Governor Abbott delivers State of the State Address in Hays County

The message Gov Abbott is sending to Hays County

It is customary for Texas Governors to deliver a State of the State address at a joint session of the Legislature.  However, Abbot chose to deviate from established norms and took his show on the road.  He delivered his address and laid out his legislative priorities at a private business in San Marcos on February 16, 2023.

Abbot’s address at Noveon, a manufacturer of high-performance magnets used in various types of machinery, was used to highlight the need to continue to support and develop Texas’ highly skilled workforce.  He needed a place within 2 hours of Austin to highlight a skilled workforce and he chose Hays County.

One reason he likely chose our county is because despite a very solid 2022 Blue Wave, many local and state republicans consider our county winnable. Many R’s think that without Beto at the top of the ticket, they can turn out a majority of red voters.

When we combine the partisan and non-partisan bodies in our county, the majority are still solid R’s. For example, among school boards, only San Marcos CISD can be considered progressive.

Both the Buda and Kyle Mayors campaigned hard for a Republican Hays County Judge candidate.

The recent issue of Texas Monthly highlights the Trump worshipping disfunction in our Dripping Springs ISD School Board.

And despite having a Democrat controlled Commissioner’s Court, the Republicans still hold enough county seats and control enough of the county infrastructure to gum up the gears of our county government.

We still have a lot of work to do in our community.