BELL COUNTY, Texas — In one of the most surprising races in Central Texas on Super Tuesday, challenger Hillary Hickland defeated longtime incumbent State Representative Hugh Shine. Hickland is now the Republican nominee for State House District 55 for the upcoming election.
Hickland received more than 50% of the vote and told 6 News she is extremely excited to represent communities in Bell County.
Hickland will run against Democratic candidate Jennifer Alicia Lee for the House District 55 seat in November.
Wife, mother and member of the community is what Hickland considers herself, not a politician. She hopes her journey to this point in her political career will inspire more people to be the change they want to see.
"At some point, we have to recognize that when we see a problem, it's likely an invitation to be part of the solution," Hickland explained.
Hickland's political journey began in 2022 as a concerned parent who advocated for kids not to be exposed to what she considered inappropriate books at school.
"There were things happening in the school that my husband and I were not ok with," Hickland said. "I started gathering with other concerned parents of public school students and within a group we realized, we became aware of a book display that was celebrating Banned Books Week."
This sparked Hickland to take this issue to a legislative level.
"I started going to Austin every week and I served on the subcommittee for the Republican Party of Texas to stop sexualizing Texas kids," Hickland explained. "Through that, we were consulted on legislation, testified for legislation and we were really effective."
Fast forward nearly two years, and Hickland decided to run for State House District 55.
Per Hickland's website, here is a list of her platform points:
- Secure the border and stop the flow of fentanyl into our schools and community.
- Ban taxpayer-funded lobbying.
- Support parents’ God-given right to choose the best education for their child.
- Lower property taxes so working families aren’t taxed out of their homes.
- Protect the unborn.
- Limit what children can access on social media, protecting them from sexual predators and big tech.
- Prevent cities from defunding police so we can keep families safe.
Hickland's top priority is to push for school choice in Texas.
Not every school district under the District 55 umbrella agrees with school choice. Temple Independent School District (TISD) Superintendent Dr. Bobby Ott hopes a clear plan is made no matter who earns the District 55 seat.
"When it comes to vouchers specifically, I have yet to see a detailed plan on financial transparency, on financial accountability or even academic excellence," Ott explained. "Those three things have to be included. If they're not included, then I'm not so sure I can get on board with anything."
Hickland says she is excited to represent District 55 Republicans on the November ballot and wants the community to continue making their voices heard in every election.
"We're trusting the people in elected positions are there for the right reasons and they're doing the right thing," Hickland said. "But it really requires engagement to hold those elected officials accountable to make sure that they really are doing what we elected them to do."
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