(The Center Square) – Lt. Gov.-elect Vikki Goodwin named a bipartisan transition team to lead the Texas Senate, including a former Republican Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court.
Goodwin is the first woman elected to the position in Texas history. She is among four Democratic women who will be leading Texas government in January for the first time in state history, The Center Square reported.
Goodwin emphasized bipartisanship when she announced her transition team at a press conference in Austin on Tuesday.
“I understand the immense responsibility of this position, and I am ready to take it on,” she said. “The voters sent a message on Tuesday evening: Texans want change and they want their elected leaders to be effective. They want us working together, setting aside partisanship and moving the state and country forward.”
Goodwin defeated incumbent Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who ran for his fourth term and had been in office for 12 years.
She will be leading a Republican majority in the Texas Senate. She said she was meeting with all the senators to identify their legislative priorities to help residents in their districts.
Members of her transition team include former elected officials: former Republican Supreme Court Chief Justice Tom Phillips, former Republican state Sens. Kel Seliger and Tommy Williams and retired Democrat state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte.
Outgoing Democrat state Rep. Chris Turner is chairing the transition team, working with Austin Mayor Kirk Watson. Among others on the team are former chiefs of staff of former Republican state Rep. Trent Ashby and Republican House Speaker Joe Straus.
Turner served with Goodwin for eight years in the Texas House and said she is “not daunted by a challenge and took on the hard fights.” He said next year, members of the legislature must work together “to find common ground. Texans expect and deserve nothing less.”
Turner, who describes himself as a contrarian, was among more than 50 House Democrats who absconded in the last legislative session, preventing legislative business for more than two weeks in protest of a redistricting bill that eventually passed.
Goodwin outlined her legislative priorities, including public school funding, expanding healthcare, regulating data centers and other affordability issues.
“What I heard from voters is they’re very concerned about affordability. Healthcare is one of those issues that is a cost driver, so healthcare is a top priority,” she said.
She also said she was in favor of regulating THC, not a full ban like one like Patrick proposed, which passed the legislature and was vetoed by Abbott.
She said she hopes to publish a list of her priorities by the first of the year.
Patrick told a local radio host that he supported incumbent state senators changing the Senate rules to restrict Goodwin’s power.
“The lieutenant governor derives her power from the Senate,” Patrick said. “Sixteen out of thirty-one senators, a simple majority, can change the rules.”
“Vikki Goodwin won, but she doesn’t have the majority of votes on the floor,” he said. “So, I believe and I support the Republicans standing up for their voters.”
The lieutenant governor makes committee assignments, directs legislative business and controls legislative priorities of the upper chamber. It is considered one of the most powerful positions in state government.
State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, who worked with Patrick for years, said Patrick came up with the idea on election night.
“Basically he had an idea that on election night that he wanted to talk to me about,” he told KXAN News. “He did want to look at long term of changing some of the rules for into the future. He called it a crazy idea because generally he didn’t think that a lieutenant governor with that power could give it up.
“He had an idea of modernizing the rules even before on Tuesday. But obviously, elections have consequences so he won’t be there to be able to implement them.”
When asked to respond to Patrick’s proposal, Goodwin told KSAT 12 News that is one reason why Patrick was voted out of office.
“That’s what voters said they didn’t want,” she said. “Voters don’t like the games. They just want us to get down to work and do things to improve their lives here in Texas. Affordability just came up all the time. How is stripping the powers of the lieutenant governor going to help us address affordability?”
She said she’s been speaking with all the senators “trying to build those relationships to make sure that we can be successful.”
