AUSTIN — Mike Collier, a Houston accountant, announced Thursday he will run for lieutenant governor for a third time, this time as an independent.
Collier said he will make public education his campaign’s top issue. His candidacy comes after Republicans enacted a billion-dollar school voucher-like system that will allow parents to use taxpayer money to fund private school education.
“I’m not running to please party bosses or billionaires,” Collier said. “I’m running because Texans are tired of being told what they can’t do, can’t fix schools, can’t lower property taxes, can’t vote on gaming, can’t make decisions for their own families. That’s not democracy. That’s control. It stops now.”
In his campaign announcement, Collier said he would seek to have Texans vote on legalized gambling and access to hemp-derived THC. THC products could become illegal in late 2026 after Congress approved a stopgap funding bill Wednesday that stiffened regulations on hemp products.
Political Points
Collier previously ran as a Democrat in 2018 and 2022. He lost to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick by just shy of 5 percentage points in 2018 and about 10 points in 2022.
Patrick filed to seek reelection to a fourth term on Wednesday. Austin Democratic state Rep. Vikki Goodwin is also seeking the seat.
Already an uphill battle, Collier’s candidacy could make the Democratic nominee’s path to victory even thornier should Collier siphon off moderate and independent voters. However, Goodwin downplayed Collier’s announcement Thursday, posting on social media a picture of herself laughing while sitting next to state Rep. Mihaela Plesa, D-Dallas.
“This is me when Rep. Mihaela Plesa brought up Mike Collier running for Lt. Governor,” Goodwin said.
Collier and Goodwin will both face Patrick’s nearly $37 million campaign war chest. No non-Republican has won a statewide election in Texas in more than 30 years.
The lieutenant governor is often regarded as the most powerful legislative leader in Texas. As president of the Senate, the lieutenant governor has outsized power in dictating the chamber’s agenda and a singular power to promote or kill legislation.