CORRECTION: In regards to the first sentence of this article, we would like to clarify that we mean to say “In statewide elections for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General and State Representative for District 56, all current representatives return to their seats for another term.”
In statewide elections, all representatives return to their seats for another term. The blue wave seemed to miss Texas as major positions remained Republican.
Governor
Gov. Greg Abbott was re-elected for a second term as governor of Texas. Abbott won 56.2 percent of the votes, beating Valdez by 14.1 percent. Abbott won the majority in McLennan County with 65.59 percent of votes, beating Valdez by 32.62 percent.
Abbott (R) ran against Lupe Valdez (D) and Mark Tippets (L). Going into Election Day, Abbott was in the lead by about 30 percent, according to CBS Channel 21 of Dallas-Fort Worth.
Gov. Abbott has served one term as governor of Texas, and there is no term limit for Texas governors. Previously, Abbott served as the Texas attorney general and justice on the Texas Supreme Court. He is focused on tax cuts via his “Bicentennial Blueprint,” creating jobs, improving Texas’ education system and securing the borders, according to his website.
“When you elected me Governor, I promised you a Texas that would create jobs and promote opportunity. I promised to cut taxes, improve education, build more roads, and take action to secure our border. With your help, we delivered on those promises and so much more. But we’re just getting started. Together, we will keep Texas the most exceptional state in America,” Abbott’s website says.
Former Dallas County sheriff Lupe Valdez focused her campaign on improving veterans affairs, LQBTQ+ rights, public schools and advocating for immigrant communities.
“As a former US Army National Guard Captain, I have seen too many veterans who have served our country heroically return home with a lack of access to healthcare, sustainable housing and reintegration services. We have to start with legislation that will provide healthcare to 76,000 veterans currently not covered due to the current administration’s refusal to accept Federal Medicare expansion funds,” Valdez’s website says.
Mark Tippetts, the Libertarian candidate, said he believed in providing protection of the rights of all people. According to Tippetts’ campaign manager, Patrick Dixon, Tippetts wanted people to recognize there are more than two political parties on the ballot.
“We want voters to understand that you have more than two options on Election Day. There are three candidates running for governor. The Libertarian party is the fastest-growing party in the state and in the country. We’re the only party that believes in personal individual freedom and liberty and that sets Mark Tippetts apart from the other candidates,” Dixon said.
Lieutenant Governor
Dan Patrick was re-elected as lieutenant governor, winning 51 percent of the votes statewide. McLennan County voted for Patrick, giving him 60.10 percent of the votes and beating out his opponent by 22.41 percent of the votes.
Going into Election Day, the lieutenant governor race was leaning red with Dan Patrick (R) leading Mike Collier (D) by 11 percent. The libertarian candidate running against them was Kerry Douglas McKennon.
Patrick is “unwavering in his fight for life and liberty,” according to his website, by securing the border, reducing property taxes and promoting the Second Amendment.
“Focusing on strategies to keep Texas families and communities safe and the state economy strong, under his leadership, the Senate passed legislation to dramatically increase support for border security and reduced the franchise tax by 25 percent on a pathway to eliminating it all together. Lt. Governor Patrick has championed property tax relief over several legislative sessions and continued the education reforms he began as Chair of the Senate Education Committee, tackling the problems of failing schools and giving parents more choices for their children,” Patrick’s website says.
Mike Collier said he wanted to change the course of Texas politics today. According to Collier, Texas is on the wrong track in terms of education and property taxes, and he thinks our democracy in peril by allowing voter suppression and the corporate takeover of politics.
“The election process has been one of the greatest experiences of my lifetime. The support we get in places like Waco — not necessarily known to be a Democrat haven — has been tremendous. People are so excited to share their hopes and aspirations with me, and it’s inspiring. I met a school superintendent in West, Texas recently. He approached as we were in between campaign events at a truck stop in Tulia. He told me that he, as a lifelong Republican voter, was voting for me, the first ever Democrat he would mark on a ballot,” Collier said.
McKennon said he believes that all individuals have the right to live as they please without the government getting in the way, as long as they don’t interfere with other’s rights, according to his website. Mckennon wanted to abolish property taxes and legalize marijuana and prostitution. According to McKennon’s campaign manager, Ryan Simpson, McKennon was campaigning for less government interference.
“The number one takeaway from McKennon’s platform is less government in lives of businesses and individuals. More government in many cases causes worse problems than its trying to fix in the first place such as with any black market,” Simpson said.
Attorney General
Incumbent Republican Ken Paxton was re-elected as attorney general, winning 51 percent of the votes. In McLennan County, Paxton beat out Justine Nelson (D) by 22.43 percent, getting 60.04 percent of the votes.
Incumbent Attorney General Ken Paxton ran against Justin Nelson (D) and Michael Ray Harris (L). Going into Election Day, polls showed Paxton in the lead, even though he is under indictment for security fraud charges.
Ken Paxton strongly promotes religious freedom, the protection of the 10th Amendment and defends the free enterprise system — advocating for less government regulations in the economy.
“He has been a prominent voice in the defense of religious liberty during multiple attacks by the Obama Administration and also more recently supporting the current Administration’s policies defending religious liberty. A defender of our free enterprise system, General Paxton also continues to fight against overreaching government regulations which harm Texas jobs and economic growth,” Paxton’s website says.
Nelson focused his campaign the promise to bring integrity back to the attorney general’s office. Nelson believes in standing up for the the law and wants to serve as a check on power, according to his website.
“I will fight for ALL Texans to stop corruption, fraud, and government waste, to safeguard consumer protections, and to ensure everyone is treated equally under the law,” Nelson’s website says.
Harris was the Libertarian candidate and has been a criminal defense attorney for 20 years. Harris said he wanted to focus on civil asset forfeiture laws and ensure that “abuse of office” should apply to federal agents.
State Representative for District 56
Republican incumbent Charles “Doc” Anderson won the race for state representative for District 56 winning 65.79 percent of the votes.
Charles “Doc” Anderson (R) and Katherine Turner-Pearson (D) were on the ballot for state representative for the district — which includes Waco and the surrounding area.
Anderson said he plans to focus his time in office in reforming the Texas educational system, tackling the rising property tax issue and enhancing border security.
“You have state and you have local issues — the biggest issue we’ll be dealing with is public school finance. It’s really important, that we educate our kiddos in Texas properly. We need to get a handle on property taxes. They are driving people out of their homes, preventing young people from getting homes. I’ve had middle class folks call saying they have to downsize to avoid taxes,” Anderson said.
Turner-Pearson focused her platform on promoting funding for Texas public schools.
“I think what I’ve really been trying to get across to people, is that we really have to get funding from the state of Texas for our public schools. I think that has been the keystone [of my platform.] My opponent has been voting along with the rest of the legislature to defund our schools. By defunding schools, we are shorting the children and that’s on investment for the future of the State of Texas,” Turner-Pearson said.
