As Texas voters prepare for the upcoming primary elections, High Plains Pundit is providing background information on candidates seeking statewide office. In races with large or crowded fields, coverage focuses on candidates with prior political experience, professional prominence, or significant campaign activity.
This article examines the race for Texas Land Commissioner, a powerful but often overlooked statewide position with broad influence over land management, education funding, disaster recovery, veterans’ services, and historical preservation.
About the office
The Texas General Land Office, commonly referred to as the GLO, is the oldest state agency in Texas. It was established in 1836, shortly after Texas gained independence, and originally served as the record-keeper for land titles, surveys, and settlement. Over time, its responsibilities expanded alongside the state’s growth.
Today, the GLO manages approximately 13 million acres of state-owned land, including more than 3,400 miles of coastline and submerged lands extending into the Gulf of Mexico. Revenue generated from leasing and selling portions of this land supports the Permanent School Fund, a constitutionally protected fund that helps finance public education. The Permanent School Fund holds assets exceeding $57 billion and distributes more than $2.4 billion annually to Texas K-12 schools.
The agency also plays a central role in disaster recovery, administering billions of dollars in federal and state aid following hurricanes, floods, and other natural disasters. In addition, the GLO oversees the Veterans Land Board, which provides land and home loans to Texas veterans, manages mineral rights on state land, and operates historic sites, including the Alamo.
The Land Commissioner is elected statewide to a four-year term and serves as the chief executive of the agency.
What’s at stake
The scope of the Land Commissioner’s authority makes the office a key player in several high-profile policy areas. Decisions made by the GLO affect how disaster relief funds are distributed, how public education is financed, how state land and energy resources are managed, how veterans access housing programs, and how Texas presents its history to residents and visitors.
In recent years, the agency has faced scrutiny over disaster recovery practices, particularly following Hurricane Harvey. Allegations that minority communities in Houston received less assistance than wealthier areas prompted a lengthy federal investigation. While earlier findings supported those claims, federal officials later reversed the conclusions and formally closed the case, citing flaws in the initial analysis. The controversy nonetheless elevated the GLO’s role in debates over equity, transparency, and accountability.
The office has also become a cultural flashpoint. In 2024, an Indigenous Peoples’ Day social media post from an Alamo Trust account drew criticism from state leadership, triggering an internal investigation and the eventual departure of the trust’s CEO. That episode underscored broader disagreements over how Texas history should be interpreted and presented.
The current Land Commissioner is Republican Dawn Buckingham, who is seeking reelection and faces no Republican primary challengers. Two Democrats, Jose Loya and Benjamin Flores, are competing for their party’s nomination.
Dawn Buckingham
Dawn Buckingham is the incumbent Land Commissioner and the only Republican in the race. She was elected statewide in 2022, becoming the first woman to lead the General Land Office.
Buckingham is a trained physician specializing in cosmetic and functional eyelid reconstruction. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin and her medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Before her statewide role, she served in the Texas Senate, where she became the first Republican elected from Travis County and the first woman to represent Senate District 24, which includes parts of Central Texas.
A ninth-generation Texan, Buckingham has emphasized her family’s deep historical ties to the state. Politically, she aligns closely with mainstream Texas conservatism, supporting low taxes, limited government, strong border enforcement, gun rights, and opposition to abortion. She has positioned Texas oil and gas production as essential to economic stability and national security and has described herself as a strong supporter of former President Donald Trump’s policy agenda.
During her tenure, Buckingham’s campaign reports that the GLO has delivered billions of dollars in disaster recovery funding, contributed significantly to public education through the Permanent School Fund, and expanded veterans’ loan programs. The agency has also supported border enforcement efforts, including assisting with land acquisitions and construction tied to border security initiatives.
Buckingham has taken a firm stance on historical interpretation at the Alamo, emphasizing preservation and rejecting approaches she views as politically motivated. Her handling of the Alamo Trust controversy drew national attention and divided public opinion.
Financially, Buckingham holds a commanding advantage, reporting more than $2.8 million in cash on hand. Her major donors include prominent figures in the energy, manufacturing, and ranching industries. She has received endorsements from statewide officials, including Texas Railroad Commissioners, a large bloc of Republican legislators, border enforcement organizations, and industry groups representing oil, gas, and agriculture.
Jose Loya
Jose Loya is one of two Democrats seeking the nomination. He brings a background rooted in military service, industrial work, and labor advocacy.
Loya served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2002 to 2008 and completed two deployments to Iraq, becoming a U.S. citizen during his first tour. After leaving the military, he worked for more than a decade at a Valero refinery in the Texas Panhandle, beginning as an operator and later moving into a safety-focused role. He currently works as a union representative for the United Steelworkers, representing workers across Texas and neighboring states and leading a regional veterans program.
Ideologically, Loya identifies as a working-class, pro-labor Democrat. His campaign emphasizes public accountability, nonpartisan disaster relief, and maximizing land revenues to support public education. He has been critical of school voucher programs approved by state lawmakers, arguing they divert funding from public schools, particularly in rural areas.
Loya has also called for expanding awareness and access to Veterans Land Board programs and has stressed that disaster assistance should be distributed based on need rather than political considerations.
Compared with his opponents, Loya’s campaign resources are limited. He reports less than $10,000 in cash on hand, with major support coming from Democratic-aligned political action committees, including organizations focused on electing veterans to office. He has received endorsements from VoteVets and U.S. Representative Ro Khanna of California.
Benjamin Flores
Benjamin Flores is the second Democrat in the race and brings a background in cybersecurity, local government, and disaster preparedness.
Flores has spent three decades working in cybersecurity and compliance, focusing on preventing fraud and systemic failures in county government. Born in Mexico, he immigrated to the United States in the mid-1990s and later lived in California, where he gained hands-on experience in disaster response as a community emergency response team member.
In 2016, Flores moved to Bay City, Texas, where he and his family operate a small agricultural business raising heritage-breed pigs. He was elected to the Bay City City Council in 2023 after running on a platform centered on transparency and local accountability. He also serves on the Bay City Development Corporation and represents the city on the Houston-Galveston Area Council.
Flores identifies as a Democrat with a focus on government efficiency and climate resilience. He accepts climate change as a significant challenge for Texas, particularly along the coast, and supports policies aimed at strengthening infrastructure and disaster preparedness. Like Loya, he opposes school vouchers, arguing they undermine the constitutional mission of public lands to fund public education.
Flores initially launched a campaign for governor before switching to the Land Commissioner race, citing concerns over how the GLO has been used to support border enforcement and immigration initiatives. He has also taken positions on free speech, academic freedom, and redistricting, noting the Land Commissioner’s role on the Legislative Redistricting Board.
Financially, Flores reports approximately $67,700 in cash on hand, with support from political consulting and messaging firms. His campaign emphasizes reforms to disaster response timelines, protection of Permanent School Fund revenues, and expanded support for veterans.
Looking ahead
The Texas Land Commissioner race highlights stark contrasts in ideology, experience, and approach to the office. Buckingham enters the general election cycle with incumbency, strong institutional support, and significant financial resources. The Democratic primary will determine whether Loya’s labor-focused platform or Flores’s local-government and climate-resilience message advances to face her in November.
