{"id":468563,"date":"2026-10-17T06:22:42","date_gmt":"2026-10-17T06:22:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/468563\/"},"modified":"2026-10-17T06:22:42","modified_gmt":"2026-10-17T06:22:42","slug":"geren-runs-on-record-of-property-tax-relief-against-challenger-in-fort-worth-texas-house-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/468563\/","title":{"rendered":"Geren runs on record of property tax relief against challenger in Fort Worth Texas House race"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"&quot;byline&quot;\">by Scott Nishimura, Fort Worth Report <br \/>October 15, 2026<\/p>\n<p>The race for the Texas House 99 seat features the 12-time Republican <a href=\"https:\/\/www.charliegeren.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Rep. Charlie Geren<\/a> and Democrat <a href=\"https:\/\/michellforhd99.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Michelle Winder<\/a>, a 31-year railroad employee and former member of the U.S. Army National Guard.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/wrm.capitol.texas.gov\/fyiwebdocs\/pdf\/house\/dist99\/m1.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">district covers much of Fort Worth<\/a>. Early voting is Oct. 19-30 and Election Day is Nov. 3\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792218161_482_Frame-3-3-1024x602.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-412267\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.7010520055016543;width:368px;height:auto\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-white-color has-text-color has-link-color\">Early voting for the November elections is Oct. 19-30. Election Day is Nov. 3. To check your voter registration, <a href=\"https:\/\/goelect.txelections.civixapps.com\/ivis-mvp-ui\/#\/login\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-white-color has-text-color has-link-color\">To find out where you can vote, or who will be on your ballot, <a href=\"https:\/\/gisit.tarrantcounty.com\/TCVL\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">click here<\/a>. For information on the races across the county, check out our <a href=\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/election-central\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Election Central<\/a> page or our nonpartisan <a href=\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/fort-worth-tarrant-county-voter-guide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">voter guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>During the last legislative session, Geren left his longstanding opposition to using public dollars for private education in exchange for what he called safeguards. The Legislature created a voucherlike education savings account program that parents can use for their child\u2019s private schooling.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis package was going to pass no matter what,\u201d he said of vouchers in a letter to constituents after Gov. Greg Abbott signed them into law. \u201cI could\u2019ve walked away, made a speech and gone home feeling righteous. But that\u2019s not who I am.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Geren-Paxton-e1702340036369.jpg\" alt=\"Geren-Paxton\" class=\"wp-image-78283\"\/>(Courtesy | Charlie Geren) <\/p>\n<p>Geren, owner of Railhead Smokehouse, won reelection in 2024 with 63% of the vote. He did not respond to multiple requests for comment or complete a candidate questionnaire for publication in the Report. Read Winder\u2019s candidate questionnaire <a href=\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2026\/10\/04\/michelle-winder-democratic-candidate-for-texas-house-district-99\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Winder said Geren \u2014 long supportive of youth, community and public schools \u2014 broke his word and should be turned out of office.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMr. Barbecue Man said he would never vote for vouchers, and he did,\u201d Winder said. \u201cHe could have stood up and said, \u2018No, I\u2019m not going to do that.\u2019 Instead, he caved in.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Winder wants to eliminate the education savings account program and direct all of the state\u2019s proceeds from lottery ticket sales into public education. The lottery was <a href=\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2025\/02\/06\/fact-brief-did-the-texas-lottery-start-as-a-way-to-help-fund-public-schools\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">not intended to fully fund education<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverybody has the right to an education,\u201d Winder said.<\/p>\n<p>Abbott has said he will prioritize property tax relief when the Legislature meets in 2027. Among his proposals is the elimination of school district property taxes and requiring two-thirds approval for all tax rate increases.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-2-1-819x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-832455\"\/>(Courtesy | Michelle Winder)<\/p>\n<p>Winder called Abbott\u2019s proposal impractical.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere are you going to get the money for our services?\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019re going to take it out of us somehow. We\u2019re not going to tax the billionaires. We\u2019re going to tax the working people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Geren has touted on Facebook the GOP-led Legislature\u2019s accomplishments during the 2025 session.<\/p>\n<p>He spotlighted major property tax relief initiatives such as raising the homestead property tax exemption to $140,000 from $100,000 and raising the exemptions for seniors and people with disabilities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I ran for office, I made you a promise: to fight to lower your property taxes and let you keep more of what you\u2019ve earned,\u201d Geren said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/photo\/?fbid=1613793913490015&amp;set=a.426102045592547\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sept. 14 post.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Winder objected to Abbott\u2019s five-year property tax reappraisal proposal. She is concerned about the impact of neighborhood real estate sales on the property tax valuations of homes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo, the homes sell on the next street,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s no reason to raise my taxes. Let\u2019s (reappraise) every two years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Tarrant Appraisal District board <a href=\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2026\/09\/08\/tad-biennial-appraisal-schedule-for-residential-property-to-continue-in-odd-numbered-years\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">in September reaffirmed its biennial reappraisal policy<\/a> on residential properties.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Scott Nishimura is senior editor for local government accountability and a Fort Worth City Hall reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Reach him at scott.nishimura@fortworthreport.org.<\/p>\n<p>At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy <a href=\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/about\/fort-worth-report-editorial-independence-policy\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>This &lt;a target=&#8221;_blank&#8221; href=&#8221;https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2026\/10\/15\/geren-runs-on-record-of-property-tax-relief-against-challenger-in-fort-worth-texas-house-race\/&#8221;&gt;article&lt;\/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&#8221;_blank&#8221; href=&#8221;https:\/\/fortworthreport.org&#8221;&gt;Fort Worth Report&lt;\/a&gt; and is republished here under a &lt;a target=&#8221;_blank&#8221; href=&#8221;https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nd\/4.0\/&#8221;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License&lt;\/a&gt;.&lt;img src=&#8221;https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/cropped-favicon.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;amp;ssl=1&#8243; style=&#8221;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&#8221;&gt;<\/p>\n<p>&lt;img id=&#8221;republication-tracker-tool-source&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=831500&amp;amp;ga4=2820184429&#8243; style=&#8221;width:1px;height:1px;&#8221;&gt;&lt;script&gt; PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: &#8220;https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2026\/10\/15\/geren-runs-on-record-of-property-tax-relief-against-challenger-in-fort-worth-texas-house-race\/&#8221;, urlref: window.location.href }); } } &lt;\/script&gt; &lt;script id=&#8221;parsely-cfg&#8221; src=&#8221;\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/fortworthreport.org\/p.js&#8221;&gt;&lt;\/script&gt;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"by Scott Nishimura, Fort Worth Report October 15, 2026 The race for the Texas House 99 seat features&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":468564,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[22527,116,118,117,293],"class_list":["post-468563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-worth","tag-election-central","tag-fort-worth","tag-fort-worth-headlines","tag-fort-worth-news","tag-texas-legislature"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=468563"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468563\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/468564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=468563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=468563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=468563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}