Texas House District 112, a Dallas County battleground stretching through Richardson, Garland, Sachse, Sunnyvale and Rowlett, has become one of North Texas's most closely watched legislative races this fall, with Republican incumbent Angie Chen Button and Democratic challenger Zach Herbert sparring over school vouchers, soaring insurance costs and the state's grip on local decision-making. Button, who has represented the district since 2009, is defending her seat against Herbert, a Marine Corps veteran and personal injury attorney making his first bid for the seat.
The two candidates appeared separately on NBC5's Lone Star Politics, according to The Dallas Morning News, laying out sharply different visions for the district. Button defended the state's private school voucher program, saying education savings accounts give some students needed options, while Herbert has made her support for the voucher system a central focus of his campaign, arguing public schools in the district face budget shortfalls. Critics of the voucher program say it diverts students and funding away from public schools, per the same report.
The funding fight is playing out against a backdrop of thin state budget increases. Under House Bill 2 from the 89th Legislative Session, Texas raised its basic per-student allotment from $6,160 to just $6,215 — a $55 bump that education advocacy groups say remains well below inflation-adjusted 2019 levels, according to the Texas Education Agency. Herbert has argued that public schools in the district face budget shortfalls.
Insurance Costs Become a Flashpoint
Button told Lone Star Politics she would work to lower automobile insurance rates, citing a 58% rise in premiums over the previous three years even as car accidents and related deaths declined over the same period, per her account relayed by the Dallas Morning News. Independent data from Insurify largely backs up the trend Button described, finding personal auto premiums in Texas jumped nearly 58% between December 2021 and December 2025, driven by repair inflation, traffic density and severe weather risk, according to Insurify.
Herbert rejected claims that trial lawyers and lawsuits are driving up rates, instead saying insurance companies are posting record profits while continuing to raise prices, the Dallas Morning News reported. The regulatory backdrop adds weight to that dispute: in September, the Texas Department of Insurance asked lawmakers to reform the state's file-and-use system, which currently lets carriers implement rate hikes immediately, before regulators finish reviewing them, according to Community Impact.
Taxes, Property Levies and State Control
On taxes, Button has proposed eliminating business inventory taxes on groceries and medicine, and said that when voters send her to Austin she works to cut taxes and reduce everyday living costs. Herbert, meanwhile, opposed proposals backed by Governor Greg Abbott and the Republican-led Legislature, questioning Abbott's plan to eliminate the property taxes that fund public schools without, in Herbert's view, a clear replacement funding source. He also pushed back on legislative efforts to limit local jurisdictions' ability to set their own tax policies, the paper reported.
Button and Herbert found rare agreement on one issue: both said cities should have a role in decisions about data centers. Button said cities should decide where the facilities are placed and that their operations should be monitored and audited as conditions and technology change, while Herbert said data center owners should pay for the infrastructure, electricity and water they use. That local push for oversight comes as Governor Abbott directed the Public Utility Commission of Texas and ERCOT to audit data centers advancing through ERCOT’s grid-interconnection process before projects move forward, according to the Office of the Texas Governor, with ERCOT reporting that data center requests account for roughly 90% of the 474 gigawatts in new grid interconnection applications statewide.
A District Republicans Have Long Held
District 112 has been held by Republicans for a long stretch, and Democrats are again trying to flip it this cycle. Button is one of just two Republicans representing Dallas County in the Texas House, alongside Rep. Morgan Meyer, as most Dallas County House seats have shifted to Democratic representation in recent cycles, according to the Texas Classroom Teachers Association. The district is a closely watched contest this cycle.
Herbert has criticized Button for not holding town hall meetings and said he could do a better job representing the district. That critique found a concrete local example this fall: the League of Women Voters of Richardson canceled its planned October 8 candidate forum for the race after Button declined to participate, leaving Herbert as the only candidate willing to take part — and league rules bar hosting a forum with just one candidate, according to the League of Women Voters of Richardson.
Button brings institutional advantages beyond incumbency. She chairs the Texas House Trade, Workforce & Economic Development Committee.
Button has said she wants to give back to the United States and her community through her service in Austin. Lone Star Politics, produced by NBC5 and the Dallas Morning News, airs at 8:30 a.m. Sundays, giving both candidates a recurring platform to press their case to District 112 voters ahead of the general election.
