UT alumnus Andrew White announced his candidacy for Texas governor on Sept. 24 as an independent in the Democratic primary. 

White, who said he comes from an entrepreneurial background with less of a focus on politics, said his campaign focuses on improving schools, hospitals and infrastructure. The state leads the nation in rural hospital closures, according to The Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals. 

“The future, if there’s a Gov. Andrew White, is a hopeful future, an optimistic future, a united future,” White said. “It’s someone who really will put behind us all of the anger and animosity and focus on the things that matter.” 

White will face off against State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, and other candidates in the Democratic primary. Hinojosa represents UT and the West Campus area for the Texas State House of Representatives. Joshua Blank, research director for the Texas Politics Project, said she is a tough candidate for White to compete against.  

“He’s facing someone with deep connections to the party, both in the party organization, but also to a lot of Democratic legislators around the state,” Blank said. “That’s going to be a real challenge for him to overcome in the primary.”

White ran for the Democratic nomination for Texas governor in 2018, but lost to Lupe Valdez, former Dallas County sheriff, in a runoff election by 6% of the vote, according to Ballotpedia. In the general election, Valdez lost to incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott. 

“Whoever is going to run in these races needs to win their respective primaries first,” Blank said. “Whether or not taking a more moderate path is a good strategy in the general election is a moot point if it can’t win the Democratic primary.” 

White is the son of former Texas governor Mark White, a Democrat who was known for his educational policies. White said his father was always willing to take the blame if his policies did not work. That is the kind of leader White said he would be as governor. 

If a Democrat is elected for governor, White said they must be able to work with Republicans, as they will still be the majority in the Texas Legislature. In the current political climate, he said, people’s priorities and arguments have changed. 

“We’re no longer arguing about policy or tax rates,” White said. “We’re arguing about truth, and that’s the problem … we have to be optimistic that we will get through this, and there will be the other side when this is over, and we’ll put the pieces back together. We can start that now.”