Amid a slew of important November election contests across the state, two Central Texas Republicans are vying to take back critical seats in the Texas House from Democrats with harmful voting records.
Candidates Carrie Isaac and Justin Berry are fighting to reclaim their respective Texas House Districts 45 and 47, political battleground areas that span from west Austin down through Hays and Blanco counties. The two seats fell into Democrat hands in 2018 as part of the voting surge from Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke’s statewide campaign. Since then, the occupants—HD 45’s Erin Zwiener and HD 47’s Vikki Goodwin—have voted continuously against citizens.
In the last legislative session, both Democrat state representatives earned a dismal 20/100 score on the Fiscal Responsibility Index, repeatedly voting to raise taxes on citizens, strip away protections for preborn children, and silence free speech on college campuses.
Zwiener was rated by a Rice University analysis as the sixth-most liberal member in the Texas House, and Goodwin ranked even further left as the fourth-most liberal member.
Both members have been opposed in their districts for their radical actions. Zwiener even faced one Democrat challenger in the March primary election and is now competing against Isaac—a nonprofit director and wife of former Republican State Rep. Jason Isaac—in November’s general election.
“[Zwiener] has this slogan: ‘Let’s put the all in y’all.’ Well, I like to say she means ‘all’ unless you’re a taxpayer, student, gun owner, Christian, or an unborn child,” said Isaac. “She’s voted against all of those.”
Goodwin, meanwhile, faces former 12-year Austin police officer Justin Berry, whose priorities would include reforming police, cracking down on human trafficking, and lowering property taxes.
“Would you like to guess how many times my opponent voted to raise taxes? Nine times. Yes, NINE!” Berry wrote in a Facebook post.
“My opponent’s failed policies of high taxes and poor public safety are the last things we need right now,” he added in a separate post.
Early voting is currently underway and continues through October 30. Election Day is November 3.
