Thurman Bartie

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Former Port Arthur Mayor Thurman Bartie is not ready to hang up his political aspirations just yet. 

 

He is now eyeing a possible run at Texas’ 14th congressional district, a seat currently held by Randy Weber, R-Galveston. 

 

Bartie has formed an exploratory committee that includes individuals from Jefferson County as well as Galveston and Brazoria counties. The members are giving Bartie political direction on the viability of becoming a candidate. 

 

Aligned as a Democrat, Bartie feels the current administration, whom he thinks of as a good person, has removed himself from the majority of constituents by voting against Medicaid, to not feed hungry children and not help families become insured and on SNAP programs as well as removing people from healthcare. Those, he said, are not Democratic or Republican issues, those are the needs of the people.

 

Bartie said there are a large number of disenfranchised and underrepresented people in the district and no one from the district is speaking up for them. 

 

“There may be a couple of billionaires in this district but there are more common folks here,” he said, adding he is basing his candidacy on serving these individuals. 

 

Bartie may make an official announcement in mid-September, he said. 

 

Barite served as mayor of Port Arthur from 2019 to 2025 where his term was limited out. He previously served as justice of the peace for Precinct 8 for nine years. He was removed from office by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct and permanently barred from the bench or in any other judicial capacity in 2004.