With Election Day just days away, voters in District 7 will soon decide who they want representing them in Austin.
LONGVIEW, Texas — With just days to go until Election Day, the race for Texas House District 7 is heating up. Incumbent Republican Jay Dean faces challenger Melissa Beckett in a contest that has drawn voter attention.
Republican candidate Jay Dean is seeking re-election for Texas House District 7. He is challenged by Melissa Beckett, who has filed a defamation lawsuit after claiming Dean accused her of wanting to eliminate the Texas Teacher Retirement System.
“I want to continue to use the experience and knowledge of issues that I’ve learned, you know, to continue to help our community,” Dean said.
Dean is running for his sixth term. If re-elected, he says there are key issues he will focus on.
“We’re working on immigration issues to try to, you know, do what we can in Texas. We have a serious issue with property taxes,” Dean said.
Water rights are also a key issue in the race. Beckett, running for office for the first time, says she wants to represent everyday citizens and give East Texans a stronger voice.
“When our country and our state was founded on citizens representing themselves, I really feel like we need to get back to that, and so do the people of East Texas,” Beckett said.
Both candidates say protecting East Texas water is a top priority.
“We need to make sure those lakes are there when our kids, our grandkids, and our great-grandkids grow up. It’s their assets. I want to protect that,” Dean said.
“That’s not freedom at all. And so in my mind, that’s really a liberty issue. And so I’m ready to stand up and fight,” Beckett said.
If re-elected, Dean says he would also prioritize addressing rising insurance costs, including property and health insurance.
“When you go knocking on doors, they talk about the cost of their property tax, but they also talk about their insurance. So I’m excited about, you know, having a full session,” Dean said.
Beckett says that on day one, she would file four water rights bills. These include changing eminent domain to “public necessity,” limiting its reach, restricting large water exports out of East Texas, and banning nondisclosure agreements for public officials.
“I also want everybody in East Texas to know that I will always go to bat for them when their rights have been violated,” Beckett said.
With Election Day just days away, voters in District 7 will soon decide who they want representing them in Austin.