General-election interview · fall 2026
— 2026 Hardin County Race —
Magistrate / Justice of the Peace
Hardin County is divided into eight Magistrate (Justice of the Peace) districts, each electing its own representative to Fiscal Court, the body that controls the county budget, road funds, and many local ordinances. All eight districts have nominees on the November 3, 2026 ballot; five districts had contested Republican primaries on May 19. Use the menu below to jump to your district.
About this page. These are the candidates on the November 3, 2026 ballot for this race, in ballot order. Where a candidate sat for a Hardin Local interview before the May primary, that video is shown and labeled with its recording date. Fall interviews are added here as they air. Every candidate on the ballot is listed, interviewed or not.
Magistrate District 1
No primary contest in either party. Both candidates advance directly to the November 3, 2026 general election.
District 1 · November 3
Meinshausen vs YatesGeneral-election interview · recorded Tue, Sep 29, 2026
📹 Raw livestream →
Magistrate District 2
Kevin Johnson (R) withdrew on March 4, 2026. With no Republican on the ballot, Kenny Saltsman (D) is unopposed in the November 3, 2026 general election.
District 2 · November 3
Saltsman unopposedKenny Saltsman
Kevin W. Johnson
Magistrate District 3
No primary contest in either party. Both candidates advance directly to the November 3, 2026 general election.
District 3 · November 3
Whitehead vs KeckGeneral-election interview · recorded Tue, Sep 29, 2026
📹 Raw livestream →
General-election interview · recorded Tue, Sep 29, 2026
📹 Raw livestream →
Magistrate District 4
Fred Clem Jr. (R) faces Travis Leffew (D) in the November 3, 2026 general election. Clem Jr. won the May 19 Republican primary over Christy Gordon; Leffew was unopposed in his primary.
District 4 · November 3
Clem Jr. vs LeffewGeneral-election interview · fall 2026
General-election interview · recorded Fri, Sep 25, 2026
📹 Raw livestream →Magistrate District 5
Aaron Pennington (R) faces Jim Becker (D) in the November 3, 2026 general election. Pennington won the May 19 Republican primary over Wayne M. Ray; Becker was unopposed in his primary.
District 5 · November 3
Pennington vs BeckerGeneral-election interview · fall 2026
General-election interview · fall 2026
Magistrate District 6
William Jason Buckles (R) faces Frederick Jerome Thomas (D) in the November 3, 2026 general election. Buckles won the May 19 three-way Republican primary; Thomas was unopposed in his primary.
District 6 · November 3
Buckles vs ThomasGeneral-election interview · recorded Tue, Sep 29, 2026
📹 Raw livestream →
Magistrate District 7
Larry Allen Hicks (R) faces Stephen Mapp (D) in the November 3, 2026 general election. Hicks won the May 19 three-way Republican primary; Mapp was unopposed in his primary.
District 7 · November 3
Hicks vs MappGeneral-election interview · fall 2026
On the November 3 ballot.
Magistrate District 8
Kenny Muse (R) is unopposed in the November 3, 2026 general election. Muse won the May 19 Republican primary by 2 votes over Jonathan "Jon" Breeding (583 to 581); no Democrat filed.
District 8 · November 3
Muse unopposedKenny Muse
From the May 19 primary: candidates who did not advance
These interviews were recorded before the May 19, 2026 primary. These candidates are not on the November ballot. The videos stay here for the record.
District 4
Republican Primary
Christy Gordon
District 5
Republican Primary
Wayne M. Ray
District 6
Republican Primary
Nicholas Lee Simpson
T. Stacy Reynolds
District 7
Republican Primary
Zach Humphrey
Interview Wed, April 29 · 2:30 PM (Marathon)
Edited video published.
📘 Also on Facebook →
📹 Raw marathon stream →
Robin L. Geary
District 8
Republican Primary
Jonathan "Jon" Breeding