State Sen. Craig Estes will apparently keep his seat.

With about half of District 30’s precincts reporting by press time Tuesday, Estes led Charles Stafford by more than a 2-to-1 margin.

Craig Estes

The winner will be unopposed in the November general election.

Estes, 54, board chairman of a Wichita Falls chemical wholesale company, is seek­ing his third term representing Dis­trict 30, which spans 18 counties.

Stafford, 55, a local real estate developer and pre­sident of Denton’s school board, said he conceded the race to Estes around 10:30 p.m.

“I feel like in the last three months, I’ve made a lot of friends, seen a lot of country and my life has been greatly enriched. … Of course, I wish I’d won,” Stafford said.

Stafford, who went to Hannah’s Off the Square after polls closed to await election results, said Estes was very gracious and encouraged him to stay involved with the issues.

Estes was unavailable for comment Tuesday evening.

For the first three months of their campaigns, Stafford raised only about $36,000 compared to Estes’ more than $225,000. Stafford spent a little more than $3,000, while Estes has spent nearly $183,000.

While disagreeing on the order of importance, the candidates have agreed that education, transportation and illegal immigration are main issues facing the Texas Legislature these days.

Estes has touted transportation as the biggest issue in his race for re-election.

While Stafford has agreed that transportation is an issue because of its potential effect on air quality and the economy, education has been his top issue.

When it comes to illegal immigration, Estes said, the Texas Legislature needs to step up security on the borders, stop drug trafficking and block terrorist access.

Stafford agrees the border needs to be secured, but he believes legal immigration should be more efficient and open to those people who wish to become permanent citizens.

AMY DODD THOMPSON can be reached at 940-566-6876. Her e-mail address is athompson@dentonrc.com .

55.9% of state precincts, 92.6% of county precincts reporting