Perspectives

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton made it official last week, announcing he will challenge U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in next March’s Republican primary. The fireworks already have begun, the Austin American-Statesman reported, with Cornyn calling his rival “a con man and a fraud.”

When President Trump said we need to “drain the swamp,” he wasn’t just talking about Washington, D.C. He was talking about a mindset—about making government work for the people, not the other way around. In Texas, we take that message seriously. That’s why this session, we’re focused on getting back to the basics: smaller government, stronger families, and real accountability to the taxpayers.

When I ran for office, I made a promise to keep more money in your pocket. Last session, I delivered on that promise, passing the largest property tax cut in Texas history—over $18 billion in relief—but I know we can do even better. As I listen to constituents across our community, my heart breaks to see families still struggling to make ends meet due to high property tax bills, mom-and-pop shops closing their doors from unnecessary taxation, and rural Texans being robbed of the opportunity to pass down land and wealth to the next generation.