Runoff Preview: Olcott and Rogers Face Off for House District 60

Previously only covering Stephens and Palo Pinto counties, HD 60 gained Parker County in the redistricting process.

Incumbent State Rep. Glenn Rogers (R–Mineral Wells) will face conservative activist Mike Olcott in the May runoff election.

Mike Olcott

A research scientist, Olcott returned to North Texas after retiring from academic research and has co-founded the activist group Parker County Conservatives. Olcott has been a precinct chair in Parker County since 2014, and he previously served on the State Republican Executive Committee.

According to data from Transparency USA, Olcott’s campaign is mostly self-funded ($300,000), with conservative donors David and Darlene Pendery also contributing $100,000 to the campaign. Olcott currently has more than $250,000 cash on hand.

Olcott has received the endorsements of Texas Right to Life, Texas Home School Coalition, Gun Owners of America, Texas Gun Rights PAC, Young Conservatives of Texas. He has also received endorsements from grassroots organizations such as Grassroots America – We the People, Texas Eagle Forum PAC, Moms for Liberty – Parker County, and Parker County Conservatives, as well as the recommendation of True Texas Project. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz has also endorsed Olcott, as have a multitude of local activists and officials. Olcott has also signed the Texans for Vaccine Choice pledge to end vaccine mandates.

Glenn Rogers

A veterinarian and incumbent, State Rep. Rogers’ rating of 45 from the Texans for Fiscal Responsibility Index places him solidly in the bottom quarter of Republican representatives.

His legislative record includes voting against a proposal to bar Democrats from House leadership, thereby allowing Democrats to chair important committees and kill Republican priority bills. Rogers also voted down an amendment that would have prohibited the state’s prescription drug savings program from administering puberty blockers to underage children experiencing gender confusion. Additionally, Rogers voted in support of giving taxpayer subsidies to unreliable energy sources and funding education for illegal aliens. He also voted down the language in the state budget bill that would have prohibited certain school funds from being used to hire a registered lobbyist.

Based on data from Transparency USA, Rogers’ biggest donor is the Texas Farm Bureau’s AGFUND ($80,015). Other large contributors include Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan ($55,184), Texas Realtors PAC ($41,434.81), Texas Veterinary Medical Association PAC ($30,250), and Texans for Lawsuit Reform ($25,040).

Rogers’ endorsements include Texas Parent PAC, Texas State Teachers Association, Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, Texas Municipal Police Association, Texas State Association of Firefighters, Life PAC, establishment-aligned Texas Alliance for Life, Texas Farm Bureau, Texas Medical Association, Texans for Lawsuit Reform, Texas Association of REALTORS, and the National Federation of Independent Business – Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dade Phelan have also endorsed Rogers.

The Issues

For the past several weeks, Texas Scorecard has been questioning legislative runoff candidates on issues voters care about as they head to the polls. Notably, Rogers declined to respond to any of Texas Scorecard’s inquiries.

Regarding Democrats chairing important committees, Olcott says he supports ending the practice, whereas Rogers has previously voted for the continuation of the practice.

Olcott said “YES” to extending girls’ sports protections to women’s collegiate athletics and keeping men pretending to be women out of those competitions.

As property taxes continue increasing for most Texans, Olcott says he is interested in the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s proposal to buy down property taxes, with the goal of eventually eliminating property taxes.

On the issues of indoctrination in public schools, Olcott supports parental rights to prohibit dangerous gender and sexual ideologies in the classroom. He also supports preventing obscene materials in children’s libraries by closing the loopholes in Texas’ obscenity laws.

Olcott says Texas must secure the border with Mexico and declare the current border crisis an invasion and act to end it.

Ending corporate welfare in Texas is an issue Olcott supports, stating, “The Texas Legislature should continue to create an environment of low regulation and reduce the tax burden so that businesses should choose to move to Texas for those reasons—not government handouts.”

As vaccine mandates are still being enforced by colleges and businesses across the state, Olcott said he will support legislation prohibiting vaccine mandates in Texas.

Election Day

The Election Day for the runoff is Tuesday, May 24. Early voting begins on May 16.