Don Huffines: The Fiscal Watchdog Texas Needs Now
AustinLiberator
In a state the size of Texas, where every dollar of public money has the power to shape communities, you don’t want a caretaker at the helm — you want a watchdog. Someone who doesn’t just balance the books, but hunts for waste, digs out corruption, and hands the savings back to the people who earned it.
That’s exactly what Don Huffines has been doing his whole career. And if the numbers are any indication, Texans are ready to let him do it from the top fiscal office in the state.
From the Senate Floor to the Front Lines of Accountability
In 2015, Huffines walked into the Texas Senate as a freshman with a Tea Party badge and a mandate from his Dallas district to keep Austin honest. He didn’t just give speeches — he delivered scalps. When a local school transportation agency, Dallas County Schools, was rotting from the inside with corruption, he didn’t settle for reforms. He led the push to shut it down entirely. The agency’s closure not only stopped the bleeding but exposed the web of fraud that sent officials to prison.
It was a master class in fiscal oversight: find the waste, pull it out by the roots, and make sure it never grows back.
Huffines applied that same mindset to outdated and costly bureaucracy. He championed legislation to end most annual vehicle safety inspections — a program that was more about collecting fees than ensuring safety — freeing Texans from what was effectively a stealth tax. It passed the Senate and set a precedent: every dollar the state takes should deliver clear value to taxpayers.
The Comptroller’s Job: A Perfect Fit
The Texas Comptroller isn’t just a bookkeeper. The office estimates the state’s revenue, audits spending, enforces tax law, and now oversees major new programs like the school-choice scholarship system. It’s where transparency meets execution — and where a real reformer can leave a lasting mark.
Through the Huffines Liberty Foundation, he’s already drawn up blueprints for property tax relief, streamlined government operations, and sharper budget forecasting. This isn’t a candidate guessing at what the job takes — it’s someone who’s been drafting the playbook for years.
Money, Momentum, and Mandate
Campaign resources don’t guarantee victory, but they sure tell you who’s serious. Huffines’ war chest has surged past $15 million, with $14.4 million cash on hand — a staggering sum for a statewide race that usually flies under the radar.
And it’s not just big checks from political allies. His donor rolls show 376 grassroots contributions under $100, proof that his message is connecting far beyond the boardrooms. The Texas GOP’s conservative base has noticed — endorsements from party stalwarts and national conservative voices have put him in frontrunner territory.
The Huffines Standard
When Huffines talks about auditing agencies, he doesn’t mean a paper exercise. He means full-scope reviews with public dashboards, quick recoveries, and referrals when fraud surfaces. When he says “cut waste,” he’s thinking about Dallas County Schools and how it felt to turn off the faucet on taxpayer abuse. When he promises property tax relief, it’s not just applause-line politics — it’s grounded in published policy.
Why Now
Texas is booming, and so is its budget. But boom years are when bad spending habits take root. A comptroller with Huffines’ record won’t just mind the store; he’ll shake it down for loose change, plug the leaks, and show taxpayers exactly what they’re getting for their money. In a race where the job is often misunderstood and the stakes are quietly enormous, Don Huffines stands out as a man who’s done the work, drawn the maps, and has the fire — and the funding — to see it through.
If Texas wants a watchdog, it’s time to put one in charge of the ledger.
-David Crockett | The Austin Liberator