A story about Texas' plural executive, as well as the governor's power to full vacancies.
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Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to choose a new state comptroller in the next few weeks, who will have an outsized role in the state’s rollout of private school vouchers.
Glenn Hegar is stepping down from the job this month after being named chancellor of the Texas A&M University System. Abbott can appoint his replacement, and with the legislative session wrapping up, his pick will avoid a Senate confirmation battle.
The stakes will be unusually high — for Abbott and his pick.
“Personnel is policy. Having the right people in the right place means you get the policy implemented in the way that you want,” said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political scientist at the University of Houston. “The controversy about vouchers is the potential for there to be a spiraling cost and for it to be applied in an unfair way. The governor has to put someone in place who will watch those numbers carefully.”
Abbott has yet to hint who he will choose to carry out his signature issue. The statewide position is up for election next year, and several Republicans are already campaigning for the job. They include Christi Craddick, chair of the Texas Railroad Commission, and Don Huffines, who served in the Texas Senate and ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2022.
Many others are likely angling to run — or to catch the governor’s eye and get an early entry in the role.
