At a gathering in College Station in January 2014, Staples cited his experience at both the municipal and state levels of government and his support for the Texas constitutional amendment to define marriage as between one man and one woman.
Left in the runoff to succeed Staples as the Republican nominee for agriculture commissioner were former State Representatives Sid Miller of Stephenville and Tommy Merritt of Longview, who finished first and second, respectively, in the March 4 primary.