It is easy to encourage voters to return incumbent Jeff Leach to an eighth two-year term as the representative for Texas House District 67.
Leach is honest and works hard. There are many policy areas where we agree with Leach and many where we differ, but we appreciate that he studies issues before proposing legislation. He does the right thing even when it carries a political and personal cost. He is deeply conservative, socially and fiscally, which fits this northeastern Collin County district.
One of his key accomplishments in last year’s 89th Legislature was passage of “Trey’s Law.” It bans the practice of forcing sexual abuse survivors, whether children or adults, to sign nondisclosure agreements as part of legal settlements.
He has consistently worked to limit taxes. Last year, he was among the co-sponsors of a bill to raise the homestead property tax exemption to $140,000. In 2019, Leach had championed House Joint Resolution 38, which makes it extraordinarily difficult — nigh impossible — for Texas to levy a personal income tax.
Opinion
During our interview with him, Leach said he backs Gov. Greg Abbott’s proposal to potentially abolish school property taxes. (We view the idea as irresponsible unless it’s accompanied by a detailed plan to replace that lost property tax revenue.)
Despite his desire to lower school property taxes, Leach said he strongly supports public schools and carried both teacher and parental bill of rights measures in the Legislature.
“I’m a public school guy,” said Leach, who graduated from Plano Senior High. “Our three kids are in public schools.”
But he also believes the private school voucher-like program, which passed in the 89th Legislature, could benefit many families. Constituents have asked him questions about it, but the public schools in his district are so strong, he said, that he doesn’t think the new education savings accounts will trigger a significant exodus from local schools.
Leach may be popular with teachers and parents for another reason: He enthusiastically endorsed a bill last year to ban the use of cellphones during the instructional day in public schools. Now that the law has been in force for several months, even his kids have become believers. “The lunchroom is totally different,” Leach said.
Last, Leach was one of two lawmakers this newspaper named 2024 Texans of the Year for their efforts to ensure that Robert Roberson III doesn’t face execution based on a bad trial and invalid evidence. Roberson was convicted of killing his 2-year-old daughter in a case that relied heavily on the now-discredited science of shaken-baby syndrome.
The other candidate in the race, Matt Thorsen, owns a shutter business and has served as a youth minister. He did not participate in a candidate interview or complete the candidate questionnaire. A brief internet search turned up several troubling items, including his support for Texas seceding and becoming an independent nation. That’s an idea whose time has long passed.
This editorial is part of the Dallas Morning News Editorial Board’s slate of recommendations for the 2026 primary. Find the full project here.
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