As early voting in the primary runoff election begins today, Texas Scorecard reached out to all Republican candidates for the state Legislature to ask that they share their top three priorities.
The two top responses from candidates include securing the Texas-Mexico border from the ongoing invasion and dealing with out-of-control property taxes.
Find your candidate’s responses below:
Senate District 24
Raul Reyes: “Secure the border. We must protect our communities and defend our sovereignty. Declare an invasion so Texas can repel, detain, and deport. Both the U.S. and Texas constitutions allow this as our right!
“Eliminate property taxes. Texans never truly own their own home because the State is the landlord. We must encourage homeownership as part of the great American way of life. The tax burden on Texans is too heavy.
“Secure elections. Renew the people’s trust in the principle of our vote being our voice. Bring back felony penalties, which were reduced to misdemeanors by RINO Republicans.”
Pete Flores: “As a Texas game warden and a state senator, Pete Flores has been an effective servant of the people. Pete is committed to the cause of limited government, individual liberty, free enterprise, and respect for conservative values. He will enact policies that keep our economy strong, create good-paying jobs, and fight to oppose failed Biden administration policies that have damaged the energy industry, killed jobs, and increased gas prices. Pete will defend life, parents’ right to determine what happens in public education, ensure the reliability of our electric grid, and work to improve our local water, sewer, and road infrastructure.”
House District 12
Ben Bius:
- Eliminate State and Federal un-funded mandates that rob the independence of our independent school districts. Covid has illuminated need to allow for school choice. Restoring parental and teacher control of the classroom is job one.
- Securing our border, by assuring illegal border crossers are deportable and not “distributed” across the country is vital to the preservation of our nation and state.
- Provide for speedy trials, sure, swift, and severe sentencing for Drug Traffickers. Support Law Enforcement.
Kyle Kacal did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry.
House District 17
Paul Pape: “As state representative for House District 17, my top priorities will be groundwater protections and sustainability, border security, and property appraisals and tax reform.
“We must protect our local landowners’ private property rights and prevent over-harvesting of groundwater so that desired future conditions are protected and this life-sustaining asset is available for growth and development in our counties.
“I support Governor Abbott’s work to build more border wall, supply law enforcement boots on the ground, and back them up with air support and technology.
“Skyrocketing tax appraisals are devastating many Texans. Let’s review and rewrite guidelines for how properties are appraised and valued for tax purposes.”
Stan Gerdes did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry.
House District 19
Ellen Troxclair: “In the Texas House, my top three priorities will be to secure the border by finishing the wall and cutting off the magnets that encourage illegal immigration, cutting and capping property taxes, and banning taxpayer-funded lobbying. The contrast in this race could not be clearer—I am running against an unregistered lobbyist for a labor union that supports open borders and amnesty for illegal immigrants.”
Justin Berry did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry.
House District 23
Terri Leo-Wilson: “While I have many priorities when it comes to passing conservative legislation, my top three would have to be: 1. Secure the border and finish Trump’s wall, 2. Keep critical race theory out of our classrooms, and 3. Ban taxpayer-funded lobbying.”
Patrick Gurski did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry.
House District 52
Caroline Harris: “With the Biden administration doing everything it can to undermine our economy, tread on our constitutional rights, and insult our values, I will be a champion for our conservative values. My top three priorities as state representative will be securing the border, banning critical race theory, and cutting and capping property taxes.”
Patrick McGuinness: “My top three priorities are:
- Secure the border – Texas needs to secure our southern border through all available tools.
- Lower property taxes – Institute real property tax relief through the buy-down of local school M&O property taxes.
- Education – Empower parents in their children’s education, focus schools on their core education mission, and end leftist indoctrination in our schools.
“As a husband, father, and taxpayer, I want what’s best for my family and all Texas families. As state representative, I will be fighting for parents, taxpayers, and all Texans and our liberty.”
House District 60
Mike Olcott: “1.) Secure our southern border. Texas—and only Texas—can do this. The federal government has shown that it is not coming to save us.
2.) Pass meaningful property tax relief. No more band-aid solutions.
3.) Protect Texas children. Whether it be from abortion, leftist indoctrination, or gender modification surgeries and medications.”
Glenn Rogers did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry.
House District 61
Paul Chabot: “I am both a veteran and a patriot. I understand that this doesn’t normally fall under the jurisdiction of the Legislature, but our nation’s founding values are important to me. I believe in God, family, duty, honor, respect, and integrity. We must never forget that first and foremost, we are Patriots and have a solemn obligation to protect our history and its accompanying principles. Texas is America’s last best hope to right the ship in America. My top three priorities include: reduce property taxes, secure border, election integrity.”
Frederick Frazier did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry.
House District 63
Jeff Younger: “1. Secure the border: Texas should declare an invasion and deploy military resources to combat it. 2. Secure our elections: The Legislature gave the Texas attorney general the power to prosecute election fraud anywhere in Texas. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned the law, putting our elections in jeopardy. It is high time the Legislature reassumes its supervisory role over Texas’ out-of-control judiciary. 3. Outlaw transgender child abuse: Chemical castration and sex-change surgeries on Texas kids should be a serious crime. It should be a crime for the doctors that perform these barbaric procedures. Adults who groom children to participate in these procedures should also be criminally liable.”
Ben Bumgarner did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry.
House District 70
Eric Bowlin: “As the next representative for District 70, I will fight for all of our conservative priorities, but my top priorities are:
- Securing the border
- Ensuring energy independence for Texans
- Delivering property tax relief and lowering tax bills for hardworking Texans
“I believe we simply must get back to the basics and address the issues that directly affect Texans’ pocketbooks and neighborhoods. This is why my top priorities deal with saving the taxpayers money, reducing energy costs by securing energy independence, and cracking down on violent crime coming in across the border.”
Jamee Jolly did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry.
House District 73
Carrie Isaac: “We don’t have a sovereign nation without a secure border and secure elections. And we don’t have true property ownership—one of our nation’s founding principles—as long as we have property taxes. I will fight to secure the border, ensure election integrity, and for true property ownership.”
Barron Casteel did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry.
House District 84
David Glasheen: “My top three priorities are:
- Secure the border to reduce crime in our communities.
- Reform the property tax and appraisal system to lower property taxes for homeowners.
- Support public education – protecting primary education from CRT and making Texas Tech a flagship university.”
Carl Tepper did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry.
House District 85
Phil Stephenson: “I want to address the unfunded liabilities in the Teacher Retirement System and Employee Retirement System. I want to use the free market. If we don’t begin mitigating this issue, it will hurt the state’s credit rating.
“Swap school property taxes with sales tax, at least the maintenance and operations portion. I do not want to increase the sales tax, but broaden it. There is 42 billion dollars’ worth of tax-exempt items.
“Finish our own border wall and put more DPS troopers on the ground. This will cost money. We’re going to have to cut the budget.”
Stan Kitzman: “Border & State Security: I will work to end the terror at the Texas border by fighting to fund more walls, barriers, and law enforcement. I will also fight the spread of illegal immigrant housing facilities in HD 85’s communities.
“Property Taxes: Texas property taxes put a significant burden on families, small businesses, farmers, and ranchers. I will fight for property tax relief so that citizens keep more of their hard-earned money.
“Food Security: I will protect production agriculture, work to bolster rural healthcare access, and ensure Texas’ rural broadband initiative actually benefits constituents.”
House District 91
Neither David Lowe nor Stephanie Klick responded to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry.
House District 93
Laura Hill: “1. Fight back against Biden’s open border disaster. 2. Stand up for parents and oppose liberal indoctrination in the classroom. 3. Uphold the integrity of Texas elections.”
Nate Schatzline: “First and foremost, we must protect the next generation by getting leftist indoctrination out of our schools, resisting the transgender agenda targeting our children, and fighting for the unborn!
“Secondly, we must secure our border. We do this by finishing the wall, ending taxpayer subsidies to illegal immigrants, and backing the blue at all costs.
“Additionally, we must lower property taxes and secure our liberties and freedoms by putting an end to all government mandates that put your medical freedom, religious freedom, or business at risk.”
House District 122
Mark Dorazio: “Priority 1: Secure our southern border. Priority 2: Make illegal voting a felony again. Priority 3: Real property tax relief – use excess tax revenue collected above the state’s spending cap to buy down property taxes.”
Elisa Chan did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry.
House District 133
Shelley Torian Barineau: “Public safety & reduce crime! Including bail reform legislation, fully funding first responders, and strengthening statewide collaborations to end human trafficking.
“Border security! Border security including physical barriers, technology, and increased law enforcement along the border. Ending catch and release.
“Stop anti-American theories! End divisive theories like critical race—and critical gender—theory, and protect parents’ rights by precluding actions that violate the fundamental rights and duty of parents to direct the upbringing of the parents’ child.”
Mano DeAyala did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry.
