{"id":1024044,"date":"2026-08-25T22:57:21","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T22:57:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1024044\/"},"modified":"2026-08-25T22:57:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T22:57:21","slug":"democrat-running-against-lt-gov-dan-patrick-accuses-him-gov-abbott-of-fiscal-mismanagement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1024044\/","title":{"rendered":"Democrat running against Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick accuses him, Gov. Abbott of fiscal mismanagement"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"State Rep. Vikki Goodwin said Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick hasn\u2019t responded to her requests to debate. Credit: Michael Karlis<\/p>\n

During a Tuesday visit to San Antonio, Texas Rep. Vikki Goodwin, D-Austin, fired back at Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, her Republican general election opponent, accusing him of fabricating a claim that she wants a state income tax.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want an income tax,\u201d Goodwin told the Current during an interview. \u201cWe already have enough revenue. Texas is the eighth-largest economy in the world. We have the funds if we spend them in the right way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Goodwin\u2019s rebuke comes days after Patrick, in a rare move for the three-term Republican, released an attack ad alleging she had prioritized forcing the state to adopt an income tax. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a place where you can still dream the American dream, the Texas dream,\u201d Patrick said in the TV spot. \u201cBut Vikki Goodwin, she wants to go in a different, less-prosperous direction. She wants a state income tax, number one, first and foremost.\u201d<\/p>\n

Goodwin, who\u2019s served in the House since 2019, said Patrick\u2019s accusation shows he\u2019s scared.<\/p>\n

Texas has produced a budget surplus for most of the past decade, with the last surplus ahead of the 2025 legislative session coming in just shy of $24 billion.<\/p>\n

Instead of spending that money on health care, Patrick and Gov. Greg Abbott, his key GOP ally, have spent billions on items including razor-wire border buoys <\/a>in the Rio Grande River, tax incentives for data centers<\/a> and private school subsidies<\/a>, Goodwin said.<\/p>\n

Further, she blamed Texas Republican leaders\u2019 fiscal mismanagement for rising property tax rates. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe reason property taxes keep going up is that the state continues to shrink its share of public school funding,\u201d Goodwin said. \u201cIf it were an equal partner with our local school districts, we wouldn\u2019t see our property taxes going up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Goodwin\u2019s remarks come as major Texas cities including San Antonio<\/a> face multimillion-dollar budget deficits this fiscal cycle.<\/p>\n

At the same time, Abbott is proposing a tax plan<\/a> that would make it harder for municipal governments to raise property taxes without approval from an overwhelming majority of voters, something experts have said would make it impossible for local governments to raise funds and balance their budgets.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt goes back to the state not being an equal partner,\u201d Goodwin said. \u201cThe state underspent its budget last year, and oftentimes the state creates these funds, like the flood infrastructure fund. But then it makes it really hard for our cities and counties to access that money. So, we see a lot of the costs for building roads and infrastructure falling on cities and counties.\u201d<\/p>\n

Goodwin told the Current she\u2019s more than willing to debate the issue in a public forum. Although networks have offered to host a debate between Goodwin and Patrick, she said she hasn\u2019t heard back from the lieutenant governor\u2019s camp.<\/p>\n

A poll released last month by Texas A&M University\u2019s Bush School and ReconMR showed Goodwin with a two-point lead over Patrick.<\/p>\n

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