Last week I had the honor of representing Smith County as a State Delegate at the 2026 Republican Party of Texas Convention. This convention is where real grassroots conservatives roll up our sleeves and do the hard work of reclaiming and steering our Party. It’s a powerful, bottom-up process where every day Texans — not lobbyists or special interests — get to shape the Platform, Priorities, and Rules that will guide our elected leaders.

I went there to listen, to hold the line on our shared conservative principles, and to ensure the voices of Smith County families, farmers, and communities are not drowned out.

The first half of the week was dedicated to intense work in the Temporary Committees for Rules, Legislative Priorities, and Platform. These were long days that often ran late into the night.

The Rules Committee focused on amendments to improve party administration, convention operations, and candidate processes.

The Legislative Priorities Committee carefully narrowed a large list of 24-25 items down to 15 Priorities. These Priorities represent the key requests from the Republican voter base to our House Representatives, Senators, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Speaker of the Texas House.

Delegates then completed scantron ballots ranking their top 8 issues. Those results will be tabulated soon to determine the final top priorities.

The 15 Priorities were:

1. Secure Texas Elections
2. Completely Eliminate All Property Taxes
3. Ban Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying
4. Don’t Sharia Our Texas
5. Protect Texas Kids
6. End Government Overreach
7. Texas Grid, Water, Energy, Agriculture, and Property Sovereignty
8. Protect Life
9. Medical Freedom
10. Border Enforcement
11. Education Reform
12. Strengthen Justice
13. Regulate the Impact of Data Centers
14. Reform the TX House
15. Abolish the Texas Lottery – Stop Predatory Gambling

Breakout Sessions & Hot Topics

I attended excellent standing-room-only breakout sessions on Sharia Law in Texas and Artificial Intelligence.

In the committee testimony, Sharia Law, Data Centers & BESS facilities, Water issues, and AI were among the hottest topics. There was strong discussion about the lack of local control counties currently have compared to cities when it comes to regulating large-scale industrial development. Many House and Senate members attended, listened, and testified. Several indicated support for giving counties more authority to protect our constituents from poorly planned solar farms, data centers, and BESS facilities.

Important Note: While there is encouraging interest, we know meaningful change often takes several legislative sessions. I remain hopeful — but watchful — that our legislators will deliver real solutions for our communities.

Senatorial Caucus & General Assembly (Thursday – Saturday) 

Our Senatorial Caucus met to elect new leadership. I was honored to serve alongside Caucus Chairman Randy Reeves, Caucus Secretary Sharon Guthrie, and Parliamentarian Judge Sara Maynard during these elections.

We elected our Senate District 1 State Republican Executive Committeeman and Committeewoman – Jim O’Bier and Susan Covey. Our own House District 6 Representative Daniel Alders served as a State Delegate and attended our Senatorial Caucus. This is rare across the state, so I commend our Representative for serving with the district.

New Republican Party of Texas Leadership

We are pleased to welcome D’Rinda Randall as the newly elected Chair and David Covey as the newly elected Vice Chair of the Republican Party of Texas. Their leadership will be instrumental as we head into the 90th Legislative Session. For more information on their platform, you can visit RedderTexas.com.

The full General Assembly convened Thursday through Saturday. We heard powerful addresses from the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of the Texas House, the Attorney General, and many other leaders. As delegates, we had the opportunity to offer amendments to the Rules, Priorities, and Platform, followed by debate and floor votes.

For the most part, the strong work completed in the Temporary Committees held firm through the full body debate. On Saturday, after the speeches, debate, and fanfare, we cast our final ballots to approve the Platform Planks, Principles, Preamble, and Priorities.

The scantrons will be tallied soon, and the official 2026 Republican Party of Texas Rules, Platform, and Priorities will be posted on the TXGOP website. These documents provide clear marching orders for our elected officials as they head into the 90th Legislative Session.

Final Thoughts 

This is truly an incredible bottom-up process that gives voice to the will of the people. This is where your grassroots voice is heard and codified into our Party’s guiding documents.

I strongly encourage you to get involved — sign up to be a delegate for the 2028 Convention and plug into your local Republican Party. Staying engaged keeps you informed and empowered.

Thank you to the grassroots Republicans who actively participate at every level. A heartfelt thank you also goes to the Republican Party of Texas staff, the dedicated volunteers, the committee members, and all the delegates from across our great state who made this convention possible.

Your investment of time, treasure, and talent strengthens our Party and helps defend liberty for all Texans.

You get the government you allow. Thank you for the privilege of representing Smith County at this important event.