Subscribe to The Y’all — a weekly dispatch about the people, places and policies defining Texas, produced by Texas Tribune journalists living in communities across the state.
Attorneys for Clayton Tucker, the Democrat candidate running for Texas Agriculture Commissioner, on Tuesday accused his opponent, Nate Sheets, of being ineligible to serve in the position and is asking state Republican party leadership to review and potentially declare Sheets as ineligible for the election taking place in November.
In a letter sent to Texas GOP Chair D’rinda Randall, Tucker’s attorneys at Marziani, Stevens & Gonzalez PLLC claim that Sheets lacks the experience to run for the office. Tucker’s team states that Texas law requires a prospective Agriculture Commissioner to be engaged for five of the last 10 years in “the business of agriculture.” Candidates can also be eligible if they have served five years of work at a government agency related to agriculture or at the Texas Agricultural Council, or if they’ve owned and operated a ranch or farm that qualifies as agricultural use for five years.
“The public record shows that Nathan Sheets is not qualified to serve as Texas’ next Agriculture Commissioner because he does not meet the criteria for that office as set forth in Texas law,” the letter reads.
Sheets responded to Tucker’s claims as a “last-ditch” effort to avoid losing the race.
“This is a fourth-quarter, last-ditch attempt by Clayton Tucker to avoid his imminent defeat at the ballot box,” Sheets said.
Sheets’ campaign team said it’s actually Tucker who does not qualify for the role, saying Tucker’s sworn financial paperwork shows his occupation as an organizer for the Trade Justice Education Fund, a nonprofit advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. On their website, Tucker is listed as a program associate.
Sheets’ team also linked to a YouTube link purportedly showing a screenshot from what they claim is Tucker’s now-deleted LinkedIn page. The screenshot shows a line of work related to politics.
According to the statement by Sheets’ campaign, “…[Tucker] has spent the last decade running for office or working in politics, not making his living farming or ranching.”
Tucker’s attorneys cite a number of records to prove their claims against Sheets, including that he has owned Honey Rock Ranch In Burnet for four years — not five — and that the 10,000-acre ranch is owned by an LLC and not Sheets directly. They also claim his honey company, Nature Nate’s, does not produce crops as it uses honey that has come from other beekeepers. Even if it did, the attorneys claim, honey is not considered a crop and bees are not considered livestock.
The legal team gave the Texas GOP three business days to respond and publicly share their findings and conclusions to Texas voters.
In a statement, Tucker said he grew up working on his family’s ranch and sees agriculture as his life, not a “campaign prop.” He said “Data Nate” likely does not meet the qualifications to run.
“Owning a small number of beehives in Frisco does not count,” Tucker said. “Data Nate has not owned his hobbyist ranch long enough for it to count under Texas law.”
Tucker’s allegations are the latest in a contentious race for the state’s agriculture department. Republicans have held the office since the 1990s, most recently by Sid Miller who has found common ground with Tucker on data centers. Miller told The Tribune last month that he believes Republicans will lose the office as a result of explosive data center growth and the THC ban.
“Texans deserve answers,” Tucker said.“We expect the Republican Party of Texas to review the evidence, follow the law and tell the people of Texas what it finds.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
