While he hasn’t been good on conservative issues in recent years, State Sen. Kip Averitt (R-Waco) is a gentleman who honorably served the people of Texas. His decision yesterday to end his re-election bid, citing unspecified health concerns, came as a surprise. All of us at Empower Texans wish him well, even while looking forward to his probable Republican successor, Darren Yancy of Burleson.
Sen. Averitt had a 32 on our most recent Fiscal Responsibility Index, making him the second lowest rated Republican in the Legislature.
Yancy, who announced his candidacy in the fall, was the only Republican to challenge Averitt. No Democrat filed for the seat.
The Libertarian Party will meet later this spring to select their slate of candidates, and it is possible someone could mount an independent or write-in run. But for now, it looks like Mr. Yancy is in.
Yancy will be a definite improvement, ideologically, over Mr. Averitt. I’ve had the pleasure of visiting with Mr. Yancy several times this fall.
As the Waco Tribune notes today, Yancy recently said: “Kip’s definition of conservatism and my definition of conservatism are probably miles apart.”
In Yancy’s case, that’s miles in the right direction for Texas’ taxpayers.
NOTE: Sen. Averitt’s name will remain on the ballot, even though he is ceasing his campaign.
