Republican incumbent Patrick seeks a 3rd time period towards Democratic challenger Collier, who has been endorsed by a number of high-profile Texas Republicans.
TEXAS, USA — Among this yr’s most high-profile midterm election races is the showdown for Texas’ lieutenant governor between incumbent Republican Dan Patrick and his Democratic challenger Mike Collier.
Texas voters elect a lieutenant governor each 4 years. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick was elected to his second time period in workplace in 2018. This yr, he is hoping to be elected to a 3rd straight time period.
Unlike the joint ticket of U.S. President and Vice President, Texas elects its governor and lieutenant governor individually. Because the governor and lieutenant governor are separated on the poll, they can be from completely different events — which has occurred earlier than.
Most lately, within the late Nineties, Democrat Bob Bullock served as lieutenant governor underneath Republican Gov. George W. Bush.
According to the Texas Constitution, if the governor leaves workplace via a resignation, or if the governor turns into unable to run the state, the lieutenant governor mechanically assumes the governor’s workplace. (That is how former Gov. Rick Perry initially took workplace. He was lieutenant governor underneath George W. Bush, and have become governor when Bush turned president.)
The lieutenant governor additionally serves as president of the Texas Senate, which supplies him the ability to nominate senators to committees and resolve which payments make it to senate committees for dialogue. The lieutenant governor oversees legislative debate on the Senate flooring, and casts a vote if there’s a tie.
The lieutenant governor additionally leads the legislative funds board, which implies he has vital management over the state’s whole budgeting course of.
Who is Dan Patrick?
Patrick was first elected lieutenant governor within the 2014 midterm election and is looking for his third consecutive time period within the workplace.
Prior to his present place, Patrick served within the Texas Senate, representing a portion of northwest Harris County.
While holding the second-highest govt workplace within the state, Patrick has helped cross laws legalizing campus carry and open carry, whereas increasing border safety and enforcement measures. He has additionally made laws forbidding state and native governments from issuing subpoenas on pastors’ sermons, and laws requiring the nationwide anthem be carried out at state-funded occasions.
Who is Mike Collier?
This is the second time Collier has vied for the lieutenant governor seat, after beforehand shedding to Patrick within the 2018 midterm election by about 5% of the vote.
Collier has solely been a Democrat for rather less than a decade. He beforehand twice voted towards Barack Obama for president whereas he was nonetheless a Republican.
Collier has a background in petroleum land administration, and later turned an authorized public accountant and auditor for PriceWaterhouseCoopers. He ultimately served as CFO for a Texas oil firm. Per his web site, Collier says the next matters will probably be his prime priorities if elected: fixing the state’s vitality grid, codifying Roe v. Wade protections into state legislation (in addition to repealing present legal guidelines leaving no exception for rape and incest) and shutting tax loopholes for out-of-state firms, whereas reining in exploding property taxes.
What else do you could find out about this race?
While the newest polls present Patrick within the lead — together with one which exhibits him with a 15% lead over Collier — the Democratic challenger has seen some stunning endorsements from Texas Republicans together with State Sen. Kel Selige (R-Amarillo) and Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley.
“As we become more and more diverse in the state of Texas, our leadership needs to adapt to that diversity and try to represent all of the people in the state of Texas, even the ones with whom we have philosophical disagreements,” Sen. Seliger instructed WFAA on Inside Texas Politics. “And I think that’s very important. Dan Patrick is an extremist.”
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