Democratic candidates for Texas lieutenant governor talk about their campaigns before the runoff, top issues
The primary runoff election for for races on the ballot this fall are coming up on May 26. While Democratic primaries for U.S. Senate and governor already settled, the party still needs to to choose a candidate for lieutenant governor.
State Rep. Vikki Goodwin was the top vote getter in the March primary with 48 percent, but she did not receive the required majority to win the race outright. She will face labor leader Marcos Velez, who received 31 percent of the vote.
The winner will face the incumbent, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who easily sailed to victory in the Republican primary and is hoping to capture a fourth term in office.
Eye On Politics reporter Jack Fink recently spoke with both candidates to talk about their strategies for the primary runoff election. The following excerpts of their conversations are lightly edited for clarity.
Texas State Rep. Vikki Goodwin
Jack Fink: You got one more than a million votes on March 3, came very close to winning outright. 48 percent of the vote. And now you are in this runoff against Democratic candidate Marcos Velez. And I'm wondering, how are you going to win this time?
State Rep. Vikki Goodwin: I think that we have a real opportunity. I think I should win the runoff because more informed voters come out. And when I tell people that I got the endorsement of the five major newspapers for my experience, that I have run for office before, flipped my House seat in 2018, and I've served four terms in the Texas Legislature, building a lot of relationships with other House members and senators. Most people understand that experience is really going to be relevant when I step into the lieutenant governor role.
Fink: What are your biggest contrasts with Velez? Because voters are going to have to decide between the two of you whether it be policy or experience.
Goodwin: He's putting a focus on raising the minimum wage, which I have actually filed a bill to raise the minimum wage all four sessions that I've been in the legislature, and I haven't ever seen him come to my office to advocate to help on that bill. So my issues are also economic, but I believe that by having a strong public education system, that provides those economic opportunities for people.
My No. 1 issue has been to increase spending to public schools, to end the voucher scam to help people with their health care. We have a broken health care system. And I don't know if he talks about that as one of his higher issues. When I've heard him speak, he mainly focuses on raising the minimum wage, and I think that's important too. But I think there's a lot of really important issues that impact people in their daily lives. And health care is one of them.
Fink: How would you go about improving health care in the state of Texas?
Goodwin: We just came out with some information about Texas having the highest rate of maternal mortality. That is just unacceptable. And a lot of Black women in particular lose their lives from pregnancy related issues. We should have better understanding of why that is and then address the problem.
Texas has the highest rate of uninsured who don't have the ability to go see a doctor, and they put it off because they're afraid of that expense. So they may put it off until they end up in the emergency room, and that's where care is most expensive and where the outcomes aren't as good. So we need to make sure people have the opportunity to go see a doctor when they need to see a doctor and make it affordable. So if they don't have employer coverage, there should be a state plan.
I know a lot of people ask me about expanding Medicaid and I would be for that, but there are a lot of issues with Medicaid expansion too; Doctors say that the reimbursement rate doesn't cover their cost of care, that oftentimes they aren't reimbursed for months on end, and sometimes that money is clawed back. And so why not come up with a Texas plan that serves the people of Texas?
Fink: Going back to what you said about education, the school choice program, I know you called it a voucher scam. You want to overturn it. How are you going to do that if the legislature remains Republican?
Goodwin: I think even Republicans have constituents who are not in favor of the voucher plan. And the big issue is that we aren't funding our public schools adequately. You know, sometimes I will hear people say, well, I might be for it if we were spending the amount of money we need on our public schools. So really, the way to stop the voucher program is to not fund it, to not put any money into our Texas budget, going to private schools. And I think that we can get even Republicans behind that.
Fink: The legislature increased the education budget during the last session. I think it was $8.5 billion of new money that went in there. What more do you think needs to be done?
Goodwin: It really would have taken $18 billion just to catch up with inflation. And another report came out recently saying that our teachers are currently making $5,000 a year less than they were a decade when you account for inflation. So while the $8.5 billion was nice, it wasn't adequate to catch us up to where we would be with inflation.
So we definitely need to put more into our basic allotment. But also we made the formula even more complicated than it was previously. We created a new bucket of money, called the ABC, the allotment for basic costs when we already have the basic allotment. And I've talked to superintendents and school board members who said that it just makes it very difficult for them to use the money in the way that makes the most sense for their district.
Marcos Velez
Fink: What is your plan to win the runoff?
Velez: I think when you look at the primary, we had a very short amount of time to build support for the campaign. And so we campaigned really hard in areas where Democrats have been unsuccessful. Now we've expanded our focus and we're spending more time in the big cities Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, but obviously not forgetting the RGV and the Panhandle.
Fink: What are your biggest contrasts with Rep. Goodwin?
Velez: I think lived experience. I have a heavy focus on the realities for middle class, working class people because I am one. I always tell people very proud to be the lowest-net-worth candidate in the race, and I think that keeps me grounded in reality. I think one of the problems is Austin is not Texas, and so if we're unsuccessful in our bid, you're going to have a very Austin-heavy ticket.
I think when you look at your average everyday Texan, they don't identify with what goes on in Austin, the identity with their portion of the state. I think Houston, being one of the most diverse cities within the state, is a good representation of the needs of of many Texans, but also the fact that I work all over the state, it keeps me grounded and connected to people in small towns like Claude or Harper or Mountain Home, all the way to the big cities like Houston and Dallas.
Fink: She has talked a lot about her legislative experience being there, working with in the House and then also with senators to pass legislation. Does that concern you that that's something that voters will want?
Velez: I don't think it concerns me at all, because when you look at the role of the lieutenant governor, the lieutenant governor is more primarily a negotiator. I'm a professional negotiator. I do that every single day with organized labor against heavy corporate interests, the same interests that we're going to be fighting against in the Texas Senate. If I was running for a position within the Texas House, I believe that that that legislative experience would be more important.
But when you look at what's needed within the lieutenant governor's office, we need someone that understands the needs of working Texans, the struggles of working Texans, that's going to prioritize legislation that benefits working Texans.
Fink: If you had to choose your top two or three priorities, what are they?
Velez: My No. 1 priority is always going to be raising the state minimum wage. Even if you don't make minimum wage, your employer keeps a certain gap between what you earn and what the minimum wage is. And so a rising tide lifts all boats. If we can raise wages, that'll combat some of these soaring costs.
At a strong No. 2, we have to make sure that we properly fund education. The public school system is in a disarray. It's really a disservice to our teachers. They're educators, they go into a profession, they should earn a living wage. They should have the resources they need to teach. They shouldn't be persecuted by the state because they deviate from some plan that the state has laid out.
And then third is health care access. We have way too many Texans that are suffering from a lack of access to health care, a lack of health insurance. I have people within my own family that are suffering the ill effects of that. And so I think it's really important that we focus on those three issues.
Fink: As it relates to health care, how would you improve access? Is that as simple for you as just expanding Medicaid?
Velez: That is a quick first step that we could take. I believe that we have enough revenue and enough resources in the state of Texas to come up with our own plan here within the state. But Medicaid expansion is quick, it's easy, and it gets the job done. And I think that's something that even Republicans are warming to.
When you look a lot of conservative voters, especially in rural Texas, where hospitals are being shut down and they have a lack of health care access, they're starting to understand the importance of health care. It's not just a political talking point. It's a reality.
Fink: As far as teacher pay is concerned, how much more? In the last legislative session they did give more money to teachers.
Velez: There's a lot that's wrong with the way that we spend money or divert money to our public school system. But when you look at raising teacher wages, you have to account for everything that inflation is done to crush their wages. And then I think you can come up with a fair figure.
I think the easiest way to do that is to give them the right to collectively bargain. And they can set a minimum standard at a statewide level through collective bargaining.
Fink: What about minimum wage? What are you looking for right now?:
Velez: It has to be a living wage.
Let me put it in perspective. Someone making minimum wage right now doesn't even make enough money to cover the cost of a one bedroom apartment in one of these major cities. They're in a deficit.
So when you look at the fact that someone making minimum wage can't even cover an apartment, how can they cover food? How can they cover health care? And so, whatever a living wage is, that should be the minimum wage. Someone working 40 hours a week should be able to afford to feed themselves, to house themselves, to clothe themselves, and they should have a little bit of money left over so that they can enjoy a simple fast food meal if they want one.
