In the Texas House 89th District in Collin County, we recommend Republican Candy Noble for reelection. Although we do not agree with some of her positions, we recognize she represents the values of her constituents as a strong conservative who stands for what she believes in.
Noble, 62, was one of five Collin County Republicans who voted to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton, showing that her values are not negotiable, even if that meant facing a pro-Paxton candidate in the primary.
Noble was unavailable for our in-person interview but we did reach her by phone. She also provided detailed answers in our Voter Guide.
Noble supports strict abortion restrictions and is against gun control, two issues we would like to see more flexibility in GOP lawmakers, but there are other areas where she is open to compromise like the economy, transportation, water and energy. In the last legislative session, she sponsored a bipartisan bill requiring the state’s child welfare agency and its contractors to conduct more comprehensive background checks while hiring employees.
Although she left blank a question in the Voter Guide asking if members of the minority party should be appointed as committee chairs, in February she voiced support for having moderate Democrats involved in the lawmaking process.
In the past, she has billed herself as a “free-market girl.” We would like to see more of that in the coming Legislature as housing affordability for Texas is at the forefront and Gov. Greg Abbott has called on legislative solutions to rein in institutional homebuyers as one possible avenue.
Noble, who has a degree in education, supports implementing a voucher program in the next legislative session, arguing that this should be an option for low-income families who can’t afford private education and are stuck in underachieving schools. Her input in the next session for one of Abbott’s top priorities should be important, but we would like to see a proposal that does not erode public funding in schools.
Noble also wants to eliminate the STAAR test and replace it with individual progress and achievement testing three times a year and an end-of-course test. Noble told us kids are stressing too much for a single test, and her proposal should not affect student progress metrics.
Immigration has been a top concern for Noble, and we expect she will continue to shape the debate on Texas border policy. In the last legislative session, Noble sponsored two immigration bills providing infrastructure for Operation Lone Star and increasing penalties for human smugglers.
Running against Noble is Democrat Darrel Evans, who works in digital advertising. Evans lacks political experience and failed to make a strong case on why he should replace the incumbent in this conservative district encompassing parts of Allen, Fairview and other cities.
Evans, 40, is passionate about education, an area he provided detailed answers on. We think that he should consider running as a school board trustee where he can apply his knowledge.
But for the Texas House’s 89th District, voters should choose Noble.
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