Ex-Dem Governor's Son Returns to Ring
and Claims Kirk Suspect Had Trans Roomie
Capitol Inside
September 16, 2025
Andrew White - a Houston Democrat whose father led the state in the 1980s - revealed on Tuesday that he plans to take another shot at the state's highest office in 2026 with a campaign for the job that Republican Governor Greg Abbott is seeking again.
The son of former Governor Mark White told the Houston Chronicle that he expects to file for Abbott's post this fall as a candidate in the Democratic primary election in March. White's first and only foray into the electoral arena came seven years ago when he lost to Lupe Valdez in the primary election in the gubernatorial competition in a field of nine contenders in 2018.
Valdez, the Dallas County sheriff at the time, defeated White in the primary runoff election by 16 points with 43 percent of the vote that year. Abbott eliminated Valdez from the contest in the general election that he won as the incumbent with 56 percent of the vote compared to 43 percent for the veteran law enforcement official who'd been the nominee for the Democrats.
But White said he's returning to the ring in a bid to prevent Abbott from claiming a fourth four-year term that would make him the longest-serving Texas governor in history if he completed it. Republican Rick Perry holds that distinction after 14 years in the governor's office.
"It's time for a change," White said in a post on X today. "Gov. Abbott's culture war is failing our schools, hospitals and infrastructure."
White is the first Democrat with experience in campaign politics to enter the fight for a position that Abbott won initially in 2014 and has successfully defended in 2018 and 2022. Abbott has attracted no significant opposition from within the GOP up to now after being forced to stave off two fairly well-known challengers in his last campaign three years ago.
Abbott beat
Democrat Beto O'Rourke in the 2022 general election by 11 points with 55 percent of the vote - one point below his total four years earlier in the fight with Valdez. O'Rourke faced only token opposition in the primary that year while Abbott had to deal with a pair of Republicans who were running hard to his right in former Texas Senate member Don Huffines and Allan West, the current Dallas County GOP chair who led the state party in 2020.
Abbott advanced to the general election in 2022 without a runoff after receiving more than 66 percent of the primary vote. West finished second with 12.3 percent of the first-round vote while Huffines was close behind in third with 12 percent.
White probably can expect competition from the left as a business executive who appeared relatively moderate by today's standards based on his positions in his first race for governor. Democratic State Rep. Gina Hinojosa of Austin has been eyeing a potential bid for governor next year.
Hinojosa's father is a former Texas Democratic Party chairman.
O'Rourke has been mentioned as a potential gubernatorial contender again in 2026. O'Rourke has led every recent poll for hypothetical races for governor or U.S. Senate. O'Rourke lost to U.S. Senator Ted Cruz by less than 3 percentage points in 2018 when Abbott recorded a double-digit margin of victory over Valdez.
But O'Rourke has appeared to be focussed on helping Democratic State Rep. James Talarico of Austin in a campaign for the federal post that U.S. Senator John Cornyn is fighting to keep in a brutal primary showdown with Attorney General Ken Paxton.
U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro's name has been floated as potential entrant in the governor's race or Senate battle. Former congressional member Colin Allred is running for the U.S. Senate again in 2026 after losing to Cruz last year.
Mark White served as secretary of state under then-Governor Dolph Briscoe in the 1970s before a winning campaign for Texas attorney general in 1978. White ousted Republican Bill Clements from the governor's office in 1982. But Clements reclaimed the position in a rematch with White in 1986. Ann Richards was elected governor in 1990 as the last Democrat to hold the job here.
The younger White said he won't make an official decision until next week.
"Our leaders’ incompetence led to my son almost dying in the 4th of July flood," White said. "This is personal for me, like it is for so many other Texans.
"We need leaders who work to prevent tragedies, not just show up after,' White added. "That’s the governor I’ll be."
more to come ...
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