Democrat Michelle Beckley running for lieutenant governor
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Democrat Michelle Beckley, a state representative and one of the more liberal members of the Texas House, said Tuesday she is running for lieutenant governor in 2022.
Her announcement comes a day after Beto O’Rourke jumped in the governor’s race, giving Texas Democrats a national figure and prolific fundraiser atop their ticket. Beckley was among a wave of Democrats who flipped GOP-held statehouse seats in 2018 down-ballot races during O’Rourke’s narrow loss for U.S. Senate.
Mike Collier, who was Texas Democrats’ nominee for lieutenant governor that year, and Matthew Dowd, who was a strategist to former Republican President George W. Bush, are also running in the Democratic primary.
The winner will be an underdog against Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who is seeking a third term.
Beckley was among the more than 50 Democrats in the Texas House who decamped to Washington this summer to temporarily block sweeping new voting restrictions. In her announcement she called for legalizing marijuana and expanding Medicaid, proposals that have never gained traction in the GOP-controlled Texas Capitol.
