Star-Telegram endorsement: Democrats’ most credible candidate for lt. governor
In their years in the political wilderness, Texas Democrats have sometimes fallen short of a credibility threshold for candidates, nominating people for statewide office who clearly aren’t ready to make the leap.
This year, that need not be the case. With several state lawmakers and serious contenders in the primaries, the party can project an across-the-board serious case for governing differently than Republicans. In the race for lieutenant governor, that makes state Rep. Vikki Goodwin the best choice.
Goodwin, 58, is a four-term House member and real estate broker from Austin. She has served on the House’s most important committee, Appropriations, which writes the state budget. In our interview with the candidates, she offered specific, practical ideas for addressing dauntingly large concerns.
On housing, for example, Goodwin cited an effort to expand a program that helps teachers, veterans and first responders buy homes. She touted health-care co-ops that require regular exams to boost preventive care but don’t require a co-pay or deductible. These are the kind of policy ideas that can chip away at complex problems without requiring huge, lumbering legislation or solutions so narrow that they don’t make much difference.
Her chief opponent, Marcos Velez, is leaning heavily on his experience as a labor leader for Houston-area steelworkers. Velez, 40, said he would push hard for an increased minimum wage, infrastructure spending to help create jobs and hiring more teachers. But he didn’t seem to have a realistic grasp of what it would take to pull an upset against Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick or to govern in what would still be a Republican-dominated Senate.
Also running is Courtney Head of San Antonio, a contracts and privacy manager for a company that provides services to infrastructure agencies.
If no candidate secures a majority of the primary vote, the top two will compete in a runoff in May. The winner will take on the Republican nominee, almost certain to be Patrick, who is seeking a fourth term.
Early voting runs Feb. 17-27. Election Day is March 3.
About our campaign endorsements
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREHey, who is behind these endorsements?
Members of the Editorial Board, which serves as the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s institutional voice, decide candidates and positions to recommend to voters. The members of the board are: Cynthia M. Allen, columnist; Steve Coffman, editor and president; Bud Kennedy, columnist; and Ryan J. Rusak, opinion editor.
Read more by clicking the arrow in the upper right.
How does the process work?
The Editorial Board interviews candidates, asking about positions on issues, experience and qualifications, and how they would approach holding the office for which they are running. Board members do additional research on candidates’ backgrounds and the issues at hand. After that, members discuss the candidates and generally aim to arrive at a consensus, though not necessarily unanimity. All members contribute observations and ideas, so the resulting editorials represent the board’s view, not a particular writer.
How do partisanship and ideology factor in?
We’re not tied to one party or the other, and our positions on issues range across the ideological spectrum. We tend to prefer candidates who align with our previously stated positions, but qualifications, temperament and experience are important, too.
This story was originally published February 14, 2026 at 4:25 AM.