By Juliana Vasquez | Staff Writer
Behind every state budget, courtroom ruling and public land decision is an elected official tasked with steering Texas’s future. This election cycle, Democratic voters will decide nominees for key positions that oversee the state’s finances, natural resources, judiciary and legislative priorities.
Houston junior Hanna Al-Hayek said Baylor students should vote in the primary election because it is the best way to ensure their voices are heard.
“It’s really important to go vote; we have that privilege, [and] it’s important that everybody uses it,” Al-Hayek said.
This primary election features a ballot of contested Democratic races that stretch beyond the top ticket, with candidates competing for offices such as comptroller of Public Accounts, commissioner of the General Land Office, chief justice of the Supreme Court, justice of the Supreme Court Place 7 and District 56 state representative.
Comptroller of Public Accounts
Every time Texans swipe a card, pay a business fee or watch lawmakers debate the state budget, the impact of the Texas comptroller of Public Accounts is at work behind the scenes.
“As leader of one of the largest state agencies, the comptroller serves as Texas’ chief financial officer – tax collector, chief accountant, chief revenue estimator and chief treasurer for all of state government …” The Texas Comptroller’s website reads.
Democratic candidates Savant Moore, Sarah Eckhardt and Michael Lange are currently competing for the chance to challenge the Republican comptroller candidate in the general election.
Savant Moore – Houston, Texas
It has been 26 years since a Democrat has held the office of comptroller in Texas, and Moore plans on breaking that chain by running a campaign that claims to bring Texans “Moore.”
“He has watched hardworking Texans lose thousands of dollars not because they refused to pay—but because the process was designed to make them fail,” Moore’s campaign website reads. “That’s why he’s running for Texas Comptroller: to make government work for people, not against them.”
Sarah Eckhardt – Austin, Texas
As the battle-tested state senator for Travis County, Eckhardt plans to bring people together to solve problems rather than score political points as comptroller.
“Her executive leadership record includes balancing budgets, lowering taxes, leading through natural disasters, and improving government performance,” Eckhardt’s campaign website says.
Michael Lange – Houston, Texas
Lange has worked in high-level finance and plans to bring that experience to the Texas Comptroller’s Office.
“He’s running to make our tax system fair, transparent, and future-ready—ensuring that every dollar is accounted for, waste is eliminated, and resources are invested where they matter most,” Lange’s campaign website reads.
Commissioner of the General Land Office
As the oldest agency in the state, the Texas General Land Office manages the roughly 13 million acres that create Texas.
“The Texas General Land Office improves the lives of every Texan by preserving our state’s history, restoring and operating the Alamo, maximizing the revenue from our state lands to help fund Texas public education, safeguarding our coast, supporting communities impacted by disasters, and providing essential services to Veterans,” the general land office website reads.
Democratic candidates Jose Loya and Benjamin Flores are competing to see who will challenge incumbent Dawn Buckingham for the office.
Jose Loya – Chihuahua, Mexico
Loya is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and staff representative for the United Steelworkers and plans on utilizing his background to protect veterans, schools and public lands.
“I’m running to make sure that no veteran has to struggle to get the support they deserve, no teacher has to pay for supplies out of pocket, and no Texan is left behind when natural disaster strikes,” Loya’s campaign website reads.
Benjamin Flores – Bay City, Texas
Growing up, Flores’s mother instilled a “no nonsense” mindset in him that he plans to bring with him to the land commissioner’s office.
“I have direct local government experience, which the GLO deals and interacts with on a daily basis,” Flores said. “Anything from community block grants, drainage, flooding projects—that’s where having somebody with local government experience is key. It’s a position that is too important for all Texans.”
Chief Justice, Texas Supreme Court
All of the seats within the Texas Supreme Court are elected to six-year terms, and there has not been a Democrat elected to the court since the 1990s. Although each justice sits on relatively equal footing, the chief justice handles more of the administrative duties of the court.
Cory L. Carlyle and Maggie Ellis are hoping to change this precedent and unseat incumbent Justice Jimmy Blacklock.
Cory L. Carlyle – Dallas, Texas
Carlyle has previously served as the assistant attorney general in the office of the attorney general in Washington D.C. and assistant district attorney at the Dallas County District Attorney’s office.
“The courts have no place taking sides on issues, ideas, or movements,” Carlyle’s website reads. “Judges must remain studiously neutral. And when on the bench, they take the facts and apply the law as written to preserve the rule of law.”
Maggie Ellis – Unknown
Ellis is the first openly LGBTQ+ woman elected to a Texas appellate court, serving as a justice on the Texas Third Court of Appeals, and hopes to also be the first female chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court.
“As a Justice on the Third Court of Appeals, a former teacher, foster mom, and PTA President, I have been a strong advocate for compassion and justice for our community,” Ellis’s campaign website reads. “As a mother, grandmother, and the wife of a veteran, nothing is more important to me.”
Justice, Supreme Court, Place 7
This position shares the same duties — omitting the administrative authority —as the chief justice position above. Kristen Hawkins and Gordon Goodman are running for the chance to challenge incumbent Justice Kyle D. Hawkins.
Kristen Hawkins – Houston, Texas
Hawkins brings experience in civil litigation, medical malpractice and a previous position as judge of the 11th District Court to this campaign. She believes the court could benefit from the perspective of a previous district judge.
“Judge Hawkins is a jurist deeply rooted in her community, and she continuously strives to improve the legal profession while making a difference in the lives of those she serves,” her campaign website reads.
Gordon Goodman – Unknown
Goodman previously served as a justice on Texas’ 1st Court of Appeals in Houston and has experience working in the energy sector.
No publicly available information detailing Goodman’s plans for the position could be found at the time of publication.
District 56 State Representative
Elected to represent a specific district, a state representative introduces bills, works in committees and casts votes in the Texas House, helping determine policies that affect public schools, state spending and everyday life across Texas.
Janessa Givens and Ashley Bean Thornton are running for the opportunity to challenge the Republican pick for the general election.
Janessa Givens – Unknown
Givens plans to bring her experience as a practicing attorney and upbringing to represent District 56 with compassion and integrity.
“Texans deserve representation rooted in service, not party labels or personal gain,” Givens campaign website reads. “I’m running for State Representative because District 56 needs a strong, honest voice. One that represents every neighbor, every community and every concern with integrity and respect.”
Ashley Bean Thornton – Waco, Texas
Ashley Bean Thornton is a Baylor alumna and former Baylor employee who hopes to make Waco’s community stronger and invest in the public school system.
“I feel like we are all better off when more of us are better off, and I’m a little bit worried that we’re going in a direction where a few people are getting to be really well off and a whole lot of people are not getting to be as well off,” Thornton said.
Thornton is hoping to build a future where young adults can buy homes and raise families affordably.
The winners of these primary races will advance to the November ballot, where voters statewide will decide who will fill some of Texas’ most influential offices.
