Five questions every Texas Republican needs to ask their candidates

Originally published at The Houston Chronicle.

Republican primary voters overwhelmingly want less government, lower taxes and more freedom. Yet the Texas state government is no longer operating that way. 

Spending keeps rising, property taxes remain too high, and lawmakers increasingly substitute control for trust. There are no excuses left.

Republicans have held a full trifecta in our state since 2003: Governor, Texas House and Texas Senate. When one party governs for more than two decades, it owns the outcomes. Yet the government keeps expanding, taxes remain burdensome, and Austin continues to crowd out families and markets. That is not drift. It is a choice.

Yes, Texas’ economy has grown. But that’s not because the state government has shown discipline. Much of that growth is simply because people and businesses are fleeing higher-tax, higher-regulation states like California and New York. 

Texas has benefited from other states’ policy failures. That advantage is real, but it is not permanent. States that grow government faster than population plus inflation eventually lose their edge. 

Unfortunately, that’s happening right here in Texas. 

Over the last two budget cycles, Texas collected more than $50 billion in budget surpluses. That should have been a once-in-a-generation opportunity to permanently reduce the tax burden. 

School district maintenance and operations (M&O) property taxes — the largest share of most Texans’ property tax bills — could have been dramatically reduced and locked in. 

Instead, the state increased its budget by 42% in state funds over two budget cycles, double population growth plus inflation.

Taxpayers were overcharged. The government grew. Relief fell short.

That is not conservative governance. It is a failure of priorities.

So what should Republican primary voters ask before choosing candidates for the Legislature, courts and statewide offices? 
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Not who sounds toughest. Not who promises another carve-out. But who actually believes the government has grown too large — and knows how to shrink it.

Here are five questions GOP voters should demand clear answers to.

1. Do you believe the Texas government is too big — and what would you cut? 
Talking about “efficiency” is easy. Naming programs to cut is hard. Any serious candidate should be able to identify agencies, subsidies or mandates that have grown too fast and should be reduced or eliminated. If the answer is “nothing,” that tells voters everything they need to know.

2. Why weren’t surpluses used to permanently lower school property taxes? 
With tens of billions in surplus revenue, Texas could have locked in far deeper reductions in school M&O property taxes. Voters should ask why that didn’t happen — and whether candidates support using future surpluses to permanently reduce taxes at the state and local levels rather than expand government.

3. Who decides — parents or politicians?
This may be the most important question of all.

Recent legislative actions — banning cell phones in schools, imposing age verification for social media (which has been blocked in the courts) and expanding state control over family decisions — send a clear signal: Lawmakers increasingly do not trust parents. Conservatives should be honest about that.

Strong institutions begin with strong families, not top-down mandates. When the state replaces parental judgment with political judgment, it weakens the very institutions it claims to protect. Republican voters should demand candidates who trust parents more than bureaucrats.

4. Do you support truly universal school choice — or government-selected winners and losers?
The school choice program passed last year was not universal. It only covers a limited number of families and only applies to certain schools. Real reform empowers every family, not just those approved by policymakers. Candidates should be forced to say plainly whether they support universal choice or managed choice.

5. How will you empower patients and prepare Texas for less federal money?
Healthcare spending keeps growing while access and outcomes disappoint. More government control has not fixed that problem. Texas needs a shift toward empowering patients — more patient choice, fewer mandates and stronger doctor-patient relationships.

Just as important, federal healthcare dollars are not guaranteed. Washington’s debt and deficits mean that states will likely face reduced federal support. Republican voters should ask candidates whether they are preparing Texas for that reality — or simply building a system that depends  money that may not be there tomorrow.

Texas remains strong because of its people, its culture and its institutions, not because of Austin’s budget growth. Stronger institutions come from less government, clearer accountability and trust in families, patients and communities.

After more than two decades of one-party control, Republican voters should demand more than slogans. They should demand answers.

And they should vote accordingly.