New Llano County judge and JP 3; Republican commissioner to take on Democratic challenger in November

Llano County’s Republican primary election on Tuesday, March 3, determined a new county judge and Precinct 3 justice of the peace. It also determined a party nominee to take on a Democratic challenger in the Precinct 4 commissioner race come November.

Rob Hardy was voted as the Republican nominee for Llano County judge and Kerri Sawyer Lafoon was chosen as the nominee for Precinct 3 justice of the peace. Both of these nominees will almost certainly take office come 2027 due to the lack of any Democratic challengers.

Jerry Don Moss received the nomination for Precinct 4 commissioner and will go on to the Nov. 3 General Election to face Democratic nominee Leila Green Little, who ran uncontested in her party’s primary.

The unofficial results of the primaries were released late on Tuesday night. These results will likely be finalized and certified at the next meeting of the Llano County Commissioners Court on March 9.

For district, state, and federal results in the Texas primary elections, visit this link: 2026 Texas primary results

Llano County judge race

Republican primary

Rob Hardy: 3,343 votes, 63.10 percent

Richard Kepp: 1,955 votes, 36.90 percent

• Total votes cast in 2026 Llano County judge Republican race: 5,298
• Total votes cast in 2022 Llano County judge Republican race: 4,325 (uncontested)

Two newcomers vied for the office of Llano County judge, with current judge Ron Cunningham choosing to not run for reelection. Rob Hardy faced off against Richard Kepp in the Republican primary and took home the win on Tuesday night. 

Hardy secured a solid victory, leading Kepp by 1,388 votes, or 26.2 percentage points. 

Hardy is the mayor of Sunrise Beach Village and a member of the Llano Hospital Regional Board of Directors. 

He will likely take office early and be sworn in on March 9 at the regular meeting of the Llano County Commissioners Court. Judge Cunningham announced on Jan. 27 that he intended to step down after the primary to take a new position with the Texas Association of Counties and that he would encourage the court to appoint the winner of the election to fill his seat. Normally, Hardy would not have been sworn in until January 2027, when Cunningham’s term was scheduled to end. 

“Thank you (to the people of Llano County) and I promise that I will do the very best that I can do,” Hardy told DailyTrib. “We live in a fantastically beautiful and wonderful place and I want to work to keep it that way.”

Learn more about Hardy and the platform he ran on in DailyTrib’s 2026 Llano County Republican candidate profiles. 

The Llano County judge serves as the chair of the Llano County Commissioners Court and as the chief budget officer for the county. They are one of five voting members of the Commissioners Court that decide on county policies, determine the county’s budget, and represent the county at the local, state, and federal levels. 

The Llano County judge serves a four-year term and, as of 2025, earns an annual salary of $80,009. There are no term limits for serving as county judge.

Llano County Precinct 4 commissioner race

Republican primary

Jerry Don Moss: 1,496 votes, 90.78 percent

Robert Little: 152 votes, 9.22 percent

• Total votes cast in 2026 Precinct 4 commissioner Republican race: 1,648 
• Total votes cast in 2022 Precinct 4 commissioner Republican race: 1,207 (uncontested)

Democratic primary

Leila Green Little: 165 votes, 100 percent (uncontested)

Incumbent Precinct 4 commissioner Jerry Don Moss soundly defeated Robert Little for the Republican nomination, winning by a wide margin of 1,344 votes, or 81.56 percentage points. 

“It’s good to know that people support what I do,” Moss told DailyTrib. “We’re just going to continue working as usual and we’ll cross that bridge (of the Nov. 3 General Election) when we get there.”

Moss, who has served since 2007, will now go on to face Leila Green Little in November.

Robert and Leila Little are husband and wife, and they filed for the same seat in different political parties. According to the Littles, they both filed on platforms of change and to specifically challenge Moss’ long time leadership.

The Littles are connected to Moss through the Llano County Library System lawsuit, which saw Leila as a leading plaintiff in a First Amendment lawsuit against the county and some of its leadership, including Moss as a named defendant. 

“I am not pleased with how the county has addressed the library system for the last four years,” Leila Little told DailyTrib after she filed for the Precinct 4 commissioner seat. “This is a principled stance. I have learned a great deal about what the county government does and does not do. Most importantly, I am interested and eager to learn.”

According to Moss, he was well aware of the Littles’ intentions, but he sees his sound victory in the Republican primary as a sign that his constituents are on his side. 

“It’s nice to know that I’m appreciated and that I have support,” he said.

Moss is in the midst of his fifth four-year term in office.

Learn more about Moss, the platform he ran on, and what led up to his nomination in DailyTrib’s 2026 Llano County Republican candidate profiles.

The Llano County Precinct 4 commissioner is one of five voting members of the Llano County Commissioners Court. The court is the governing body of the county and responsible for determining county policy; setting the budget; and representing the county at the local, state, and federal levels. The Precinct 4 commissioner represents one of the four precincts in the county and is also responsible for maintaining the roads, bridges, and county-owned infrastructure within that precinct that is outside of city limits. Precinct 4 includes the city of Llano and much of western Llano County.

Llano County commissioners serve four-year terms and, as of 2025, earn an annual salary of $73,786. There are no term limits for serving as a county commissioner.

Llano County Precinct 3 justice of the peace

Republican primary

Kerri Swyer Laffoon: 319 votes, 52.04 percent

Colleen Harvey: 294 votes, 47.96 percent

• Total votes cast in 2026 Precinct 3 justice of the peace Republican race: 613 votes
• Total votes cast in 2026 Precinct 3 justice of the peace Republican race: 526 (uncontested)

Laffoon won a close race against Harvey, taking just 25 more votes, or 4.08 percentage points. 

Both candidates were newcomers, as incumbent Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace Deb Edwards chose to not run for reelection. 

With no Democratic challenger, Laffoon will take office come 2027 unless she chooses to withdraw her candidacy.

“I want to express my sincere gratitude to the residents of Precinct 3 for electing me to serve as your next justice of the peace,”Laffoon wrote to DailyTrib following her victory. “I am overwhelmed by the support, encouragement, conversations at door step visits and community events. I am incredibly grateful to my family, friends, and everyone who took the time to vote and engage in this election. I appreciate all of the businesses and residents that supported me by posting my election sign on their property. For those who did not vote for me, I will work just as hard to earn your confidence. I am committed to treating everyone who walks through our doors with fairness and respect.”

Uncontested races 

The following local races only had one Republican applicant and had no Democratic challengers, meaning they will almost certainly take office in 2027.

• District Judge, 424th Judicial District- Evan Clay Stubbs
• District Clerk- Ashley Inge
• County Clerk- Cecilia McClintock
• County Treasurer- Cheryl Regmund
• County Surveyor- John A. Ables
• Precinct 2 Commissioner- Linda Raschke
• JP 2- Maureen Riggs
• JP 1- Sam Silver
• JP4- Lisa Simpson

dakota@thepicayune.com