Democratic incumbent Dawn Buckingham and Democratic opponent Ben Flores are both running for the Texas area commissioner.
The company has recently been in the news for everything, from its role in the Big Bend border design controversy to the state’s notification of new energy production, to Harris County officials ‘ recent warning about delays in flood mitigation projects.
The General Land Office ( GLO ) manages a total of 13 million acres of state land, oversees disaster recovery and coastal protection, provides funding for public schools through oil, gas, and land lease royalties, and runs a number of veteran programs.
Texas ‘ overall Partisan Index rate the state at R-58 %. In the most recent reporting period, Buckingham raised virtually$ 890,000 and has over$ 3 million in cash on hand. In the most recent period, Flores has raised nearly$ 35, 000 and currently has nearly$ 30, 000 in cash.
As the first woman to serve in the place, Buckingham was elected area director in 2022 as a former state senator and physician. President Donald Trump supports her for re-election.
My top priorities, according to Buckingham, are to protect Texas’s lands, raise money for public education without raising taxes, support our veterans, protected our borders, strengthen our coast, and ensure that the GLO stays a dependable steward of the resources we give to us.
Buckingham made the announcement in November 2024 that the GLO’s Jocelyn Initiative would “locate all property under the company’s jurisdiction for the federal government to use for the deportation operations of aggressive, legal illegal immigrants.”
Buckingham has been outspoken about her opinion of the design of the Big Bend boundary. According to her, Bernard Construction, which was hired by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to construct the border wall in Big Bend, has been accused of fraudulently clearing land there.
She stated to The Mexican about Big Bend developments,” Washington cannot disregard Texas independence while doing so. I highly support securing our southwestern border.”
A virtual wall, advanced surveillance, and solid law enforcement are the most powerful tools, according to the statement” there are places where a real wall makes sense, and there are places — especially in Big Bend where rocky cliffs and steep terrain serve as natural barriers.”
Buckingham just announced a GLO initiative to start producing small modular nuclear reactors on condition land in terms of energy expansion. The office will launch a Request for Information ( RFI ) process and seek input from businesses regarding the state’s potential energy producers.
Buckingham stated in a new interview with The Texan that the RFI” will look at ways to partner with industry in the production of energy” with the goal of being a “value-add” to the Texas network and “getting dispatchable energy on the network.”
Finding the ideal partners is all that is required, according to Buckingham.
She also stated to The Texan about the Permanent School Fund’s and Texas ‘ energy portfolio, saying that” we are looking at opportunities in geothermal, nuclear, carbon capture and storage, mineral development, and other emerging industries. Finding sustainable ways to benefit Texas ‘ public schools is our responsibility.
We are breaking China’s monopoly over these crucial resources while opening up new opportunities for Texas public schools to earn money from them, she continued.
According to Buckingham’s campaign,” the Texas General Land Office has contributed more than$ 6 billion to Texas public schools… without raising taxes,” the GLO uses state lands to “maximize long-term returns for Texas students.”
Buckingham said she will lead” the largest coastal protection initiative in American history,” the Coastal Texas Project, which will feature the largest storm-surge barrier gate system in the world and help protect the country’s largest port and petrochemical complex.
The project aims to improve the state’s shoreline’s coastal resilience.
The role’s top priorities include veteran programming, disaster recovery, Texas energy, public education, and other pressing issues. His GLO 2030 strategy includes a thorough description of his goals for office.
Flores announced he had a leukemia diagnosis in June 2026, but he said he would continue working there while receiving treatment at MD Anderson in Houston. He has served on the Houston-Galveston Area Council, the Bay City City Council, and the Bay City Development Corporation in addition to residing permanently with his family in Bay City.
Flores and the Texan discussed his campaign priorities. His top priority was” truly open all state lands to be developed responsibly for all kinds of projects, whether it’s energy generation or novel uses,” and he went into more detail about his GLO 2030 plan.
He continued,” I ask, “why not?” if someone is offering to contribute to responsibly funding public schools in Texas.
What is in the best interests of Texans, as I want to serve them? he continued.
Flores mentioned diversifying Texas ‘ energy portfolio to improve support for public education. He argued that diversifying the energy portfolio would improve grid reliability and provide more resilient sources of income for Texas public schools, noting that” we don’t put all our eggs in one basket.”
According to his GLO 2030 strategy, “expand leasing opportunities across all energy sectors,” including those for oil, gas, wind, solar, and geothermal.
Flores added that his “driver” is to help school-aged children develop critical thinking skills. The driver is, in my opinion, that kids would be well-prepared.
Flores cited a priority for his in terms of veteran care and programming as being of the highest caliber, regardless of location or facility. He also emphasized access to housing, transparent contracts, transparent contracts, and access to home loans and housing services.
In terms of housing, Flores claimed that he felt the need to “entice developers” by allowing the land to be used for affordable housing projects. He continued, stating that the Texas Triangle, which is bordered by Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas, is where the state is most expanding.
He claimed that” there are many areas to be developed.”
Flores remarked about the need for community input when it came to developing data centers.
He added that community-built infrastructure shouldn’t just be beneficial for data centers.
He said,” They need to participate, and they need to purchase the infrastructure.”
Flores also opposes the Big Bend border construction, saying,” It makes no sense whatsoever. The state’s historically has had the fewest crossings in its area. I’m” for whatever makes sense in the area””.
In the end, this office should be one of Texas’s most apolitical offices, with a focus on providing the public with permanent school funding, honoring our veterans, and providing care for victims of natural disasters, according to the statement.
On Monday, early voting began and ends on Friday, October 30. Election Day is on November 3rd, 2018.
