Schofield in GOP primary for HD132
For lower property taxes and a business-friendly Texas.
Three sessions ago, Mike Schofield was named “freshman of the year” in the Texas House. Three years later, in 2018, he lost to a Democratic opponent by 113 votes. Schofield, who is our choice in the Republican primary for District 132, said he is ready to take back the seat for the GOP.
So far, he says he has knocked on 3,200 doors and found a receptive audience for his message of lowering property taxes and keeping Texas a business-friendly state.
“People can’t afford to live in their homes if the property taxes keep going up and up,” he told the Editorial Board. “We can’t continue to have property taxes be the bulwark of local government or you’re going to crush the American Dream for people in our district.”
Schofield speaks of maintaining “traditional Texas values” when it comes to attracting and generating employment, arguing that the state keeps taxes low, has a reasonable regulatory structure and has enacted lawsuit reform — all issues he championed in the Legislature and as an adviser to former Gov. Rick Perry.
Although District 132 represents most of Katy, the largest population lives in Cypress and unincorporated Harris County. While statewide concerns are important, Schofield said the makeup of his district means he has experience being the point person on issues such as flooding.
“It’s hard to go to your county commissioner because he has 1.2 million constituents,” he said. “Your state rep has 200,000, so you end up functioning a lot more like a local official.”
The other candidate in the race, small-business owner Angelica Garcia, has been endorsed by Gov. Greg Abbott. She is clearly smart, and we do not doubt she would be a quick study, but her inexperience and shaky command of the issues during our interview put her at a disadvantage.
Schofield has done the job and is ready to do it again.