Former state Sen. Don Huffines secured a decisive victory Tuesday night in the Republican primary for Texas comptroller, defeating a field of high-profile contenders and overcoming the backing of Gov. Greg Abbott’s preferred candidate.
Huffines, a Dallas businessman and former legislator, defeated acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock, Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick and Michael Berlanga in a contest that had drawn significant financial support and attention from across the state. The outcome aligned with public polling in the final weeks of the race, which consistently showed Huffines leading by a wide margin.
Abbott had appointed Hancock to the comptroller’s office last year after former Comptroller Glenn Hegar stepped down to become chancellor of the Texas A&M University System. Hancock resigned from his state Senate seat to accept the appointment and entered the race with the advantages of incumbency. In the closing stretch of the primary, Abbott directed millions of dollars from his campaign account to support Hancock’s bid. Campaign finance filings showed that a substantial portion of Hancock’s late spending was funded by the governor.
Despite that support, Huffines prevailed. He largely financed his own campaign and pledged not to accept a government salary if elected. He framed his candidacy around cutting government spending, investigating waste and fraud, and opposing policies he described as overly focused on diversity initiatives. His campaign messaging also emphasized managing the state’s finances with a business-oriented approach.
Huffines previously challenged Abbott in the 2022 Republican gubernatorial primary, criticizing the governor from the right on issues such as COVID-19 vaccine mandates, border security and property taxes. During that campaign, Huffines called for eliminating property taxes and urged the state to construct its own border wall, positions that later became central themes in broader Republican policy debates.
The three leading Republican candidates advanced largely overlapping platforms. Each pledged to audit government spending, reduce waste and address conservative priorities including immigration enforcement and restrictions on transgender athletes in school sports. Together, the top contenders reported spending approximately $16 million during the primary season, a sharp increase compared with previous comptroller primaries. By contrast, Hegar reported spending just over $1 million at a similar point in his 2022 reelection campaign.
The Texas comptroller serves as the state’s chief financial officer, responsible for collecting taxes, managing state accounts and estimating revenue projections that guide the Legislature’s biennial budget process. Once lawmakers pass a budget, the comptroller oversees its implementation. The office currently monitors a two-year state spending plan totaling roughly $338 billion. If elected in November, Huffines would also oversee implementation of a newly approved $1 billion program providing public funds for private school vouchers, one of Abbott’s signature legislative achievements.
On the Democratic side, state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt of Austin won her party’s primary in a three-way race and will face Huffines in the general election. Texas has not elected a Democratic comptroller since 1999, when Republican Carole Keeton Strayhorn succeeded Democrat John Sharp.
