Q&A: Meet the Republican primary candidates for Texas governor

In the upcoming March 3 primary, voters will select the Republican candidate in the race for Texas governor. Eleven Republicans are seeking the nomination.

Republican incumbent Greg Abbott is seeking a fourth term in the governor’s office. He is challenged by ten Republican candidates: R.F. “Bob” Achgill, Evelyn Brooks, Pete “Doc” Chambers, Charles Andrew Crouch, Arturo Espinosa, Mark V. Goloby, Kenneth Hyde, Stephen Samuelson, Ronnie Tullos and Nathaniel Welch.

If no candidate receives more than 50% of the votes in the Republican primary, a runoff election will be held between the two top vote-getters May 26.

The winning Republican candidate will face the winner of the Democratic nomination in November; the winner of that election will be sworn in for a four-year term in January 2027.

Early voting begins Feb. 17 for March primary races across Texas, including 18 statewide races and various local races. Registered voters may cast ballots in either Texas’ Republican or Democratic primary, but not both. Third-party candidates will appear on the ballot in November.

Community Impact gave all candidates running for contested statewide offices more than three weeks to complete the primary election questionnaire and communicated with their campaigns periodically. Community Impact’s goal with election Q&As is to provide a side-by-side, equitable resource for Texas voters to review candidates’ perspectives as they prepare to head to the polls.

To ensure that candidates are the ones defining their positions in Community Impact’s voter guide, if candidates did not complete the questionnaire after multiple attempts to contact them, the website reads “candidate did not respond to questionnaire before press time.” Candidates were informed of this policy.

Candidates were asked to keep responses under 50 words, answer the questions provided and avoid attacking opponents. Answers may have been minimally edited or cut to adhere to those guidelines, or for style and clarity.

What would your top priorities be if elected?

If reelected, my top priorities are reining in out-of-control local property taxes, keeping communities safe, securing our border, and increasing affordability by slashing regulations that drive up housing and insurance prices. I will ensure that Texas remains the best place to live, work, and raise a family.

What will your priorities be regarding property taxes and housing affordability?

I have a robust five-point plan to reign in out-of-control local government spending and property taxes, which will lower housing costs: Require commonsense spending limits; require two-thirds voter approval for tax increases; empower voters to rollback property taxes; five-year appraisal cycle [and] only 3% appraisal increase; eliminate ISD taxes for homeowners.

How will you ensure Texans are able to receive the appropriate aid after natural disasters?

Texans always step up after disasters. Over the last two years, my office provided over $400 million in relief for various disasters, especially in the wake of the deadly July 4th floods last summer. Other state agencies coordinate food, housing, business assistance, and other aid to those impacted …

What will your priorities be for the future of Texas education?

My goal is making Texas No. 1 in educating our children. We are investing a record $90 billion in public schools, increasing teacher pay, and launching education freedom accounts to empower families to choose the education that’s best for their child.

What do you see as the greatest challenge for Texas in the next 5 years?

Texas is the last bastion of common sense in a country reeling from chaos of the prior administration and increasing radicalism that seeks to spread dangerous socialist ideals to all corners of the country. We must hold fast to our Texas values, put Texans first while we plan to support …

What would your top priorities be if elected?

Texans’ limited water resources are being captured by data centers. Texans’ farmland is being contaminated by PFAS, the “forever” chemical, HB 2549. Texans’ spaceport is being stolen by monopolistic industrial corporate control of public resources. 2012 Space Tourism law. Texans need to find their voice. Research: https://youtu.be/2X53VWKbSY4.

What will your priorities be regarding property taxes and housing affordability?

Kick Wall Street off home street. Double homestead exemptions. Housing affordability requires limiting institutional speculation. Homes will become affordable again for families. I led with this last year at the city level. Website: http://www.hishandsreader.org/bob.html. Research: https://youtu.be/vq8sLkQEtc8.

How will you ensure Texans are able to receive the appropriate aid after natural disasters?

Johnson County ranchers were devastated when PFAS, “forever chemicals,” contaminated livestock due to lack of state oversight. Texas should have reimbursed losses but instead doubled down, passing HB 2549 giving indemnity to oil producers dumping “treated” frack water on farmland. Research: https://youtu.be/twnP84n3ApA.

What will your priorities be for the future of Texas education?

Prioritize literacy, critical thinking, and no AI. Literacy is failing; Texas should restore reading fundamentals, support work-sponsored time off for parents in schools once a month, and allow parental opt-in reading resources, use something like the His Hands Reader in grades K-4. Research: https://youtu.be/AZV8Xt9Z34g.

What do you see as the greatest challenge for Texas in the next 5 years?

Unchecked concentration of power over shared resources—water, energy, data, and infrastructure— without public consent threatens affordability, security, and liberty while shifting long-term risk onto families and rural communities. FDA is removing cheap access to desiccated thyroid for all Americans. Respectfully, no. Research: https://youtu.be/FYw1Xod41g8 and https://youtu.be/DGwDIgPi3JA.

What would your top priorities be if elected?

My top priorities include restoring education to traditional teaching and pedagogy practices, while improving benefits, work conditions, and salaries for educators; redesigning the property tax appraisal system; establishing a Water and Energy Security Task Force; and negotiating with private health and pharmaceutical providers for better terms and costs for Texans.

What will your priorities be regarding property taxes and housing affordability?

I will redesign the property tax appraisal system so it is more affordable for homeowners. I also plan to build an efficient collaboration tool connecting local and state officials with citizens when making development decisions to ensure ethical and accountable practices are met to protect the interest of community citizens.

How will you ensure Texans are able to receive the appropriate aid after natural disasters?

I will develop an emergency preparedness framework for cities and counties that provides a defined pathway for officials to access initial emergency aid within 48 hours. This will include an effective emergency communication plan involving 911 services, estimates of aid for various natural disasters, and accountability measures for elected officials.

What will your priorities be for the future of Texas education?

I want to shift Texas’ government-centered school system to one that is in the hands of parents, teachers, and community citizens. I also want to restore the fundamentals of a knowledge-based academic education, remove data mining of our students, and repeal Robin Hood Recapture.

What do you see as the greatest challenge for Texas in the next 5 years?

Within the next 5 years, we will face Artificial Superintelligence (ASI), which will surpass human intelligence, and could threaten our way of life. We also face a great challenge with freshwater and energy crises. Through the challenges, we must ensure that Texas family values and safety are never compromised.

What would your top priorities be if elected?

Candidate did not respond to questionnaire before press time.