As of preliminary results, Hegar won all but 18 of Texas’ 254 counties.
“It is clear that voters across the political spectrum are concerned about issues that impact the day to day lives of each and every one of us,” Hegar said in a statement provided to The Texan. “Rampant inflation is eating away at the economic foundation that families across our state have worked so hard to build.”
Dudding said in a statement, “We ran a campaign that appealed to Texans of every stripe. Unfortunately, we came up short and I congratulate Glenn on his victory and hope he will spend the next four years as the Comptroller we all know Texas deserves.”
With an eye forward, Hegar added, “Over the next four years, I will defend the important progress we have made on key issues and maintain the conservative fiscal stewardship that has been my guiding principle as your Comptroller.”
Some of those issues he then referred to include the office’s running list of “fossil fuel boycotting” financial companies from which state investments must be removed; role in the state’s ongoing crackdown of fentanyl and other drug trafficking; and directive in overseeing water and broadband expansion projects.
But by far the biggest responsibility of the comptroller is to monitor the fiscal health of the state.
When the Texas Legislature reconvenes next year, it will have about $27 billion in surplus treasury dollars to appropriate along with an abundant state savings account. As Hegar has warned, these record totals are not a sign of unabashed economic health. Rather, much of it stems from inflation leading to larger sums of consumption taxes remitted to the state.
The comptroller has no appropriation authority but does have to certify the final budget when the time comes next spring.
“I am honored and humbled that the people of the great state of Texas have once again entrusted me with the responsibility of helping to guide the Texas economy through challenging times,” he added.
Hegar said in September that this term would be his final as comptroller, but he did not voice any specific interest in other offices.
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Brad Johnson
Brad Johnson is a senior reporter for The Texan and an Ohio native who graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 2017. He is an avid sports fan who most enjoys watching his favorite teams continue their title drought throughout his cognizant lifetime. In his free time, you may find Brad quoting Monty Python productions and trying to calculate the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow.
