WACO, Texas — Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor Mike Collier hopes his second bid for the state’s second-highest office proves a winner.
Collier, a one-time Republican and oil and gas expert, sat down with 25 News anchor Todd Unger earlier this month to talk about school safety, abortion, the power grid and much more.
“If a woman has to carry a rapist’s baby or is the victim of incest […] the vast majority of Texans realize we’ve made a terrible mistake and that has to be corrected,” Collier said.
If elected, Collier says getting legislation introduced in Austin this January to try and change the state’s “heartbeat” bill would be a top priority.
With the overturn of Roe v. Wade, Texas has enacted one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country which outlaws the procedure except in rare cases where an expecting mother’s life may be in danger.
Collier trails incumbent Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick by some seven points, according to a recent UT Austin poll.
Despite that, Collier has picked up some surprising crossover endorsements from prominent Republicans this month. Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley and state Sen. Kel Seliger of Amarillo say they’ll support him.
On Thursday, former lieutenant governor Bitt Ratliff, a longtime Republican, also endorsed Collier in a surprise move.
“The fact that they came out publicly surprised me, but it was a very pleasant surprise. It’s a testament to how the state is changing and how important it is that we have the right leaders,” Collier told 25 News.
Another big source of concern is the power grid’s reliability, something he thinks the legislature needs to take a serious look at again after this summer’s near miss.
In the wake of Uvalde, school and gun safety is another topic he wants to see addressed next session.
“Parents are very, very concerned and teachers are frightened,” said Collier.
25 News reached out to Patrick’s office and campaign repeatedly over the past week for an interview. So far, there’s been no reply.
