett in the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 97 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cheryl Bean	49.6	9,057
✔		John McQueeney	29.6	5,416
	Submit photo	Leslie Robnett	20.8	3,798

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 18,271
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign finance

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Symons in this election.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

Diane Symons has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. If you are Diane Symons, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

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2024

Diane Symons completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Symons' responses.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am an advocate for the people. I always have. It is how I was brought up. I grew up in the same house that I live in now in Benbrook, TX. I have also lived throughout District 97 during my adult years, which I am very grateful. I know the people in my district. I know and understand the struggles that people in my district go through every day. With low wages, sometimes we have to choose which bill doesn’t get paid this month or which medication do I skip today because I can’t afford to buy them every month. I am a photographer, who sees the beauty in everything. I have had the opportunity to witness history as it was being made in the past few years. We must learn from our history, so we do not repeat the worst of times. I was always proud of Texas and loved that we were the “friendly” state. In the past few years, it has changed and not for the better. We must come together. I voted for Governor Ann Richards, when I was first eligible to vote. Her motto, Don’t Mess with Texas, will always stand. My motto is Don’t Mess with Texans.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Education should be available for anyone. Our state should want educated people. However when independent school districts have teachers with an average of 3 yrs experience, our students do not get the high quality of education they deserve. We must provide an incentive for teachers to stay. I propose that teachers and school workers, active and retired, shall receive $0 property taxes. I believe that everyone should have the right to receive $8k per year for trade schools, college and universities in the state of Texas. Of course, nothing is free, they would have to complete community service each semester.
Economy is extremely strong in Texas. There is enough money that each individual should have the right income for them and their family. I propose $15 minimum wage. Each year that the economy grows in Texas, we add $1 to the minimum wage. Small business owners are extremely concerned as the increase will take away from profits. I propose a tax credit to offset the additional expense. Corporations receive 5-10 yr tax abatements. Once the time is completed, some move out of the state. To keep corporations let’s provide an incentive to keep them in Texas. Hire students as interns and after graduation, hire them full time. Corporations will not want to leave if they have invested in training their educated employees.
Equality is a weakness in Texas. If you are not white, you don’t make as much money. Discrimination based on color of your skin, your sexuality, your religion, your income, the car you drive, where you put your head down to sleep, your health, the way you dress and the type of work you do are unfortunately some and not all of the reasons you become bullied in school. People need to grow up and work together. Texans can do better. Ms Opal Lee says that if people can learn to hate, they can learn to love.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I believe that I am passionate about people and everyone having the same rights. Legalizing marijuana is the right thing to do. It will bring money to our economy. It can be grown and sold safely without having to worry about drug cartels and what may be mixed with it. It needs to be decriminalized. Voting should be available to everyone and that the people that represent you and your district. I believe you should live in their district for 2 years prior to serving. This will stop people from moving around from one place to another just to get elected. People think all politicians are corrupt because of donations from organizations, corporations and people. Their vote is bought. Let the people vote on the issues at the polls.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Ms Opal Lee. She is my mentor and my hero. If I end up being 10% of the woman that she is, I will then know I succeeded in life. No matter how many awful things that her and her family have endured, she stayed positive and doing positive things to help her community. If someone wants something done, they go to Ms Opal Lee. We know she will never give up.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Ethical. Honest. Passionate. Inspirational. Practical. Resourceful. Genuine. Sociable. Analytical. Understanding. Selfless. Compassionate. Determined. Patient. Proactive. Dedicated. Diligent. Persistence. Realistic. Graceful.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Communication. Listen and understand what really matters to the people that you represent. Vote the way they want you to vote. Your vote should be their vote, their voice. Never give up. Be apart of your district and not just on paper. Do everything in your power to provide them with every tool to succeed.

What legacy would you like to leave?

That I was honest. I was a people’s person. I fought the good fight. I persisted. That I made a difference to one person.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Chevron 2 years. Starting pay was $4.50 per hour. After 30 days, I got a $0.10 an hour raise. I thought I was rich. I was promoted to a manager within 90 days. As the manager I would have to sign the beer checks. I would have to get others to sign them because I was only 19 and couldn’t purchase beer.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Medical expenses

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

They need to work together. Not everyone is going to agree. However willing to come to a mutual understanding.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Immigration and white supremacy

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

I do not. We need people that are smart and willing to do what’s right. I think you need a heart.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes. I believe that you should have working relationships with as many people on both sides of the aisle. We can accomplish a lot if we just talk like normal people.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Eddie Bernice Johnson

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

I think right now my place is in Texas in my district. Then, I will decide what is best for me and my country.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

One evening I was driving around. I sat and talked to 2 individuals in 2 separate locations in my district. The gentleman, age 71, had become homeless 10 days priors because his home was foreclosed on for delinquent property taxes. The other was a 89 year old woman out on the streets. Her home was foreclosed on 2 yrs prior due to delinquent property taxes. I meet with the gentleman every week. He was about to get an apartment 12 days ago, when everything he had was stolen except the clothes on your back. He doesn’t have the photo identification that is needed. He doesn’t have documents needed to get the identification, they were stolen too. He was covered in bruises. I asked him how he was holding up. He said that when he starts losing hope then out of nowhere I show up. He said he has hope because I give him hope. We have to do better.

Tell us your favorite joke.

I better keep quiet on this one.

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

Yes, the governor has too much power. He can twist words that make some people think he is doing it for one reason when all reality he is actually trying to change the law based on his views.

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

Increase minimum wage

What committees interest you?

Disability and education committees. Texas can do so much better in both these categories. Vouchers are not for everyone. A test should not be the only way to determine which grade a child should be in or if a school receives an A or a F. Some people freeze during tests. A child shouldn’t be considered a certain grade because of age. Schools look at kids that misbehave or don’t perform well as not being good students. Sometimes those kids are actually bored as they are gifted. We need to provide those kids the ability to move forward skipping grades. Disabilities come in so many packages. Healthcare in Texas is ridiculous. Why is our state returning money that is for special education in schools, when schools do not currently have the money to teach our kids effectively. Why do we not police handicap parking and fine the people that obtain and use illegal parking permits. Buildings with 2 doors to enter and only the outdoor has a button puts someone in a wheelchair, cane, crutches or walker stuck when the 2nd door doesn’t open automatically or have a button if they do not make it through the door in the time allotted. We need to offer paper ballots in braille.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

We need more transparency and accountability. Votes should not be bought. Votes should be the voice of the people.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Diane Symons campaign contribution history
Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024	Texas House of Representatives District 97	Lost primary runoff	$5,534	$5,169
Grand total			$5,534	$5,169
Sources: OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission *This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

External links

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Candidate

Texas House of Representatives District 97

Website

Personal

Facebook

Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 5, 2024

[show]

Current members of the Texas House of Representatives

Leadership

Speaker of the House:Dustin Burrows

Representatives

District 1

Gary VanDeaver (R)

District 2

Brent Money (R)

District 3

Cecil Bell (R)

District 4

Keith Bell (R)

District 5

Cole Hefner (R)

District 6

Daniel Alders (R)

District 7

Jay Dean (R)

District 8

Cody Harris (R)

District 9

Trent Ashby (R)

District 10

Brian Harrison (R)

District 11

Joanne Shofner (R)

District 12

Trey Wharton (R)

District 13

Angelia Orr (R)

District 14

Paul Dyson (R)

District 15

Steve Toth (R)

District 16

Will Metcalf (R)

District 17

Stan Gerdes (R)

District 18

Janis Holt (R)

District 19

Ellen Troxclair (R)

District 20

Terry Wilson (R)

District 21

Dade Phelan (R)

District 22

Christian Manuel (D)

District 23

Terri Leo-Wilson (R)

District 24

Greg Bonnen (R)

District 25

Cody Vasut (R)

District 26

Matt Morgan (R)

District 27

Ron Reynolds (D)

District 28

Gary Gates (R)

District 29

Jeffrey Barry (R)

District 30

A.J. Louderback (R)

District 31

Ryan Guillen (R)

District 32

Todd Hunter (R)

District 33

Katrina Pierson (R)

District 34

Denise Villalobos (R)

District 35

Oscar Longoria (D)

District 36

Sergio Munoz (D)

District 37

Janie Lopez (R)

District 38

Erin Gamez (D)

District 39

Armando Martinez (D)

District 40

Terry Canales (D)

District 41

Robert Guerra (D)

District 42

Richard Raymond (D)

District 43

J.M. Lozano (R)

District 44

Alan Schoolcraft (R)

District 45

Erin Zwiener (D)

District 46

Sheryl Cole (D)

District 47

Vikki Goodwin (D)

District 48

Donna Howard (D)

District 49

Gina Hinojosa (D)

District 50

James Talarico (D)

District 51

Maria Luisa Flores (D)

District 52

Caroline Harris (R)

District 53

Wesley Virdell (R)

District 54

Brad Buckley (R)

District 55

Hillary Hickland (R)

District 56

Pat Curry (R)

District 57

Richard Hayes (R)

District 58

Helen Kerwin (R)

District 59

Shelby Slawson (R)

District 60

Mike Olcott (R)

District 61

Keresa Richardson (R)

District 62

Shelley Luther (R)

District 63

Ben Bumgarner (R)

District 64

Andy Hopper (R)

District 65

Mitch Little (R)

District 66

Matt Shaheen (R)

District 67

Jeff Leach (R)

District 68

David Spiller (R)

District 69

James Frank (R)

District 70

Mihaela Plesa (D)

District 71

Stan Lambert (R)

District 72

Drew Darby (R)

District 73

Carrie Isaac (R)

District 74

Eddie Morales (D)

District 75

Mary Gonzalez (D)

District 76

Suleman Lalani (D)

District 77

Vincent Perez (D)

District 78

Joseph Moody (D)

District 79

Claudia Ordaz (D)

District 80

Don McLaughlin (R)

District 81

Brooks Landgraf (R)

District 82

Tom Craddick (R)

District 83

Dustin Burrows (R)

District 84

Carl Tepper (R)

District 85

Stan Kitzman (R)

District 86

John Smithee (R)

District 87

Caroline Fairly (R)

District 88

Ken King (R)

District 89

Candy Noble (R)

District 90

Ramon Romero (D)

District 91

David Lowe (R)

District 92

Salman Bhojani (D)

District 93

Nate Schatzline (R)

District 94

Tony Tinderholt (R)

District 95

Nicole Collier (D)

District 96

David Cook (R)

District 97

John McQueeney (R)

District 98

Giovanni Capriglione (R)

District 99

Charlie Geren (R)

District 100

Venton Jones (D)

District 101

Chris Turner (D)

District 102

Ana-Maria Ramos (D)

District 103

Rafael Anchia (D)

District 104

Jessica Gonzalez (D)

District 105

Terry Meza (D)

District 106

Jared Patterson (R)

District 107

Linda Garcia (D)

District 108

Morgan Meyer (R)

District 109

Aicha Davis (D)

District 110

Toni Rose (D)

District 111

Yvonne Davis (D)

District 112

Angie Button (R)

District 113

Rhetta Bowers (D)

District 114

John Bryant (D)

District 115

Cassandra Garcia Hernandez (D)

District 116

Trey Fischer (D)

District 117

Philip Cortez (D)

District 118

John Lujan (R)

District 119

Elizabeth Campos (D)

District 120

Barbara Gervin-Hawkins (D)

District 121

Marc LaHood (R)

District 122

Mark Dorazio (R)

District 123

Diego Bernal (D)

District 124

Josey Garcia (D)

District 125

Ray Lopez (D)

District 126

Sam Harless (R)

District 127

Charles Cunningham (R)

District 128

Briscoe Cain (R)

District 129

Dennis Paul (R)

District 130

Tom Oliverson (R)

District 131

Alma Allen (D)

District 132

Mike Schofield (R)

District 133

Mano Deayala (R)

District 134

Ann Johnson (D)

District 135

Jon Rosenthal (D)

District 136

John Bucy (D)

District 137

Gene Wu (D)

District 138

Lacey Hull (R)

District 139

Charlene Ward Johnson (D)

District 140

Armando Walle (D)

District 141

Senfronia Thompson (D)

District 142

Harold Dutton (D)

District 143

Ana Hernandez (D)

District 144

Mary Perez (D)

District 145

Christina Morales (D)

District 146

Lauren Simmons (D)

District 147

Jolanda Jones (D)

District 148

Penny Shaw (D)

District 149

Hubert Vo (D)

District 150

Valoree Swanson (R)

Republican Party (88)

Democratic Party (62)

[1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 5, 2024

[1]

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Diane Symons

Biography

Elections

2026

General election

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 97

Republican primary

Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 97

Endorsements

2024

General election

General election for Texas House of Representatives District 97

Democratic primary runoff election

Democratic primary runoff for Texas House of Representatives District 97

Republican primary runoff election

Republican primary runoff for Texas House of Representatives District 97

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 97

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 97

Campaign finance

Endorsements

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

2024

Campaign finance summary

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2026 Elections

2025 Elections

Election analysis

Trending

Public Policy

Information for candidates

Get Engaged

Services

Additional analysis

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