Editor’s note: To help readers learn more about primary runoff candidates, The Texas Tribune has compiled background information on the Democrats seeking their party’s nomination for lieutenant governor in the May 26 runoff. For a full list of candidates, view our primary runoff ballot page. For more information on the runoffs and the voting process, check out our guides and news coverage here.
About the elected seat: The lieutenant governor, Texas’ second-highest state executive, presides over the state Senate and, in that role, largely controls the flow of legislation in the chamber. Because of this, the office is often described as the most powerful in Texas government. The Senate’s rules put the lieutenant governor in charge of the chamber’s agenda and standing committees, along with bestowing the power to break ties and decide procedural questions. Taken together, this gives the office significant influence over which bills make it to the governor’s desk and how much clout each senator wields. Additionally, the lieutenant governor co-chairs the Legislative Budget Board, which develops the state budget, and sits on the Legislative Redistricting Board, which is in charge of redrawing political maps if the Legislature fails to do so.
What’s at stake: Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a close ally of President Donald Trump who chaired all three of his presidential campaigns in Texas, is seeking a fourth term. As lieutenant governor, Patrick has spent the last decade pushing the Legislature steadily to the right. Patrick’s ouster would create a vacuum in Texas Republican politics and within the Senate, where he has built a stable of reliable GOP allies who often march in lockstep with their presiding officer. Although the lieutenant governor is currently one of the most powerful offices in the state, much of that authority is granted by the Senate rules approved by the chamber each regular session. If a Democrat is elected in November, the Republican-led Senate would likely rewrite its rules to strip the office of its major powers, marking a significant shift in the dynamics of the Legislature.
