On Tuesday, Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex activist Mitchell Ryan announced his candidacy for Texas House District 98, challenging current Republican State Rep. Giovanni Capriglione (Southlake).
In his announcement, Ryan commented:
As a grassroots activist, I have unapologetically carried a banner of conservative values, the same values of most residents in my home district. As a Republican precinct chair, I increased our voter turnout. Since 2018, I have been exposing critical race theory in multiple school districts and was a part of the organized effort to win against this poisonous ideology. My top priority is helping Texas families thrive, and schools that properly educate children is a big part of that.
Capriglione has served as a state representative since 2013. During his first term, he was among the most conservative members of the body.
Heading into his second session in 2015, however, that changed. Since then, Capriglione earned a career rating of “F” on the Texans for Fiscal Responsibility Index. According to Rice University’s index, Capriglione was rated the 47th most conservative lawmaker out of 82 that were rated.
In a statement given to Texas Scorecard, Ryan said,
“I’m running because it’s past time for the voters of HD 98 to have the representation they thought they were getting in 2012 when the incumbent was first elected. The last two years have shown Texans that their most basic rights are not in good hands, and not only will bold action not be taken to protect Texas families from threats to our way of life, politicians like my opponent won’t even talk about it. Instead, they subsidize mega corporations who promote programs like open borders and critical race theory with your tax dollars, all while your property tax bill continues to skyrocket.”
The candidate filing deadline is December 13, 2021. It is possible that additional candidates will enter the race. As of now, the primary election is set for March 1, 2022.
