Texas Lieutenant Governor candidates in Democratic primary March 1
Mike Collier
Did not respond.
Michelle Beckley
Occupation: Business Owner
Age: 52
Campaign website: www.michellebeckley.com
Best way for voters to reach you: info@michellebeckley.com
Education: BS Biomedical Science Texas A&M, Texas public schools k-12
Have you run for or held elected office before? currently State Representative District 65 held 2 terms, ran for Mayor of Carrollton previously
Please list highlights of your civic involvement (for example, service on boards/commissions or leadership positions held): Most recently accomplished my 2021 Legislative goal which was fixing the state statute to allow for Denton County to apply for Election Day vote centers. This language was adopted and signed into law in December 2021 and now Denton County and several other counties can apply for elections day vote centers. This saves the counties money and makes it less confusing to vote on election day. Dallas, Tarrant, & Collin county already have this feature.
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? If yes, please explain. no
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain. no
Who are your top three campaign contributors? Nathan Nerode, James Vaughn, & Michael Vanderlinden
Why are you seeking this office? Because the Texas legislature needs balance.
What are the biggest challenges facing the area you’re seeking to represent? Lack of healthcare, non working power grid, & education funding.
What would your top 3 policy priorities be? Taking the medicaid expansion, looking into getting on the national grid, & fully funding public education.
Why should voters choose you over your opponents? I ran for office, flipped a statehouse district from red to blue, & kept my campaign promises. I have worked as an elected official in the Texas Legislature and can hit the ground on day one.
What should the state do to reduce local property taxes? I carried bills while state rep that will close loopholes for corporations. They are referred to as “equal & uniform” & “sales price disclosure”. Both are allowing for unequal evaluations of properties that are forcing the average home owner to carry the property tax burden.
Is the Texas power grid prepared for another winter storm? What further measures should the state take to address electricity generation, weatherization and the long-term energy needs of the state? No, Texas needs to evaluate connecting to the national grid.
Should Texas be building a border wall? Should more or fewer state resources be dedicated to the border? No, fewer. Texas should work more closely with the federal government. The federal government needs to address the issue from the mass migration perspective which is what it is causing so many people to come to the Texas border due to climate change.
What should the state do to improve access to healthcare and make it more affordable? Take the Medicaid expansion. It has cost Texans $100 billion dollars, a number that keeps increasing every year.
Texas’ urban areas continue to grow rapidly, what can the state do to reduce the time Texans spend in traffic and address infrastructure needs that come with a booming population? Texas needs to improve it’s mass transit, especially in urban and suburban areas.
How can state government help ensure Texas has enough affordable housing to accommodate its growth? The state government needs to stop fighting with local government and start working with them again. Local governments know best what they need in the form of affordable housing.
If the Supreme Court opens the door to new abortion restrictions, what should Texas’ policy be? Should abortions be allowed, and under what circumstances? By what level of fetal development, if any, should abortion be permitted? Abortions are between a woman and her medical provider and should stay that way.
What further changes, if any, in Texas election law do you support? Having served on the Elections Committe in 2021 in the Texas House, Texas needs to track why ballots are thrown out & implement online voter registration. My office estimated about 8,000 mail ballots were thrown out for various reasons in 2020, but the Secretary of State’s office does not track them. In Denton County, about 2500 ballots were thrown out because people voted at the wrong polling location election day. My legislative priority (Election Day vote centers) should fix that issue, as long as Denton County changes to election day vote centers. In general, Texas should be tracking all ballots that a thrown out and why. Our 2020 elections were safe and secure there is no reason to continue Trump’s Big Lie.
Should Texas legalize marijuana? Why or why not and to what extent should the state’s marijuana laws be changed, if at all? Yes, I support full legaliazation & decriminalization of marijuana as well as expunging records of previous offenders.
What steps should Texas take to continue to address COVID-19 in Texas, including North Texas? Texas is not using all the resources in our public universities to the fullest. Texas should form a committe amongst it’s top scientist to devise a business friendly plan and then implement it. Texas should be leading in the Covid19 response, not failing miserably as it currently is.
Carla Brailey
Occupation: Professor of Sociology
Age: 49
Campaign website: www.carlafortexas.com
Best way for voters to reach you: 214-227-8100
Education: B.S. Criminal Justice - Texas State University, MA - Counseling Psychology, MDiv - Religion, PhD Sociology - Howard University
Have you run for or held elected office before? I served as the Vice Chair of the Texas Democratic Party from 2018 - 2021. I ran for Houston City Council District D in 2019.
Please list highlights of your civic involvement (for example, service on boards/commissions or leadership positions held):
I am currently a member of the following organizations:
- Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
- American leadership forum, Houston Chapter
- Leadership Houston, Houston
- Board Member of Texas Women of Higher Education
- Board Chair of Imani School
- Board Chair of the Sankofa Research Institute
- Former Vice Chair of Texas Democratic Party (TDP)
- Former Democratic National Committee (DNC) Interfaith Council Co-Chair
- Co-Chair of Mayor Turner’s Police Reform Committee
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? If yes, please explain. No, I have never been arrested.
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain. Yes, I have been involved in a civil lawsuit with Avis Rental car, which was resolved. It involved a car driven by a drunk driver colliding in my car that my mother was driving.
Who are your top three campaign contributors? David Lee - John Zavitsanos - Charles Tate
Why are you seeking this office? Our democracy is at stake in Texas. This election will determine the direction of Texas and our nation. Dan Patrick and his cronies have failed this state. The current leadership is more concerned with hateful rhetoric, attacks on our rights, and conspiracy theories and not focused on building a state that cares for every Texan. We are in troubling times in Texas’ history where civil and human rights are under attack. I have a 13-year-old daughter that even at her age knows that her rights are at risk. We have to do the work today so that tomorrow will be a better place in Texas. I am running because I know if elected, I will be able to bring about a change to our state. I have dedicated my entire life to progressive values, and I intend to continue that advocacy into the Capitol.
What are the biggest challenges facing the area you’re seeking to represent? Texas has the highest number of uninsured residents in the nation, low levels of educational attainment and voter participation, and an unreliable electricity grid.
What would your top 3 policy priorities be? My top three priorities would be expanding to affordable healthcare, improving public education, and protecting our rights.
Why should voters choose you over your opponents? We need new leadership and a fresh perspective in Austin. I am an educator, a mother and an everyday Texan who had enough of watching our great state avoid solving real problems, and instead pursue a divisive social agenda that pits Texan against Texan. We can and must do better, and I will. I am the only black woman running on the Democratic ticket statewide. We have an opportunity to make history in Texas and show the rest of the country things have changed for the better. I am uniquely positioned to win in the Primary because of my strong relationships and track record of getting things done in serving the state as the Vice Chair of the Texas Democratic Party. My campaign will launch an aggressive grassroots outreach to target voters for turnout in these final weeks until Election Day.
What should the state do to reduce local property taxes? The state must fund its share of services to decrease the burden on residential property taxpayers. Having corporations pay their share, and raising the oil and gas severance tax, which has been unchanged for decades, could relieve the burden on Texas homeowners.
Is the Texas power grid prepared for another winter storm? What further measures should the state take to address electricity generation, weatherization and the long-term energy needs of the state? It is not. While we were lucky during the most recent freeze, generation was affected. In a more prolonged freeze, grid capacity would still be threatened. Texas needs independent oversight, rather than hand-picked political appointees over our power grid. And we need to continue to diversify our energy sources beyond fossil fuels.
Should Texas be building a border wall? Should more or fewer state resources be dedicated to the border? While targeted improvements in border fencing make sense, the border wall is little more than an expensive political stunt. Similarly, Governor Abbott’s deployment of National Guard troops to the border has been a disastrous waste of resources, with tragic consequences for some sent there to serve. Texas needs a sensible, effective approach to border security, not political theater.
What should the state do to improve access to healthcare and make it more affordable? To start, Texas should join most other states in expanding Medicaid, which would immediately cover 1-2 million Texans and provide 90 cents of federal money for every dime spent by the state.
Texas’ urban areas continue to grow rapidly, what can the state do to reduce the time Texans spend in traffic and address infrastructure needs that come with a booming population? The state should pursue a multi-faceted approach to improving mobility, including continued highway/road expansion and repair where needed; support for multi-modal public transit options; facilitating expansion of broadband access and other technologies to allow more remote work.
How can state government help ensure Texas has enough affordable housing to accommodate its growth? *
The state should incentivize the building of more affordable housing and increase funding of its affordable housing programs.
If the Supreme Court opens the door to new abortion restrictions, what should Texas’ policy be? Should abortions be allowed, and under what circumstances? By what level of fetal development, if any, should abortion be permitted? Texans’ right to make their own healthcare decisions must be protected.
What further changes, if any, in Texas election law do you support? Changes to voting law enacted during the 87th Session were an affront to the precious right to vote and should be rescinded. Texas, which has among the nation’s lowest levels of voter participation, should make voting for its citizens easier, not more difficult. The state should allow online voter registration and voting by mail for all; illegitimate voter roll purges should be stopped; and the integrity of election results must be protected.
Should Texas legalize marijuana? Why or why not and to what extent should the state’s marijuana laws be changed, if at all? Marijuana should be broadly legal for medical use, and the state should consider legalization for recreational purposes. During the 87th Session the Legislature made some movement toward decriminalization of marijuana with HB 2593, but it ultimately fell short of passage. The state should act, both to expand legalization and decriminalization of marijuana.
What steps should Texas take to continue to address COVID-19 in Texas, including North Texas? Texas, along with federal and local officials, should continue to do everything possible to encourage and facilitate vaccination of the public. In addition, encouraging responsible behavior and expanding access to rapid testing can help slow the spread of the virus.
