AUSTIN, Texas — State Rep. Vikki Goodwin has secured the Democratic nomination for Texas lieutenant governor after defeating Marcos Vélez in Tuesday’s primary runoff election.
Goodwin will now face incumbent Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in November as he seeks a fourth term after winning the Republican primary in March.
Goodwin's supporters gathered at Easy Tiger in South Austin on Tuesday night, where excitement grew as election results came in. The Associated Press called the race earlier in the evening, with Goodwin receiving just under 70% of the vote.
Goodwin currently represents parts of Travis County and the Lake Travis area in the Texas Legislature. Vélez campaigned as a “labor leader” and “blue-collar Texas worker.”
Speaking to supporters after her victory, Goodwin said Texans are ready for change after decades of Republican leadership.
“This is very exciting because we all know that Texas is ready for change,” Goodwin said. “After 30 years of Republican leadership, we have got to have change. Our current leaders are underfunding our public schools. They have broken our healthcare system. They are talking about fixing the things they broke, so it is time for change.”
In a previous interview with KVUE, Goodwin said that she and Vélez shared many similar priorities, but she argued her legislative experience made her the stronger candidate in the race.
She said her campaign will now shift focus toward the general election and will continue building support across the state.
“We will continue traveling around the state and building a coalition of people that really care about their public schools, who don't want to send our tax dollars to private schools, who know that we have a broken healthcare system and that we can fix it, that want to address affordability,” Goodwin said. “Our lieutenant governor is living in a bubble and does not understand what the everyday Texan wants and needs. But our campaign does.”
Goodwin said her campaign trail continues this week with stops planned in Houston on Wednesday and Dallas on Thursday.