Democratic comptroller nominee Sarah Eckhardt took aim at Republican rival Don Huffines during a recent appearance on Lone Star Politics, accusing him of wanting to politicize the office and questioning his judgment and experience.
Eckhardt, a state senator from Austin, said the office, which oversees state finances and certifies the state budget, should serve taxpayers rather than political agendas.
Huffines, a former state senator from Dallas who will become comptroller Aug. 1 after Gov. Greg Abbott appointed him to fill the vacancy, has pledged to run government lean and protect taxpayer dollars. Lone Star Politics has invited him to appear on the program.
POLITICAL WEAPON? Eckhardt called the comptroller “the most powerful statewide position that most people have never heard of” and said it should not be used to reward political allies or punish opponents. She accused Huffines of wanting to “weaponize the office” to advance conservative cultural priorities instead of serving all Texans.
DOGE OR GOVERN? She criticized Huffines’ plans to shrink state government through a Texas version of the federal Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE. She said Texas is already among the nation’s lowest-tax, lowest-spending states. “It is not time to DOGE state government,” she said. “It is time to invest in Texans.”
EPSTEIN ATTACK: Eckhardt contrasted her record as a prosecutor, Travis County judge and state senator with Huffines’ business background, saying she had managed billions in public assets and cut taxes while maintaining services. She said Huffines is “best known for billboards and having secretly purchased the Epstein ranch,” before asking: “Who can you trust with your hard-earned tax dollars?” The Huffines campaign has said his family purchased property listed in a New Mexico public auction and that the sale’s proceeds benefited Epstein’s victims.
AUSTIN TICKET: Asked why Democrats nominated several statewide candidates from Austin, Eckhardt said she would have preferred a geographically broader ticket but said decades of Republican dominance have discouraged others from running. “I don’t know what it is in the water in Austin…but I am proud that there is a tremendous amount of courage in standing up for everyday Texans,” she said.
Lone Star Politics airs at 8:30 a.m. Sundays, hosted by NBC5’s Phil Prazan and The Dallas Morning News’ political writer Gromer Jeffers Jr.