Editor’s note: To help readers learn more about primary candidates, The Texas Tribune is sharing background information on top candidates. In particularly crowded races, we focused on candidates who have political experience or prominence. For a full list of the candidates running in this race, view our primary ballot page. For more information on the primaries and the voting process, check out our guides and news coverage here.
About this seat: The Texas Agriculture Commissioner is the chief advocate for Texas’s agriculture industry. Under the commissioner’s purview, the Texas Department of Agriculture regulates the state’s agriculture industry, including cattle, grain, plants, pesticides, hemp and organic operations. The department provides agribusiness support, promotes Texas products and advocates for policies at the state and federal level that help farmers and ranchers. It also administers the National School Lunch Program to public schools. The department works on economic development in rural areas and provides disaster relief to farmers. The department also ensures that price scanners and scales are all accurate to ensure consumers are paying an accurate price for these items when they purchase them.