Overview
- Goodwin declared victory in the Nov. 3 election and Patrick conceded the race on Nov. 4, ending his three-term tenure as lieutenant governor.
- She is the first Democrat elected to the office since 1994 and the first woman voters have chosen for the post in Texas.
- The lieutenant governor presides over the Texas Senate and controls committee assignments and budget processes, giving the office outsized power over legislation.
- Republican senators will keep a Senate majority when the Legislature meets in January and have discussed changing chamber rules to strip or limit the incoming lieutenant governor’s practical powers.
- Goodwin ran on boosting school funding, expanding Medicaid access, repealing the state abortion ban and regulating hemp-derived THC products, and she won despite being heavily outspent and after filing a complaint that led to the removal of AI-generated campaign ads.