DALLAS — Even though she’s represented the Texas Democratic Party as its Vice-Chair over the last several years, if elected Lieutenant Governor, Dr. Carla Brailey says she would be a voice for everyone.
“I actually believe that whatever we do as public servants, we represent all Texans at all times,” Dr. Brailey said on Inside Texas Politics.
Though she’s been a party leader and once ran for City Council in Houston, Dr. Brailey has never held elected office. But she says she decided to run for the number two position in the state after traveling all over Texas the past 3.5 years in her role as Vice-Chair. She says the voices she heard during those trips helped push her into the race.
“The relationships that I have acquired through listening and working with several constituencies on the ground through grassroots leaders, this is the right time and needs the right leadership to run and so, I’m running for Lieutenant Governor today,” she said.
When asked about her top priorities, the Democrat pointed to the power grid, affordable healthcare, heartbeat bill, employment and COVID’s impact on the state, but didn’t go into detail. Education, though, is her passion. Dr. Brailey is a lifelong educator and says that area would be a primary focus of hers.
“The great, late Barbara Jordan once said education is the key to economic and political empowerment,” said Dr. Brailey.
And she has her work cut out for her. She’s running against state Representative Michelle Beckley, who already flipped a state House district back in 2018 and has experience working in Austin. Their other opponent is Mike Collier, who ran for Lieutenant Governor in 2018 and came within 5 percentage points of beating incumbent Dan Patrick.
Dr. Brailey, though, remains confident.
“It’s about the election. But it’s really about building a movement across this state. Listening to all Texans. And that’s what I’ve been doing already for the past 3.5 years,” she said. “I’m not new to Texas and Texas is not new to me.”
The Texas Primary is currently scheduled for March 1, 2022.
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