“I’m running for Lieutenant Governor because politicians are putting ideology ahead of results that matter to Texans,” Beckley said in a press release.
On July 20, Beckley said she would challenge Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne (R-TX-24). Months later, state legislators met in Austin for a third special session to redraw the maps for state legislative districts, congressional districts, and the state board of education.
Beckley bewailed the proposed maps because lawmakers had made the district more favorable to Van Duyne by including more Republican voters and drawing Beckley’s residence into the 26th Congressional District.
“So the TX GQP [sic] current maps drew me out of TX-24 & HD-65 (that one is even more egregious). So what’s left for me to run on? SD-12 (open seat) Denton County Judge (would be super fun & can’t draw me out) or County Commissioner (still waiting on that map),” Beckley tweeted on September 30.
She ultimately abandoned her congressional bid and later criticized redistricting in Denton County, which she attributed to her “ability to terrify the TX GOP at all levels.”
In House District 65, Beckley initially won in 2018 and was reelected last year when she defeated Republican Kronda Thimesch with 52 percent of the vote. Thimesch has announced that she is running again in HD 65, which the legislature also redrew to be a heavily Republican district.
Beckley is a member of the Texas House Elections Committee, where she was a fierce opponent of the Election Integrity Protection Act of 2021. In fact, when Beckley announced her congressional bid, she was participating in a quorum bust to try to stop the final version of the election integrity law from passing.
Beckley joins Mike Collier and Matthew Dowd in the Democratic primary.
The incumbent, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, is facing at least two primary challengers, including Daniel Miller, the president of the Texas Nationalist Movement, and Trayce Bradford.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated Beckley represents House District 68. Beckley represents House District 65.
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Hayden Sparks
Hayden Sparks is a senior reporter for The Texan and a lifelong resident of the Lone Star State. He has coached competitive speech and debate and has been involved in politics since a young age. One of Hayden's favorite quotes is by Sam Houston: "Texas has yet to learn submission to any oppression, come from what source it may."
