Collin County is traditionally a Republican stronghold — but it appears to have sent a Democrat back to the statehouse.
Texas House District 70 incumbent Mihaela Plesa got more than 52% of the vote, according to Texas Secretary of State data, and her opponent, Republican Steve Kinard, got almost 48% of the vote.
The other Collin County statehouse incumbents are both Republicans, and they too appear to be headed back to Austin. Rep. Jeff Leach and Rep. Matt Shaheen both pulled far ahead of their Democratic opponents, as did Republican state Sen. Angela Paxton, the wife of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Democrats apparently failed to pick up any other statehouse seats in Collin County. Republican Keresa Richardson, who defeated incumbent Rep. Frederick Frazier during the GOP primary, apparently outdistanced Democrat Tony Adams. Katrina Pierson, who defeated Rep. Justin Holland during the Republican primary runoff, didn’t have a Democratic opponent.
Plesa told KERA before the election that her name recognition and bipartisan record would make a difference.
“People know who I am,” Plesa said. “They know that I’m a fighter. They know that I’m really for my community.”
Collin County is known for being the home base of conservative Attorney General Ken Paxton. But the county is experiencing rapid population growth, which brings an increase in diversity. Democrats in the region argue that growth has given them a foothold in the region.
The Collin County Democrats have seen some success with Plesa — she was the first Democrat elected to the statehouse in decades from the region — and in local races, including the Plano ISD school board.
Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University, said the demographics in Texas are changing as the population grows. Jillson said the diversity could benefit Democrats in previously red districts. But it will be a while before that leads to success at a higher level.
“That happens to a few seats in each election cycle, so it takes a while for those to accumulate into a Democratic threat to the majority in the Texas legislature,” he said.
Gov. Greg Abbott endorsed Kinard, who supported Abbott’s education plan that failed to pass last session — what Abbott and his supporters refer to as school choice, and opponents call school vouchers. The plan would’ve allowed parents to use state funds for private school tuition through education savings accounts.
A group of Texas House Democrats and rural Republicans blocked that bill from passing, including Plesa, who said school vouchers are harmful to public schools. She told supporters at a Democratic campaign event before the election that Abbott’s endorsement of her opponent didn’t intimidate her.
“I said bring it, Greg Abbott, because we are not scared of you,” Plesa said. “We already told you five times. We are going to stand together as a bipartisan coalition of Republicans and Democrats, and we are going to beat back those vouchers.”
Plesa has said she’ll prioritize funding for public education and reforming the state’s school finance system this upcoming legislative session. A House bill introduced during the last legislative session would’ve raised the basic allotment, the amount each district is given based on enrollment. But the bill died after lawmakers removed money to fund school vouchers.
The basic allotment has remained $6,160 per student since 2019. The lack of increased funding is a challenge, even for wealthier districts. In Plesa’s district, which includes a portion of Plano ISD, the school district has had a budget deficit for several years despite its property wealth. School board trustees recently voted to close four campuses next school year because of budget concerns.
While local property taxes in Plano create a lot of revenue, the school district doesn’t get to keep all that money. Any extra property tax dollars Plano ISD collects get sent to the state, which redistributes the money to districts without as much property wealth through a process called recapture. Plesa filed legislation last session attempting to reform the school finance system.
“We need to make sure that any bill next session, if it does have [education savings accounts], we’re reducing recapture,” she said.
Plesa said her other legislative priorities include helping more Texans get healthcare coverage and public safety.
Got a tip? Email Caroline Love at clove@kera.org.
Caroline Love is a Report For America corps member for KERA News.
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