After narrowly losing to incumbent State Rep. Lynn Stucky in 2022, Andy Hopper decided to run again two years later—and this time, he succeeded.
Hopper said his decision to make another bid for the district encompassing Wise County and a portion of Denton County stemmed from dissatisfaction with the current representation and a desire to align legislative actions with the district’s strong conservative values.
“Our district wasn’t well represented,” Hopper said. “Our representative voted to impeach Ken Paxton and supported the largest spending increase in our state’s history. We needed representation that was conservative and in line with this district, which is extremely conservative. I decided that if not me, then who? So, we gave it one more try.”
Hopper’s persistence paid off, and he will be sworn in as a member later this month.
A longtime grassroots activist, Hopper said his experience in the movement helped him navigate the challenges of campaigning and the political landscape. However, he found the speaker of the House race to be particularly revealing.
“The speaker’s race has been extremely interesting and very illuminating,” Hopper said. “There are a number of members who are absolutely immune to the views and thoughts of the Texas Republican grassroots. They would rather dismiss the party as irrelevant than ask themselves if they need to get in line with the Republican Party platform that thousands of delegates voted for.”
Hopper recounted a pivotal moment during the Republican caucus vote, which he described as eye-opening. “When we were sitting at the caucus vote, dozens of members stood up and left the room,” Hopper said. “There was no discussion, just a decision to disengage. That was extremely eye-opening to me.”
As he prepares for the upcoming legislative session, Hopper plans to prioritize election integrity, water conservation, and border security.
“Election integrity was one issue I ran on, and we have a number of bills that focus on that,” Hopper said. “Water is a very important issue in our district, so we have bills dealing with water and water conservation. I’m also very interested in ensuring Texas is in a better position to secure our border by ourselves if necessary. That means equipping, training, and reforming the Texas Military Department to make Texas more sovereign and capable of addressing threats independently.”
Hopper also highlighted his interest in agricultural reforms aimed at promoting self-reliance and independence for Texans.
“We’re pushing people into cities and embracing unreliable energy sources through bad policy,” he said. “I want to encourage young people to get into farming, preserve farmland for Texans, and ensure foreign interests don’t buy up our land. Texans need to be able to acquire land and afford to live in ways that allow them to be self-reliant and independent.”
When asked how he plans to hold himself accountable in office, Hopper pointed to the support of grassroots allies, his family, and a network of like-minded legislators.
“One of the things that will make it easier is the number of patriots who got elected this cycle,” Hopper said. “Many of us are close friends. We’ll keep each other accountable. My wife will also be with me in Austin, and our kids are grown, so we’ll stick together and ensure we stay true to the grassroots. Our doors will always be open to the people who sent us there.”
