Texas Tribune editor says Texas issues are playing out on a national stage

Ross Ramsey of the Texas Tribune told his audience at Cornerstone League’s IMPACT 2022: Annual Meeting and Council Forum to expect more of the same in Texas politics this year. And, he said, that’s true of politics at the national level too.

Ramsey, the long-time executive editor of the Texas Tribune, who is retiring in May, noted that Texas governor Greg Abbott has made no secret of his national aspirations.

“Abbott is the most prolific fundraiser in the history of Texas politics,” Ramsey said. “He has $65 million in the bank. In Texas, the regular burn rate for a candidate running wall-to-wall advertising is about $2 million or $3 million per week. For most candidates, that’s about five weeks of money. Greg Abbott has about 25 years of money.”

He noted that the speculation in Austin is “They would like Abbott to become the third Texas governor to run for U.S. president.”

Ramsey said he also is watching Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick rise as a national candidate. “He is very close to Donald Trump. He’s the 300-lb. gorilla here. Trump is estranged from his former VP. Mike Pence is probably going to run for president. Trump probably will run for president. If you watch Patrick, it looks like he’s auditioning to be Trump’s VP.”

If both Abbott and Patrick decide to run, they can cite the current fiscal strength of Texas among their qualifications, Ramsey said. “There’s still a bunch of federal money floating around. The American Rescue Plan Act really boosted the Texas economy. That money showed up when people thought the economy was going to tank.”

In fact, Ramsey said Texas state coffers are flush with cash, always a good sign for incumbents seeking reelection. He said State Comptroller Glenn Hegar is telling legislators that they’ve got $13 billion in the savings account.

But even though Abbott has a considerable war chest at the state level, the expense of a run for the presidency is daunting. “He probably won’t be able to raise enough funds,” Ramsey said. “If Trump runs, he will win. I am a small part of the press corps who thinks that Trump won’t run. I was wrong about Trump last time and look what happened.”

He said the presidential race will soon shift into gear. “They’re already out talking to donors. I think we’ll know as we get about halfway into the next legislative session whether Abbott will run or not.”

As for statewide elections, Ramsey predicts another Republican landslide. “Texas is going to get another Republican sweep that we’ve been getting since 1996. The Congressional delegation is going to have two more Republicans in the House, largely because Texas is growing so quickly.”

He said inflation is going to be a hot issue at both the state and national level. “My hair was dark and thick the last time we had inflation. In a period when 2–3% inflation is shocking to people, this will be a good opportunity to re-educate them. I’m not sure what the legislature is going to do about it.”

He said the Texas gubernatorial election will be replete with issues. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke is campaigning hard on social issues, like Critical Race Theory, gender reassignment surgeries, and books in libraries. “These are sparkly issues for voters. There are a lot of big issues—the question that was raised in February 2021 about whether the Texas electric grid is sufficient to maintain the state. And are Texas schools as good as they used to be, or as they should be?”

Still, Ramsey said the top issue for Texas voters is a combination of immigration and border security. “You can compound that with the things that are going on at the border right now. There’s a crush of people there, and we don’t have the capacity for this. It has turned into a political battle.”

He also said property tax reform will remain one of the holy grails in Texas. Ramsey noted that state lawmakers are currently looking at ways to help school districts (which represent more than half of the property tax burden on Texas homeowners) lower taxes by using the surplus in state revenue and federal stimulus dollars. It remains to be seen what that solution might look like.