MIDLAND, Texas — There are two big state elections that will have an impact on west Texas, the race for state representative in district 81 and state Senate in district 31.
State Rep. Brooks Landgraf is running for a fifth term this election cycle. His opponent, Casey Gray, believes that change is necessary.
Gray believes that there isn't enough being done at the state Capitol to positively impact west Texans. He said that he plans to change that.
"So, the first thing I’m going to do is work with Representative Tom Craddick on the Grow Texas Fund," Gray said. "We’re gonna get that reinstated and passed through the house. We’re going to focus on making voter fraud a felony again. We’re going to secure the border. Election integrity will be a huge one, which we need to do."
Landgraf said that he has unfinished business, which is one reason why he's seeking reelection. He said that he wants to complete work on the power grid, secure the border and scrap the STAAR Test.
"We have made major headway in the last year in getting our grid fixed," Landgraf said. "I think we’re very close, but we’re not quite there, and that’s something that I want to see through to its completion. The people of Texas deserve better than what they got in February 2021, and I think we have the capability of making our grid secure."
On the state Senate side of things, Kevin Sparks, a Midland oil and gas businessman is looking to replace Kel Seliger.
However, he's not the only candidate running. Sparks is running against Stormy Bradley, a Coahoma resident, as well as Tim Reid and Jesse Quackenbush, two Amarillo residents.
Sparks believes that his experience as a businessman will greatly benefit the Senate.
"I want to take good practical business sense to Austin," Sparks said. "I think we saw how much of a difference that can make with our last president, President Trump, having good business skills in the White House and how, economically, it made such a difference to our economy."
Similar to Landgraf and Gray, Sparks sees a need to address the issues at the border. He's also focused on the issues that have come about because of increased property taxes.
"The fact remains, we got to do everything we can to shut down illegal crossings there at the border," Sparks said. "Other things that I really believe need to be addressed are property taxes. They’ve continued to increase for more than 20 years, and we’re outpacing our taxpayers' ability to keep up."
Bradley believes that there aren't enough people in Austin with enough backbone to represent the rural communities in Texas. With a diverse background, Bradley believes she'll be able to represent everyone in District 31.
"I bootstrapped my way to owning two successful businesses in the construction space," Bradley said. "I've been a nurse for 11 years, my husband worked in the oil field before we started doing our business full time. We both have our aviation pilot's license, so I can represent the district and the various needs it has well."