Who Kevin is
He runs his family's oil and gas company in Midland and represents a state senate district that stretches across the Texas Panhandle and Permian Basin.
About Kevin
Sparks grew up in Midland, graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a business degree, and is president of Discovery Operating, a family-owned oil and gas company. He won his first Senate race unopposed in 2022 after longtime Republican Kel Seliger retired, and was endorsed by Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, and Dan Patrick. He is now running for re-election, campaigning on border security, gun rights, election integrity, and lower taxes.
Where they stand
- Reproductive RightsDisagree
- Immigration & BorderAgree
- Housing & AffordabilityUnknown
- Public EducationDisagree
- Election IntegrityDisagree
- HealthcareUnknown
- Social Security & MedicareUnknown
- Gun PolicyAgree
- Climate & EnergyAgree
Also on the ballot for TX State Senate • District 31
Every candidate on this ballot line appears here, in alphabetical order. Tap a name to read more.
John BetancourtHe works as a family service manager at a funeral home and has spent over a decade on local school boards in Amarillo.
About John
Betancourt served on the Amarillo Independent School District Board of Trustees starting in 2015 and was elected to the Amarillo College Board of Regents in 2021, after an earlier unsuccessful run for the State Board of Education in 2020. He announced his campaign for Texas Senate District 31 in November 2025 to challenge incumbent Kevin Sparks. In January 2026 he was arrested on a second DWI charge, which led the Amarillo College board to temporarily suspend him from committee assignments while he remained a voting board member.