In a race that includes a one-term incumbent, we recommend political newcomer Zack Dunn for state representative in Texas House District 121.
Dunn, the Democratic candidate, rose above state Rep. Marc Lahood in our meeting with two candidates. While Dunn was sharp on policies and district issues, LaHood was unfocused and often came across as either unaware or unengaged. Should he win, LaHood needs to sharpen up ASAP.
While Dunn has not held elected office, he has a record of service, locally and nationally.
Dunn’s parents were in the U.S. Air Force, which brought the family to San Antonio. He graduated from Ronald Reagan High School and the University of Texas at San Antonio, where he was student body president. He has worked in local government for the city of San Antonio and Bexar County, as well as an internship in the White House.
After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, Dunn worked in private equity law at a firm in New York City. He then worked as a civilian lawyer for the Air Force in Florida before returning to San Antonio to be a prosecutor in the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office, where he most recently handled cases involving sexual assault and domestic violence.
In our meeting, Dunn called for better funding for public schools and referred to the state’s new private school voucher system as a “terrible waste of taxpayer dollars.” He supports removing tax breaks as part of a measured approach to dealing with data centers, and he opposes Gov. Greg Abbott’s call to undo CPS Energy’s status as the sole provider of electricity in San Antonio. Devastating fatal flooding rocked this district on June 12, 202
Meanwhile, LaHood was underwhelming and scattered. He was remarkably disengaged regarding Abbott’s proposal for CPS, and he occasionally rambled well off topic. When the subject was border security, he started talking about the war in Iran and threats from Russia and China. He expressed no urgency to address the infrastructure needs in this district, which was rocked by fatal flooding on June 12, 2025.
While Dunn is the Democrat, he was far more aligned with this district’s former Republican state Reps. Joe Straus and Steve Allison. He’s best suited to represent District 121.