Incumbent Sarah Davis has shown growth, independence in serving House District 134.
The voters in state House District 134 — a swing district that covers all or parts of River Oaks, Bellaire and Meyerland and includes the Texas Medical Center — face a tough choice in the Nov. 3 election.
Five-term Republican incumbent Rep. Sarah Davis and Democratic challenger Ann Johnson are both well-qualified, skilled communicators whose many talents would serve them well in the Legislature.
We recommend Davis, 44, based on her experience, growth in office and independence.
A rare Texas Republican who supports abortion rights, she has moved from the tea party positions of her first 2010 victory to embrace the Affordable Care Act provisions of Medicaid expansion and coverage of pre-existing conditions as well as bucking her party on other issues.
Johnson, a 46-year-old former humantrafficking prosecutor in the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, has accused Davis of shifting her stands out of political self-interest. But Davis has taken risks that do not seem politically expedient, including pushing for more clarity and transparency on allegations of conflicts of interest against fellow Republican Rep. Jim Murphy.
Gov. Greg Abbott, Texas’ top elected Republican, spent more than $223,000 in a failed effort to knock her off in the 2018 GOP primary. He endorsed her this year after she failed to draw a primary opponent. Through it all, Davis has worked her way into key leadership roles, including chairing a panel that helps craft the state’s health care budget.
Davis told the editorial board that she will use her seniority and influence to push for Medicaid expansion next year.
“I know that is a partisan issue for some,” she said. “But I’m hoping we can move past that. We have to do something to reduce our uninsured population, for those people and for the state’s budget.”
Johnson has stressed her policy differences with Davis on immigration and gun control, where the incumbent is more in line with the GOP. Johnson has criticized Davis’ vote to let school districts arm teachers and to require universities to permit guns in campus parking lots and her sponsorship of a “show me your papers” bill to allow local law enforcement officials to ask about immigration status.
Those are not measures supported by the editorial board.
Davis, however, has a record of serving constituents in her district and has shown independence in the Legislature that is in great need and short supply. She deserves another term.