Hancock announced his candidacy the same day Hegar swore him in as chief clerk in the comptroller\u2019s office. He will become acting comptroller July 1 when Hegar, himself a former senator, leaves to become chancellor of Texas A&M University System<\/a>.<\/p>\n Hancock quickly secured Abbott\u2019s blessings<\/a> in the race when the governor issued an endorsement touting the former senator as the best qualified candidate whose skills will increase further during his time in the comptroller\u2019s office.<\/p>\n \u201cI like starting out with the governor\u2019s endorsement. I don\u2019t mind running as the incumbent,\u201d Hancock said. \u201cLet\u2019s see, the campaign\u2019s been going on less than 24 hours: Pretty good start.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n In endorsing Hancock, Abbott also took a dig at Huffines, a former state senator who lost his reelection bid to current Sen. Nathan Johnson, D-Dallas, and who challenged the governor for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI want a candidate who will actually win the election, not someone who has already lost an election to a Democrat,\u201d Abbott said.<\/p>\n In an interview with a Texas television station, Huffines criticized the process<\/a> to tap Hancock as comptroller.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a gross manipulation of the process by the establishment Republicans, the political elite, because they\u2019re scared of me, and they know that I\u2019m going to win,\u201d Huffines said.<\/p>\n Craddick welcomed competition in the race.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll put my record up against anybody else in Texas,\u201d she told El Paso-based KTSM News<\/a>.<\/p>\n Hancock offered insights into Abbott\u2019s decision-making process for filling the vacancy that was created when Texas A&M officials selected Hegar to replace Chancellor John Sharp, who is departing his post at the end of June after serving 10 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt evolved over a year ago when John Sharp announced he was going to step down,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The governor, he said, approached him and \u201ca lot of other people inside the Capitol, outside the Capitol\u201d in sizing up potential candidates to replace Hegar as the state\u2019s top fiscal officer.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMy guess was it was a pretty long list,\u201d Hancock said.<\/p>\n Abbott and Hancock have been friends as well as political allies, with the North Richland Hills senator always making a point to reach out to the governor\u2019s office whenever he came to Austin.<\/p>\n \u201cIt kind of started like that,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd then I think we have similar personalities and a lot in common.\u201d<\/p>\n Hancock said he didn\u2019t know who else was under consideration for the post, but ultimately \u201che approached me\u201d about succeeding Hegar.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, we\u2019re friends. We work well together and (Abbott) asked me if I was interested. And that\u2019s kind of where it started.\u201d<\/p>\n Hancock was in the House from 2007 to 2013 and entered the Senate in 2013, representing Senate District 9, which is fully enclosed within Tarrant County.\u00a0<\/p>\n In his resignation letter to Abbott, which became effective at midnight June 18, Hancock thanked his District 9 constituents \u201cfor placing their trust in me\u201d and said his appointment to the comptroller\u2019s office \u201cwill allow me to continue working on behalf of the people of Texas, ensuring sound fiscal stewardship and transparency in our state\u2019s finances.<\/p>\n Hancock said he\u2019s effectively been preparing for the comptroller\u2019s job for decades, from the time he was a former school board member signing off on school budgets through his days on the Senate Finance Committee and Legislative Budget Board.<\/p>\n He said he also \u201cbegan having conversations\u201d with members of the comptroller\u2019s staff in advance of his official appointment.<\/p>\n His occupation as a businessman has also helped prepare him for the job, he said. Hancock is the sole owner of Advanced Chemical Logistics, a whole distribution business in Richland Hills.\u00a0<\/p>\n After his swearing in by Hegar, Hancock spent part of his day on the job by hosting a working fajita lunch with about 30 members of the comptroller\u2019s leadership team. By his description, he plans a relatively restrained transition into the top job instead of a wholesale shakeup.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to settle in a little bit,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I was younger and in management I was more of a hand grenade guy. You know, come in and blow \u2019em up. But, as I\u2019ve matured, I\u2019ve settled down. If you\u2019re in leadership and you\u2019re moving so fast nobody\u2019s behind you, then you\u2019re not a very good leader.\u201d<\/p>\n Hancock has repeatedly underscored the importance of family in his life. He and his wife, Robin, who stood at Hancock\u2019s side during his swearing in, have been married for 37 years and first met in kindergarten.\u00a0<\/p>\n During the interview, Hancock proudly showed a photo of four of his six grandchildren.<\/p>\n Hancock was at the center of news stories about his health earlier this decade after he was forced to receive a kidney transplant<\/a> from his son-in-law to cure a life-threatening kidney disease, but he said health is no longer an issue. He said he ran 3 miles on Friday morning before getting ready to go to the office for a series of interviews.<\/p>\n Despite reports of occasional friction between him and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Hancock said he and the Senate\u2019s presiding officer were on the phone for more than 30 minutes days earlier in an amicable conversation about Hancock\u2019s plans. He said Patrick brought up the fact that he never had to ask for Hancock\u2019s vote on a particular issue.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cPolicy wise, we agree 99% of the time and he knows that,\u201d Hancock said.<\/p>\n The now former senator acknowledges that he\u2019s been so busy preparing for the new role that he hasn\u2019t fully dealt with the emotional impact of leaving the Senate, the Legislature\u2019s upper chamber where he spent more than a dozen years.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI recognize I haven\u2019t really spent any time reflecting back,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019ll hit me at some point.\u201d<\/p>\n Dave Montgomery is an Austin-based freelance reporter for the Fort Worth Report.<\/p>\n The Fort Worth Report\u2019s Texas legislative coverage is supported by Kelly Hart<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n Republish This Story<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_1895.jpg\")
Kelly Hancock, a former state senator from North Richland Hills, shows off a photo of his family on his iPhone in his campaign office June 20, 2025, in downtown Austin. (Dave Montgomery | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n
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