Texas Republicans could remove the wide powers of Lieutenant Governor’s office before a far-left Democrat is sworn in to the position — and the outgoing officeholder, Dan Patrick, is on board with the move.
Democrats won every statewide office on the ballot in 2026 in Texas, highlighted by the defeats of Ken Paxton by James Talarico in the U.S. Senate race and by Gina Hinojosa’s defeat of three-term Gov. Greg Abbott. Democrats also flipped the Texas House of Representatives, gaining at least 19 seats with five others still uncalled. Yet in the Texas Senate the GOP maintained a 19-12 advantage.
