Lieutenant Governor Pits Two Former Outsiders In Close Race

The difference between incumbent Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and his Democratic opponent, State Rep. Vikki Goodwin of Austin, couldn’t be clearer.

The same week that Patrick declared a “war on books,” Goodwin toured the state touting the Texas Cares Plan, a healthcare plan designed to make coverage more affordable. She also wanted a debate.

Goodwin’s campaigned across the state with a simple message: Dan Patrick wants to ban books and THC. She also wants to address the affordability crisis.

The following week Patrick launched his rural bus tour, which included a brand new bus replete with a podcast studio. He visited local businesses and met with local elected officials and fellow Republicans in exurban and rural areas, touting the state’s low tax and business-friendly climate and property tax reforms. While campaigning, he’s rarely mentioned culture war issues like restricting transgender access to sports and bathrooms and the state’s near total abortion ban.

And while Patrick and Goodwin are two vastly different candidates, they share one similarity: they are former outsiders.

Goodwin flipped a long Republican-held seat in 2018 and has focused on the environment and public education. Patrick, a former radio DJ, was elected to a previously moderate Republican-leaning seat in Harris County in 2006. He mentioned the previously unthinkable, including the passage of a school voucher bill giving tax dollars to families to send their kids to private schools. He also founded the upper chamber’s Tea Party Caucus, before the Tea Party was even at the top of Republicans' minds. In 2014, he challenged incumbent David Dewhurst for the job and defeated him in a runoff.

He defeated former Sen. Leticia Van de Putte of San Antonio in the general election in a devastating year for Democrats. And he’s since transformed the body and ruled with an iron fist. He’s consistently lowered the threshold for bills to pass, further sidelining Democrats, pushed the party further to the right and punished members of his party who have crossed him. In a 2022 rematch, he beat Democrat Mike Collier by 10 points.

Goodwin, as a member of the minority, doesn’t have nearly the same amount of clout. But she’s made the race the most competitive since the 2018 campaign against Collier, which he only won by less than five percent. Patrick previously has not mentioned his opponents by name. But given polls showing a tight race, he has Goodwin her in speeches and advertisements created with artificial intelligence. Those ads prompted Goodwin to file a criminal complaint.  

In recent campaign finance reports, Patrick raised $6.2 million, spent $18 million and had $24 million cash on hand. Goodwin raised $1.2 million, spent $700,000, and has $643,000 cash on hand.

Also running are Green Party candidate Kevin McCormick, Libertarian Anthony Cristo and two independent write-in candidates, Arturo Espinosa and Stephen Samuelson.