Lieutenant Governor-elect Vikki Goodwin is assembling her transition team with an unusual twist for a Democrat heading into a Republican-controlled chamber: she's putting two former GOP state senators on it. Former Sens. Kel Seliger and Tommy Williams, both of whom served under outgoing Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, have joined the team as Goodwin prepares to take the gavel of the Texas Senate.
Goodwin, a four-term Texas House member from Austin, made the announcement during a news conference outside the Senate chamber on Tuesday, according to the Austin American-Statesman. The honorary co-chairs of her transition team also include former state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, Austin Mayor and former state Sen. Kirk Watson, Seliger and Williams, according to click2houston.com. Retired Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Tom Phillips, a lifelong Republican, is serving as an adviser to the team.
Rounding out the leadership structure, state Rep. Chris Turner will chair the transition team while Angela Hale will serve as its executive director, the outlet reports. Goodwin said the team would help her build a staff and prepare to take office, and that her door is open across the aisle. “My office was ready to work with all senators and focused on effective Senate operations,” she said, according to the same report.
Priorities Taking Shape, But No Firm Deadline
Goodwin identified public education, affordability and health care as her top priorities heading into the new term, per the station's account. She said she hopes to have a clearer sense of the team's legislative priorities and agenda by Jan. 1, though she cautioned she has not established a firm timeline for that work.
On policy specifics, Goodwin staked out a middle position on one of the more contentious issues likely to come before the Legislature. “I think that we need regulation around THC. I'm not interested in a full ban on THC,” she said, per the same account. She pointed to a mental health bill she passed with Republican state Sen. Bob Hall as evidence that she can find common ground across party lines.
A Chamber Still Controlled by the GOP
Goodwin's bipartisan outreach comes against a backdrop of Republican dominance in the Senate. Republicans hold 19 of the chamber's 31 seats, the Statesman reported, even as Democrats swept Patrick and Gov. Greg Abbott out of statewide office and won a majority in the Texas House in last week's election. Two Democratic senators are also expected to leave their seats to become attorney general and comptroller, with those seats remaining vacant pending the outcome of special elections, according to the paper.
Patrick, the Republican Goodwin defeated at the ballot box, has not gone quietly. He told a talk radio host on Monday that GOP senators should adopt rules giving themselves the strongest possible hand before Goodwin takes office, effectively urging Republicans to trim the new lieutenant governor's authority, the Statesman reported.
Seliger, who represented Amarillo in the Senate, built a reputation during his tenure as a Republican willing to buck his own party's leadership. He was described by Marfa Public Radio as someone who often butted heads with Patrick during his time in the chamber, a history that may explain why Goodwin saw him as a natural bridge-builder for her incoming administration.
