Mike Collier, a two time Democratic nominee for Texas lieutenant governor, is running once again for the position — but this time as an Independent.
The certified public accountant and auditor has run for Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s position twice, in 2018 and 2022.
Collier’s 2018 campaign got within 5 points of Patrick, largely due to the Beto O’Rourke effect. O’Rourke, former El Paso congressman, came within 2 points of defeating U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and boosted Democratic turnout to record levels.
However, in 2022, Collier lost to Patrick by a much wider margin at 10 percentage points.
Collier, who’s spent much of his career in Houston’s energy and renewables industry, told Dallas ABC affiliate WFAA that he made the switch from Democrat to Independent to opt out of today’s polarizing environment.
“The partisan warfare is just off the charts. It’s very natural for me as a CPA, as a businessman, to hold myself out as an Independent,” Collier said on the program Inside Texas Politics.
So far, Texas House Rep. Vicki Goodwin, D-Austin, is the only Democrat to enter the race for lieutenant governor.
“The Republicans wouldn’t help me when I wanted to run, and the Democrats would,” Collier added. “But I’m not a partisan person, and now I look at this and things have changed.”
Collier notes that, in the past, he has both voted as a Republican and run as a Democrat.
Nonetheless, Collier’s platform mostly sounds like that of a Democrat, including promises to support public education as his primary objective.
“Everything starts with our public schools,” Collier said in a statement. “But Dan Patrick is trying to dismantle them with vouchers and culture wars. I’m running to stop him and to fully fund our public schools, respect our teachers, and make sure every child in Texas has a chance to succeed.”
Part of Collier’s solution for funding public schools, he tells WFAA, is building more casino resorts throughout the state.
“We have to fund public education. Property taxes are too high. How do you solve that problem? Part of the solution, in my opinion, and I think Texans will vote for this, are casino resorts, and I put emphasis on resorts,” Collier explained in the WFAA interview. “What I don’t like is the idea of grimy casinos on the street corner taking advantage of people that your heart goes out to them.”
Perhaps positioning himself as a check on Governor Greg Abbott’s unpopular policies if elected to office, Collier also believes that vouchers should be put up for a vote to let Texans make the final call.
Collier said he also opposes a blanket ban on THC products, something Patrick championed to a cringe-worthy degree over the past legislative session, even going so far as to call THC merchants “terrorists.”
Collier, who’s never served in public office before, is attempting something that has never been achieved in Texas: winning a statewide race as an independent.
Despite this uphill battle, Collier says he remains undaunted, largely because he already has some campaign infrastructure and name recognition from running twice before.
Patrick is also polling poorly in Texas, potentially creating more opportunity than ever.
According to a recent survey by Cherry Communications cited by Collier, which polled 600 likely voters in September, Patrick has a 37% approval rating and a 52% disapproval rating. A separate poll by the Texas Politics Project shows Patrick with a 46% disapproval rating and a 29% approval rating among registered voters in October.
Collier will require 82,000 signatures to get on the 2026 midterm ballot as a third-party candidate. However, those who sign his petition will be ineligible to vote in either the republican or democratic primary.
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