Tarrant County’s Republican county judge backs Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s Democratic challenger

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Tarrant County Choose Glen Whitley, considered one of Texas’ most distinguished Republican native leaders, is backing Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s Democratic challenger.

“The one one who I will assist statewide that may get me a little bit in bother: Mike Collier for lieutenant governor,” Whitley mentioned on Y’all-itics, a WFAA politics podcast.

Whitley and Patrick have ceaselessly clashed, and on the podcast Whitley slammed Patrick for waging “conflict on native elected officers.” He mentioned the GOP incumbent restricted property taxes, a significant income for native governments.

Patrick shepherded a invoice in 2019 that meant to sluggish the expansion of Texans’ property tax payments. The invoice requires many cities, counties and different taxing models to carry an election in the event that they want to elevate 3.5% extra property tax income than the earlier 12 months, not counting the expansion added by new development.

In the meantime, Whitley mentioned Tarrant County jails are housing greater than 700 inmates that must be in state custody with out extra funding from the state. The COVID-19 pandemic and the lack to make jail transfers contributed to state inmates being held in county jails, Group Affect reported.

“We’re paying 20 million plus a 12 months as a result of the state will not be paying something and but they’re sitting down there speaking about all of the money that they have,” Whitley mentioned.

State Rep. Dustin Burrows, a Republican from Lubbock and one of many architects of the property tax invoice, mentioned Whitley’s endorsement of Collier was reflective of “his contempt for folks having the precise to vote on extreme property tax will increase.”

Allen Blakemore, a spokesperson for Patrick’s marketing campaign, was not instantly out there for remark.

Whitley will not be searching for reelection this 12 months. The potential successor he backed in 2022, former Fort Value Mayor Betsy Worth, misplaced to a Patrick-endorsed opponent, Tim O’Hare.

Whitley mentioned he’s backing Collier due to Collier’s expertise controlling budgets. Collier, a 60-year-old accountant and auditor from the Houston space, is a self-described “numbers man.” Collier additionally labored as a landman for Exxon, which Whitley mentioned indicated the Democratic nominee understood the oil enterprise.

“And I simply assume he is somebody who understands native management. And that is what I am on the lookout for,” added Whitley, who as county decide is the county’s high elected official and administrator. “We do every little thing. We are the entrance door for mainly all of the federal and the state providers that the state and the federal authorities handed legal guidelines for us to do.”

The Texas lieutenant governor oversees the state’s 31-member Senate, making him probably the most highly effective elected official within the Texas Legislature. The officeholder can dictate a lot of the state’s coverage by influencing which payments transfer ahead and which of them are halted.

Although Tarrant County has had a Republican decide at its helm for 15 years, it has turned purple in recent times. The county narrowly voted for Beto O’Rourke over Ted Cruz in 2018 and for Joe Biden over former president Donald Trump in 2020.

The lieutenant governor race in November is a rematch from 2018, when Collier went head-to-head with Patrick and misplaced by 4.8 share factors. In Tarrant County, Collier misplaced to Patrick by 3.2 share factors. A Democrat has not gained statewide workplace since 1994.

Whitley’s displeasure with Patrick has been effectively documented for years. Whitley has mentioned Patrick, as lieutenant governor, has a “stranglehold over what goes to the governor’s desk” and is driving Gov. Greg Abbott to the far proper.

After the 2020 election, Patrick criticized Whitley and Tarrant County for its dealing with of defective mail-in ballots resulting from faulty bar codes. Whitley instructed the Fort Value Star-Telegram that Patrick ought to maintain his nostril out of native authorities.

Collier jumped on Whitley’s feedback to advertise them Sunday as a name to reasonable Republicans, which he mentioned Tarrant County is wealthy with. Collier additionally just lately launched a radio and digital advert throughout West Texas referred to as “Not a Good Republican” that assaults Patrick.

“We could also be of various events however we each care deeply concerning the folks of Texas,” Collier mentioned in an announcement about Whitley. “And as Lt. Governor, I will likely be a accomplice with our cities and counties in order that we are able to construct a state the place our kids can have goals as massive as Texas.”

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