Democrat Andrew White of Houston is hoping like father, like son. White is running to unseat Governor Greg Abbott, who’s hoping to be reelected for a fourth term. White’s father, Mark, served as Governor between 1983-1987. This is the second time White has campaigned for the state’s highest office in eight years. He ran in 2018 but lost to Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez in the primary runoff. In an interview with CBS News Texas, White said, “I’m the same person I was in 2017, but back in 2017, the party was a little bit different. We were talking about identity politics, and I didn’t quite fit the mold. Now, I’m the same person today as I was back then, but I think the party is ready for me because Democrats want a candidate who can win in November, and I’m the right candidate for that.”
White calls himself an Independent Democrat as he takes on Abbott, who may have $100 million in his campaign account. “An independent Democrat is someone who will work with anybody to make progress on the important issues facing our state. So that means I’m willing to work with obviously, progressives and moderates from my own party, but also invite independents into the party, and work with reasonable Republicans on these complicated issues that are facing us today.. I’ve got 30 years as an entrepreneur. My skill set is to bring people together. I’m a team builder.”
His campaign comes as the state continues to add jobs and attract companies big and small to relocate to Texas. When asked why he believes Texans should fire the Governor during the November 2026 election White said, “Yeah, there’s a lot going on for Texas right now. Our land, our people, our food, for sure, but there’s so much more that we could be doing. So, our schools are in the bottom half. To attract the additional businesses and jobs that we want to attract, you have to have schools in the top 10 or at least in the top half. We’ve lost 20 hospitals in Texas. They’ve closed up, they’ve gone bankrupt directly because of the decisions that Greg Abbott made when he refused to expand Medicaid. Thousands of jobs were lost because of Greg Abbott’s decision, and he did that solely because it was called Obamacare. Only nine Governors made that decision. It’s a horrible decision. It cost lives and it cost jobs.”
White also criticized the Governor for not doing enough to plan for and prevent catastrophic flooding that hit Central Texas on July 4, killing at least 135 people. “We shouldn’t have to live in a world like that. Greg Abbott is really good at showing up after the tragedy happens, but not so good at preparing us before the tragedy happens. As Governor, that’s the approach I want to take, and frankly, that’s why I think we should fire Greg Abbott. It’s time for a new culture and a new way of doing things.”
Other Democrats reportedly considering running for Governor include former San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg, U.S. Representative Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, and State Representative Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin.
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