Don Huffines

Remaining active in politics, Huffines ran for Governor of Texas in the 2022 Republican primary, challenging incumbent Greg Abbott[3] after the COVID-19 pandemic and government lockdowns.

[13] During his time in office, Huffines authored many bills addressing Republican priorities[14] and consistently voted along his party line on conservative legislation.

A Rice University Baker Institute study by political science fellow Mark Jones named Huffines the fourth-most conservative member of the 2017 Texas Senate.

Huffines also served as a member of the Education, Business & Commerce, Intergovernmental Regulations, and Natural Resources & Economic Development committees.

The San Antonio Express-News claimed that were Huffines' bill to become law, it would make a successful bond election nearly impossible in Texas.

He was critical of Governor Greg Abbott's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically lockdowns,[31] and was the first former elected official to call for the reopening of the state.

[33] As a candidate, Huffines campaigned on shutting down the Texas Border, exposing voter fraud, eliminating property taxes, and ending abortion.

[35][36] In a widely circulated video on Twitter, Huffines accused Abbott of using tax dollars to "promote transgender sexual policies to Texas youth".

[37] Huffines criticized the Department of Family Protective Services (DFPS) website, a state agency overseen by Governor Abbott, pointing out it encourages children to "express their identities.

[44] In his concession statement, Huffines celebrated "driving the narrative", writing that he forced Governor Abbott to "deliver real conservative victories" on policy such as the Texas Heartbeat Act, Constitutional Carry, and protecting children from "abusive transgender transitioning".

[5] The Foundation focuses on "common sense liberty principles" of individual rights, fiscal restraint, personal responsibility, limited government, and social conservatism.

[46] During the 88th Legislative Session in 2023, Huffines actively wrote commentary pieces in the Dallas Morning News and Houston Chronicle about the Foundation's plan to eliminate property taxes in Texas.

"[48] Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick also credited Huffines for continuing to influence state policy on property tax elimination.

Huffines in 2014