Here’s who’s running in the Democratic primary for Texas Senate District 30 on March 5
Michael Braxton
Age (as of March, 5 2024): 72
Campaign website: mbraxtonsrtxstatesenate.com
Best way for voters to reach you: mbraxtonsrtxstatesenate.com
Occupation: Barber
Education: High School Graduate, College Graduate
Have you run for elected office before?
No
Please list the highlights of your civic involvement/activism.
Caucus for the Obama Campaign, Advocating for voters to get to the polls
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?
I do not have a top three at this time
Why are you seeking this office?
To make a difference in our society. I have been a neighborhood activist, barber for 52 years, a Pastor for 32 years, and I am in this to bring a better life to my community, district, state, and country.
What are the biggest challenges facing Senate District 30?
To get the people out to vote, getting them to the polls.
If elected, what would your top 3 policy priorities be?
1. Democracy, 2. Voting Rights, 3. Abortion
How will you measure your success as a state legislator?
Being a first time candidate I measure myself a 6-7
Why should voters choose you over your opponents?
My experience in my community, experience in people, my drive to make a difference for my country, my compassion for the less ,love and experience dealing with our youth.
Should Attorney General Ken Paxton have been convicted during his Senate impeachment trial? Why/Why not?
Yes, He broke the law, he is not above the law.
Do you support Gov. Greg Abbott’s call for the use of education savings accounts? Why?/Why not?
No, More than likely the money will be used for other things. They will borrow from the account and will not put the money back.
What should Texas do to address immigration and border security at the Texas-Mexico border?
Allow the people to come over the border and work. Use them in the labor market instead of using private prisons to work for pennies on the dollar.
What should the Texas Legislature do to respond to and prepare for population growth in North Texas?
Affordable houses to buy and affordable rental houses.
Should Texas law be changed to clarify when an abortion is allowed in medical emergencies? Why/Why not?
Yes, Because of danger to the mothers life.
Should Texas expand casino gambling and legalize sports betting in Texas? Why/Why not?
Yes, Instant revenue for education, bridges, and public school systems. Safety in our public school system.
What’s a Texas policy issue that’s important to you, but not necessarily as high profile? Why do you think it’s important?
Education, The importance of qualified teachers, pay increase, retirement and lower cost health insurance. Supplying an adequate amount of teaching materials and safety in our schools. These things need to be high priority but seem to be on the lower end of the list.
Dale Frey
Age (as of March, 5 2024): 38
Campaign website: FreyForTexas.com
Best way for voters to reach you: FreyForTexas@gmail.com
Occupation: Web Developer
Education: Bachelors in IT from George Mason University (2010)
Have you run for elected office before?
N/A
Please list the highlights of your civic involvement/activism.
- Precinct Chair for the Denton County Democratic Party
- Board member (Communications Director) for the Frisco Democratic Club
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? If yes, please explain:
N/A
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain:
N/A
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
Choctaw, myself, and a friend.
Why are you seeking this office?
What are the biggest challenges facing Senate District 30?
Our schools are underfunded, our Houses are too expensive, our medical care system is broken, and we are expected to find our selves in a water crisis over the next decade.
If elected, what would your top 3 policy priorities be?
Support our Schools & Teachers - Our education system is desperately underfunded and under appreciated. 40% of our school staff has been lost in the past 2 years. With the State of Texas having a massive surplus, supplying additional funding to our schools and our public school teachers must be our very first step.
Medicaid Expansion - We should be accepting of the MediCaid Expansion program. There is no reason for us not to be part of a program we already spend our tax money into. As it stands right now, I see some Health Care providers dropping their Medicaid recipients due to lack of funds.
Mitigate the Housing Crisis - We have a problem in Texas right now where some massive corporations are buying up several several suburban homes meant for families, and flipping them into rental homes. It is becoming such a problem that with supply going down, demand increases, which increases prices on homes.
How will you measure your success as a state legislator?
By the number of Bills that I author and get get passed.
Why should voters choose you over your opponents?
As a Federal Contractor, I have years of experience working with government. I also have experience as a Precinct Chair for the Denton County Democratic Party, and help lead the Frisco Democratic Club. My experiences I believe makes me a stronger candidates who can get the job done.
Should Attorney General Ken Paxton have been convicted during his Senate impeachment trial? Why/Why not?
Yes. Paxton was sued by his own staff, and then tried to make us tax-payers pay for his fines. His actions alone are what led to this.He was given ample opportunity to testify to the State House before his impeachment, and he turned the invitation down. He is clearly a disgraced politician.
Do you support Gov. Greg Abbott’s call for the use of education savings accounts? Why?/Why not?
No. The Voucher Program is designed in a way to take money away from our already underfunded public schools. As it stand right now, we have already lost 40% of our school workforce in the past 2 years, due to low teacher-pay and burn out. The Voucher Program will only make this works for our Public Schools.
What should Texas do to address immigration and border security at the Texas-Mexico border?
First is to stop playing political-theater games by putting a razor fence in an area the governor knows darn well would be challenged by the Federal Government. Texas can build border fencing on Texas soil, obviously not in the waters of the Rio Grande. It would be cheaper to build the fencing on Texas soil too, rather than on top of anchored bouys. This latest move was intended to get shot down by the supreme court so Texas politicians can play-victim. We need to stop playing games. The only way to secure our border is for congress to fund CBP, give them the resources they need, and let the specialists do their job without micro management by politicians.
What should the Texas Legislature do to respond to and prepare for population growth in North Texas?
We are about to have a water crisis on our hands. Texas is a natural desert, with only one natural late (all other lakes are man-made). While like are good for storing water, in the summer time, we loose a lot of that water through evaporation. And to make things worse, the evaporation gets exacerbated when there is more surface area exposed to the sun. Due to this, we need to invest in water reserves that protect from sunlight contact, such as underground water storage and water towers.
Should Texas law be changed to clarify when an abortion is allowed in medical emergencies? Why/Why not?
Yes. There have already been situations where women have had to leave Texas to remove a non-viable fetus. Kate Cox is one of the latest examples of that. It is insane to think that there are no exceptions for rape, nor incest, nor child-rape, nor child-incest, and not even for medical emergencies.
Should Texas expand casino gambling and legalize sports betting in Texas? Why/Why not?
In a free country I see no reason to limit these things. In a state that cherishes freedom so much, and doesn’t like the government telling the people what they can and cannot do - I find it difficult to justify blocking these things.
What’s a Texas policy issue that’s important to you, but not necessarily as high profile? Why do you think it’s important?
Mitigating Gun Violence
For the sake of our safety we absolutely must adopt; Red flag laws, increase funding for mental health, and increase the age to own a weapon-of-war. The Texas legislator has infamously rejected these motions in recent past. One of the most egregious rejections, was dropping the legislation to increase the age to own an AR15 despite multiple testimonies from Uvalde residents soon after the Allen Mall massacre.
I believe we need better leadership in Austin that understand the severity of gun violence - we need leadership that is willing to send more than just “thoughts and prayers”
Matthew McGhee
Age (as of March, 5 2024): 34
Campaign website: www.voteformatt.lol
Best way for voters to reach you. Please include contact info or link: www.voteformatt.lol
Occupation: maintenance
Education: Electrical Engineering Technologist - Process Automation
Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought, with years)
No
Please list the highlights of your civic involvement/activism.
Cooke County Dem’s member. Volunteer with Progressive Rights Organization Gainesville. “Fix my ride” volunteer mechanic fixing poor people’s cars. VOAD volunteer after snowpocalypse fixing plumbing and water damage.
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?
Myself (far and away), local Dem Chair (Sherman Moore) and a local educator.
Why are you seeking this office?
I want to vote for someone that actually represents the middle class on down, and I want to inspire normal, average people to run for something. Hoeing the row, as it were.
What are the biggest challenges facing Senate District 30?
Ballooning house prices, which is knocking people further into poverty, including some with stable jobs. Being employed doesn’t guarantee you a home anymore.
If elected, what would your top 3 policy priorities be?
Get housing supply up, and disincentivize corporations taking advantage of the scarcity to print money. Support Dem healthcare priorities. Fund gov’t services like schools, DMV, justice system, prisons etc. so they’re not understaffed, backlogged hell to deal with.
How will you measure your success as a state legislator?
If I can shift the legislative priorities from all this rich people helping their rich friends BS to actually meeting the average Texans basic needs.
Why should voters choose you over your opponents?
Because I’m relatable, funny, and have success having frank conversations on both sides of the aisle.
Should Attorney General Ken Paxton have been convicted during his Senate impeachment trial? Why/Why not?
If they ran the trial honestly, let evidence actually be shown, and Dan Patrick wasn’t bought and paid for, he would have been, no question. There’s enough sketchiness you’d think Paxton would have resigned by now.
Do you support Gov. Greg Abbott’s call for the use of education savings accounts? Why?/Why not?
Hell no. Public school budget isn’t enough for public schools to function, let alone thrive, don’t steal from it to fund your rich friends’ kids’ educations.
What should Texas do to address immigration and border security at the Texas-Mexico border?
Lean on Congress hard to modernize the laws and bureaucracy so there’s a clear cut way to come in legally, if the answer is a straight up no for normal people like it is now, people will just come anyway. America has jobs and doesn’t have poverty and violence like a lot of the places migrants are trying to escape.
What should the Texas Legislature do to respond to and prepare for population growth in North Texas?
Infrastructure and housing aren’t ready. We need to tax corporations coming to Texas to fund this, not give them huge breaks. It’s good for rich people but prices poor Texans out of Texas.
Should Texas law be changed to clarify when an abortion is allowed in medical emergencies? Why/Why not?
Yes, legalize abortion. With the cost of healthcare, no job protection, and cost of raising children, abortion is going to stick around till we deal with poverty regardless of Texas laws. And let medical professionals do their job without fear from prudish lawmakers.
Should Texas expand casino gambling and legalize sports betting in Texas? Why/Why not?
Yes, but heavily regulated so it can’t break people. Not a priority in my area, we just go to Oklahoma and work at the casinos there.
What’s a Texas policy issue that’s important to you, but not necessarily as high profile? Why do you think it’s important?
Housing scarcity. Two recessions (dot com crash and sub-prime mortgage crisis) dropped investment in new build since 2008 and we’ve never caught up. Texas is also growing fast, so what’s getting built is high-margin for upper-middle-class and richer folks coming here for work from out of state. Starter homes aren’t getting built and any that do are getting snapped up as investment properties with rent far in excess of what workers can reasonably pay, while also appreciating in value to the benefit of those investors. We need to do whatever we can to get rent under control and houses into the hands of homeowners, and make solving this crisis the legislature’s priority.
