DALLAS — Not long after the current commissioner of the Texas General Land Office announced he’d be running for attorney general, Sen. Dawn Buckingham said she’d be running to take over his job.
The Republican from Travis County is off to a strong start fundraising, with $2 million already in her campaign bank. She anticipates a $5 million race, so it will be expensive.
Buckingham said she spoke to the lawmakers who were rumored to be interested in the position before announcing, so she doesn’t think she’ll be running against any colleagues.
“As the first agency in the state of Texas, it is the tip of the spear, literally, to defend the land we walk on,” Sen. Buckingham said on Inside Texas Politics. “I think it’s an opportunity to walk the walk, you know, and not just talk the talk.”
Senator Buckingham will not have to give up her Senate seat while running for commissioner of the Texas General Land Office.
She became the first Republican from Travis County to be elected to the Texas Senate in 2016 and the first woman ever elected to represent Senate District 24.