Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
State Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., a Democrat from the Rio Grande Valley, endorsed Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick for reelection on Tuesday. Lucio called Patrick a “hero and legend.”
It is the latest endorsement in the race after Patrick’s Democratic opponent, Mike Collier, received the support of two Republicans, Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley and state Sen. Kel Seliger of Amarillo.
Like Whitley and Seliger, Lucio is retiring. He has also been close with Patrick for a long time, aligning on social issues like their opposition to abortion.
“Proud to endorse [Patrick], the best [lieutenant governor] I’ve ever served with,” tweeted Lucio, who first joined the Senate in 1991. He added that Patrick’s reelection was a “must for Texas.”
Whitley and Seliger backed Collier in recent days, citing their longtime problems with Patrick’s alleged hostility toward local government. Patrick’s campaign fired back by calling them “dinosaur[s].”
Lucio has long bucked his party on some issues, and his relationship with Patrick is part of that. When Lucio announced last year he would not seek reelection, Patrick lauded Lucio in a statement that said “he helped me become a better Senator and Lt. Governor, and a better person.”
The full program is now LIVE for the 2022 Texas Tribune Festival, happening Sept. 22-24 in Austin. Explore the schedule of 100+ mind-expanding conversations coming to TribFest, including the inside track on the 2022 elections and the 2023 legislative session, the state of public and higher ed at this stage in the pandemic, why Texas suburbs are booming, why broadband access matters, the legacy of slavery, what really happened in Uvalde and so much more. See the program.
