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Incoming Texas attorney general and comptroller
Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa introduced key members to her transition team and said she is ready to get to work. It's a top-to-bottom political renovation project that also includes two key offices.
TEXAS - Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa introduced key members of her transition team Thursday and said she is ready to get to work.
It’s a top-to-bottom political renovation project that also includes two key offices. Those two offices being rebuilt deal with law enforcement and managing the state's bank account.
Gina Hinojosa transition
The backstory:
The incoming Attorney General, Nathan Johnson, spoke to FOX 4’s Steven Dial. Johnson said he is going to focus on things like consumer protection and public corruption.
"I don't know when the attorney General's office became a private law firm for a faction of a political party. But it isn't what it's supposed to be," said Johnson.
Comptroller-elect Sarah Eckhardt told FOX 7 she is bringing back key staff members, fired by incumbent Don Huffiness. Once in office, she will focus on auditing no-bid contracts and tax breaks.
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PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Texas Democrats look forward to 2027
The democrats' blue wave almost swept entirely through the Texas Capitol. But, it became clear Republicans will remain the majority in the state Senate, despite the loss by incumbent Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
"We are exempting more in sales taxes than we're actually collecting. And I think that we need to do that analysis showing what the legislative intent was for those exemptions and whether that legislative intent is still being served," said Eckhardt.
In the Battleground Texas show, Charles Blain with Urban Reform discussed the Johnson/Eckhardt pledge to keep politics out of their agencies. Blain is not sure how realistic it is for Johnson to keep his promise.
"That office is just too political in nature. I mean it gives it such a great opportunity to go after the federal government. It gives such a great opportunity to target cities that they dislike or disagree with politically. And so I don't see Nathan Johnson staying away from targeting the Trump White House for the next two years while he can build a name for himself by suing them. So I definitely think we're going to see some of that," said Blain.
Dig deeper:
The transition process from Team Red to Team Blue may end up being smooth, but a 2027 political battleground is already shaping up.
It looks like the state school board also flipped with a slim 8-7 Democratic majority. Hinojosa will get to appoint a new school board chair and has already promised to fire the head of TEA on day one. But her appointments will have to be approved by the state senate, which is still controlled by republicans. The GOP pushback has already started.
What's next:
A request for outgoing Governor Abbott to call a Special Session was made, but getting a change to stick is the question. The original idea was filed, nearly three years ago, by republican Brian Harrison as HB 911.
The legislation was in response to the emergency orders issued by Governor Abbott during the pandemic. The bill failed to get out of committee. Passing a quick statutory reboot would only require a simple majority vote in the House. But a permanent constitutional change needs a two-thirds vote, which democrats can block with a quorum break.
So, moving forward with the Special Session request is possible, but also sounds more like a "I told you so," from Harrison.
The Source: Information from incoming AG Nathan Johnson, Comptroller-elect Sarah Eckhardt, Charles Blain with Urban Reform, Battleground Texas show and reporting by FOX 7 Austin's Rudy Koski