In fast-growing Hays County, voting is underway in a Texas House rematch between a Democratic lawmaker seeking a fifth term and a young Republican making his second run for the seat.
State Rep. Erin Zwiener defeated Tennyson Moreno by 13.5 percentage points in 2024. Moreno was 24 and among the youngest candidates running for the Texas Legislature.
Two years later, both candidates are on the ballot again, promising to address problems created by a population boom in Texas House District 45.
Hays County grew from more than 241,000 residents in 2020 to an estimated 304,390 in 2025, according to Census figures. Those 63,000 new residents boosted the county’s population by 26.3%.
House District 45 is contained entirely within Hays County, covering 84% of the population.
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San Marcos, Kyle and Buda are all in House District 45.
That rapid growth has increased demands on schools, roads, water systems and other public services. Both candidates agree the county needs more infrastructure, but they differ over how to address it.
Zwiener argues that the Legislature should give counties more power over development, including the authority to reject projects when roads or water supplies can’t support them.
“One of the problems we have in Hays County right now is there is nobody who can say no to a new development,” Zwiener told KUT News. “It doesn’t matter how bad the roads are. It doesn’t matter how good we feel about the water supply long-term. The deck has been stacked against counties.”
Moreno called “growth without infrastructure” one of his district’s biggest challenges in a Community Impact questionnaire. He didn’t respond to KUT News’ requests for an interview.
Moreno supports continued research into desalination and what he called “manufactured water.” He also favors helping local governments repair water systems to reduce leaks and offering incentives to builders to construct low-cost starter homes.
His campaign website calls for improving infrastructure and prioritizing education while lowering taxes but doesn’t explain how those efforts would be financed.
The candidates share some common ground on data centers. Both say local communities should have control over where the facilities are built.
Moreno supports removing state incentives for data centers that use “open-loop” water cooling, which generally consumes more water than closed-loop systems.
Zwiener wants to end data center tax incentives, regulate their water and energy use and allow counties to reject industrial projects.
On cannabis, Zwiener supports legalizing and regulating marijuana. She voted against a 2025 bill to ban THC products. The bill was later vetoed by Gov. Greg Abbott, who eventually ordered the state health department to adopt stricter rules. Those regulations banned the sale of smokable hemp products.
“I support the full legalization of cannabis, support anything we can do along the spectrum to get there,” she said. “It feels like it’s something broadly supported by both parties.”
KUT News couldn’t find any published position from Moreno on cannabis.
The candidates’ policy differences were clearer at a September public safety forum. Moreno said roads, bridges and traffic improvements were also important to reducing demands on law enforcement.
He argued crimes should be prosecuted consistently across Texas and accused progressive politicians of using rhetoric that undermines confidence in law enforcement.
Zwiener defended the discretion of locally elected prosecutors and opposed requiring local officers to perform federal immigration enforcement.
She said permits should be required to own semi-automatic rifles, called for broader background checks for gun purchases and said the state should adopt a “red flag law,” which would allow courts to confiscate firearms temporarily from people found to present a danger to themselves or others.
Moreno, a licensed pilot, is vice chair of the San Marcos Airport Advisory Board and works as a marketing and outreach specialist for the Texas Veterans Land Board. He became involved with Turning Point USA while attending Texas State University in 2020.
In a 2025 Christian radio interview, Moreno said the conservative organization’s founder, Charlie Kirk, encouraged him to enter electoral politics.
“I got to meet Charlie several times, and then he always would say, ‘Run for office. Do something,'” Moreno said. “That really took me to heart.”
Moreno credited the campus organization with teaching him political skills to connect with voters who disagree with him “and then to respect them as well.”
“So I decided to run for office after dropping out of college,” Moreno, now 26, told Point of View host Kerby Anderson. “I haven’t looked back since.”
Zwiener, who’s 41, has represented the district since 2019. Last year, she passed the Texas bar exam to become an attorney. She opened a law firm focused on estate planning and general litigation.
Early voting ends Friday. Election Day is Nov. 3.