Recruited to run for the Texas Senate by House Speaker Joe Straus, Fort Bend ISD President Kristin Tassin is allying with organizations that typically support Democrats rather than Republicans.
On her most recent fundraising report, Tassin reported raising more than $16,000 from public employee labor unions and $5,000 from Parent PAC—an anti-school choice organization that endorsed and supported Democrat Wendy Davis in her various Senate campaigns.
Both donations make sense given Tassin’s political history and that of her opponent, incumbent State Sen. Joan Huffman (R–Houston).
Though her record in the Texas Senate could use some improvement, Huffman still earned a “B” on the Fiscal Responsibility Index. Huffman was also one of the votes Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and conservatives could count on to move legislation through the Texas Senate, like the bill to end the automatic deduction of union dues—which she sponsored—and school choice proposals.
Since Tassin announced her campaign, Patrick has been aggressively supporting Huffman across Harris County and the Gulf Coast portion of her district.
“I need her back in 2019, so work for her and get her back to the Capitol in 2019,” said Patrick at a September Harris County GOP meeting.
Patrick’s support isn’t a surprise. He’s been working diligently to maintain conservative control of the Texas Senate by supporting State Sens. Konni Burton (R–Colleyville) and Bob Hall (R–Edgewood), but his efforts in support of Huffman have been even stronger.
Perhaps that’s because Tassin has been reportedly telling voters and supporters that if she is elected she will “join the group of Senators opposed to Dan Patrick.” Given Patrick’s effective leadership in the Senate, that statement means Tassin would align herself with the Senate Democrats.
Given conservatives’ numbers in the Texas Senate right now, Tassin could indeed be a major problem for taxpayers on the issues of school choice, union dues, and eliminating in-state tuition for illegal immigrants if she’s sworn into office in 2019.
