With a solid record of championing conservative reforms it should come as no surprise that Democrats are already moving to challenge the lieutenant governor.
In a press release Thursday, Texas Democrats announced that Mike Collier is stepping down from his role within the party in order to mount a campaign against Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
“Dan Patrick has proven he is unworthy of leading this great state,” said Democrat party chairman Gilberto Hinojosa. “I am proud to see a courageous Texan like Mike Collier put his name forward to serve.”
Collier, a Houston accountant, is best known for running for Texas Comptroller in 2014 and losing by double digits. His odds this time aren’t that great either. Despite repeatedly claiming that each election will be the one to turn Texas blue, Democrats have not won a statewide election since 1994.
Patrick, a strong conservative, has repeatedly won conservative victories since being promoted from the Texas Senate to the lieutenant governor’s office.
In keeping with a promise made on the campaign trail, Patrick quickly moved to abolish the Democrat veto in the Texas Senate by repealing the chamber’s two-thirds rule. He also successfully spearheaded efforts to provide property tax relief, expand gun rights, and other conservative reforms.
So far Democrats have only announced a campaign against one other Texas lawmaker: State Sen. Bob Hall (R–Edgewood). However, party officials expect for either Beto O’Rourke or Joaquin Castro, both members of Congress, to mount a challenge against U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz.
All three individuals successfully won their current offices by running conservative campaigns against establishment candidates and prevailing with grassroots support.
Democrats have yet to announce any campaign against any of the state’s liberal and establishment Republicans.
