“As many have wisely observed, ‘as goes Texas, so goes the nation,’ and Texas has never been more under assault. From out-of-state liberals spending millions to turn Texas blue to a Biden Administration that is seeking to cripple our state financially and erase our rich culture, Texas needs leaders with the boldness of President Donald Trump to fight back and hold the line,” said White in a press release.
“That is why I am excited to announce today that I am running to be your next Agriculture Commissioner.”
First elected as a state representative in 2010, White announced that he wouldn’t be seeking re-election to the legislature earlier this year but hinted at a possibility of running for a statewide position.
White chairs the House Homeland Security & Public Safety Committee — on which he played a pivotal role in passing the constitutional carry legislation this past session.
He later said on the Chad Hasty Show that he liked “the idea of being in the position to promote and protect Texas’ number one largest industry in the state,” agriculture.
Sid Miller, who has held the position since 2015, was rumored to be angling for higher office but ultimately decided to run for re-election. Throughout the recent session, Miller was highly critical of the legislature and especially the chamber of which White is a member.
Miller voiced a radio spot critical of White’s colleague, Rep. Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock), for allegedly slow-walking the bill that would ban child gender modifications in Texas. Miller walked back his support for the ad but then doubled down on its accuracy after the House failed to advance the legislation.
He has also sued both the governor over a unilateral extension of early voting and the lieutenant governor over the Senate’s coronavirus restriction policy.
The agriculture commissioner heads the Texas Department of Agriculture, which says that its “key objectives are to promote production agriculture, consumer protection, economic development and healthy living.”
Agriculture is one of the largest industries in Texas, both in terms of employment and gross-domestic-product.
###
Disclosure: Unlike almost every other media outlet, The Texan is not beholden to any special interests, does not apply for any type of state or federal funding, and relies exclusively on its readers for financial support. If you’d like to become one of the people we’re financially accountable to, click here to subscribe.
Daniel Friend
Daniel Friend is the Marketing and Media Manager for The Texan. After graduating with a double-major in Political Science and Humanities, he wrote for The Texan as a reporter through June 2022. In his spare time, you're likely to find him working on The Testimony of Calvin Lewis, an Abolition of Man-inspired novel and theatrical podcast.
