The candidates for the Texas House from District 93 are neophytes with a limited understanding of a state legislator's role.
But the one who's elected will get a quick lesson on two of the most significant challenges requiring lawmakers' attention: adequately funding a public school system whose insufficiencies are under attack through multiple lawsuits, and finding money for a Medicaid system that the Legislature willfully short-changed in 2011.Democrat Shane Hardin, 37, is a construction manager for a home builder and lives in north Fort Worth. He wants to overhaul public school funding to be more equitable across districts and to make higher education more accessible and expand health insurance to more Texans, especially children.He said he opposes putting public education money into vouchers and isn't sure what he might cut from current state spending to free up money that schools need.Republican Matt Krause, 32, also lives in north Fort Worth.He is a lawyer for Liberty Counsel, which files lawsuits involving religious and anti-abortion issues, and he edged out incumbent Barbara Nash in a three-candidate GOP primary.Like Hardin, Krause has young children, so both have a very tangible interest in the state's future economic health.Krause wants state leaders to stop playing shell games with the budget, a fine and necessary goal. But many of his stands sound ideologically driven rather than focused on practical solutions to the state's problems.The Star-Telegram Editorial Board recommends Shane Hardin for Texas House District 93.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
