Haynes filed his candidacy for District 30 in anticipation of U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s Senate campaign.
By Gromer Jeffers Jr.
political writer
Chitose Suzuki / Staff Photographer
Dallas minister Frederick Haynes III, leader of Friendship-West Baptist Church, on Monday filed his candidacy for Dallas’ 30th Congressional District.
Haynes’ candidacy comes as the district’s current representative, Dallas Democrat Jasmine Crockett, filed paperwork to run for the U.S. Senate seat held by John Cornyn. Crockett is staging an event at 4:30 p.m. Monday to officially launch her campaign.Haynes’ candidacy comes as the district’s current representative, Dallas Democrat Jasmine Crockett, filed paperwork to run for the U.S. Senate seat held by John Cornyn. Crockett is staging an event at 4:30 p.m. Monday to officially launch her campaign.
Haynes’ leadership of the 13,000-member church in Oak Cliff has given him a significant platform and he’s been heavily involved in political events and social justice causes.
With Crockett leaving her District 30 seat, Haynes is one of several candidates expected to run to replace her. Haynes was a major supporter of Crockett’s campaign and he’s her pastor.
Haynes will join a contest that’s likely to include U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, who has represented nearby District 33 since 2013.
The Republican-controlled Legislature redrew that district this summer and removed Veasey’s Tarrant County political base. District 30 was changed also. It’s dominated by Black voters and includes a swath of Tarrant County, including areas Veasey used to represent.
Haynes is making his first run for major office.
In 2024 Haynes took over leadership of the Chicago-based civil rights organization Rainbow PUSH Coalition. Less than three months later he resigned.
Haynes recently returned to his duties as Friendship-West pastor after a brief medical leave.
The Howard University graduate and Chicago native has covered four presidential campaigns and written extensively about local, state and national politics. Before The News, he was a reporter at The Kansas City Star and The Chicago Defender. You can catch Gromer every Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on NBC 5’s Lone Star Politics.
This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas.
