AUSTIN – Toppling a powerful GOP lieutenant governor after a decade of leadership in a deep-red state is no small task. Three Texas Democrats say it’s time to take a swing at Dan Patrick anyway.
First they have to duke it out in the March 3 primary to get a shot – however small – to take him on.
State Rep. Vikki Goodwin of Austin, considered the frontrunner, has emphasized her legislative experience, voting record and support of public education.
But challengers Marcos Vélez, a Houston labor leader, and political newcomer Courtney Head say three decades of Democratic statewide losses demand a break from the past and a new generation of leadership.
Political Points
Still, the odds remain steep. Upsets happen but incumbents enjoy advantages in name recognition, money and media attention, said Sara Johnson, a political science lecturer at SMU.
Even with a message that might resonate with voters, Johnson said, “outsiders face many challenges winning elections.”
Goodwin said her experience helps narrow that gap.
‘‘I’ve built relationships. I like solving problems with public policy. I’ve been able to work on issues that impact all different parts of the state,” she said.
Patrick, a former state senator and conservative talk radio host from Houston, has held the lieutenant governor’s office for 10 years, wielding enormous control over the legislative agenda and the fate of bills in the Texas Senate.
Though he has faced criticism and sliding approval numbers, he comes with support from President Donald Trump, a deep donor network and $38 million in his campaign account.
“We’re going to be victorious in the primary,” Patrick said at his campaign kickoff in August. “We’re going to be victorious in the general, and we’re just going to make Texas even more prosperous and safer and better in the future.”
Not backing down
The Democrats remain undaunted. All three are centering their campaigns on economic pressures, from health care access to affordability and wages.
Vélez, a former refinery worker turned steelworkers union leader, is betting that frustration over wages, affordability and economic insecurity can cut across party lines.
Marcos Vélez is running for the Democratic nomination to unseat GOP Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. (Courtesy: Mark Velez campaign)
Marcos Vélez
He said he sees signs of momentum, citing his Texas AFL-CIO endorsement and last week’s Democratic upset in a Republican-leaning state Senate seat in Tarrant County.
Vélez, who had $46,000 in his campaign account as of late January, is pushing priorities such as raising the minimum wage and calling out what he describes as decades of failed policy decisions.
“We get really frustrated with the lack of progress in the Texas Legislature,” Vélez, 40, said in an interview with The Dallas Morning News. “Let’s swing for the fences.”
He said voters are tired of inaction.
“I’ve tried to elevate working people’s issues and put them on the forefront of people’s minds and say, ‘Look, you’re angry, and it’s okay that you’re angry,’” he said. “They’re the people that feel like the Democratic Party has left them behind.”
Head, a San Antonio resident and head of legal operations and management for an Ohio-based software company, said she hopes to rally first-time voters, students and young adults, pitching innovation, bipartisanship and education affordability.
A 35-year-old wife and mother, Head interned for U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro in San Antonio while still in college – a job that taught her how energy and relatability can drive voter engagement.
Courtney Head is running for the Democratic nomination to replace GOP Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. (Courtesy: Courtney Head)
Courtney Head
Head, who reported $330 cash on hand in recent filings, said younger voters care about LGBTQ rights, affordability, voting access, education, renewable energy and cannabis reform. And they are drawn to efforts to bridge partisan divides.
“We all want to be listened to,” she said.
Leaning on experience
Goodwin, midway through her fourth term in the Texas House with $159,000 on hand for the statewide race, has highlighted her support of higher wages, abortion rights, health care and affordability.
“The experience I have had in the Legislature makes me a better opponent to Dan Patrick,” she said.
Texas Rep. Vikki Goodwin, D-Austin, speaks to protesters in the Capitol Rotunda during a rally against school vouchers as the Texas State House of Representatives prepares to take up two major school funding bills- House Bill 2 and Senate Bill 2 on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. S.B. 2 would allow families to use taxpayer dollars to fund a child’s education at an accredited private school while H.B. 2 focuses on funding for public schools.
Sara Diggins/American-Statesman
Goodwin, 58, recently gained the endorsement of the Texas AFT, the teacher’s union, even though the Legislature’s big teacher pay effort failed in a partisan standoff over vouchers.
She also accused Patrick of scuttling bipartisan gun safety legislation, health care access bills and other measures to help everyday Texans.
“We can solve some of these problems through policy,” she said. “But when you have somebody who is in the lieutenant governor’s seat who won’t let good policy go through, there’s no hope.”
Patrick has defended his conservative agenda, saying it has helped make Texas “the place everyone else in the country” wants to be. He pointed to lower taxes, job growth and GOP-backed laws on school choice, border security, gun rights and abortion limits.