2024 Election Endorsements

THSC works to provide families each election cycle with the best possible list of endorsements so that families can feel empowered to go to the polls to vote for the most pro-family and pro-homeschooling candidates in Texas! We partner with local leaders to establish vetting committees that interview every candidate before an endorsement is issued. The interview focuses on identifying a candidate’s heart for service and convictions about political and social issues.

Make sure to check out THSC’s preliminary list of endorsements for the 2024 Election Endorsements. Are you interested in volunteering for a campaign near your home? Enter your information below to see the names of the candidates in your district. You will be redirected to their campaign for further information. Not sure who represents you? Find out today.

THSC has a uniquely robust process for endorsing candidates. We work to provide families each election cycle with the best possible list of endorsements so that families can feel empowered to go to the polls to vote for the most pro-family and pro-homeschooling candidates in Texas who adhere to the following immovable, non-negotiable principles:

  • Unwavering support of homeschooling
  • Commitment to defending parental rights
  • Clear political philosophy of limited government

We choose to vet incumbents and candidates who align with us on these issues. In pursuit of that, we send questionnaires out to candidates all across the state. Those questionnaires are then distributed to 1 of our 9 Vetting Committees who then give recommendations for endorsements.

Vetting committees interview candidates and make endorsement recommendations to THSC’s policy team. When evaluating a candidate for endorsement, THSC adheres to several long standing policies:

  • THSC never endorses against an incumbent who has a good record on homeschooling and parental rights.
  • THSC ultimately endorses candidates who display a dedication to THSC’s mission, the ability to run a serious campaign, and the demeanor and character to successfully lead.

THSC endorses candidates at every level of government. Some of those officials may hold an office that does not directly relate to homeschooling and parental rights. However, elected officials often move offices. For this reason, we vet, endorse, and seek to build relationships even when the office of the elected official may not directly impact THSC.

Make sure to check out THSC’s preliminary list of endorsements for the 2024 Election Endorsements. Are you interested in volunteering for a campaign near your home? Click below on the name of the candidate(s) nearest to you. You will be redirected to their campaign for further information. Not sure who represents you? Find out today.

To seek THSC’s endorsement, candidates must follow a three-step process:

  • Request a questionnaire customized to the type of office that an individual is running for.
    • Included are questions about policies, political philosophy and values.
    • Submit the questionnaire by the stated deadline
  • Scheduling and participating in an interview with a local THSC Vetting Committee
    • The local THSC Vetting Committee schedules interview slots incrementally during a given month based on predetermined committee meeting dates.
    • The candidate will be assigned to a slot based on scheduling availability. These slots are limited, so we recommend making your interview a high priority on your schedule.
  • Interview with the THSC Vetting Committee. THSC requires that every candidate who is being considered for an endorsement from THSC be interviewed by a committee.
    • These interviews will be conducted by committee members from the local community. They will spend time getting to know the candidate and ask deeper questions about your policies and core values.

The Final Result of the Political Vetting Process

After completing the interview with the candidate, the THSC Vetting Committee will compare notes on the responses from the candidate. The committee will then make a formal recommendation of whether THSC should issue a public endorsement of the candidate.

If THSC chooses to endorse the candidate, we will send an email with THSC’s endorsement statement. We will also include several versions of THSC’s logos to be used in media to highlight your endorsement.

Please note that THSC will conduct candidate vetting interviews during most elections. This includes primary elections, primary runoff elections, general elections and municipal elections. However, THSC will not issue endorsements for every office that is on the ballot even though our committees might interview candidates in these races.

THSC often endorses candidates in statewide executive races, state legislative races, statewide judicial races, local judicial races, county races and municipal races. THSC only endorses candidates that either commit to or have a proven record of protecting family rights and promoting homeschool freedoms.

THSC’s endorsement of a candidate in a race should not necessarily be viewed as a criticism of the other candidates.

Get Involved: Join a Vetting Committee

THSC is very selective about who is invited to a THSC Vetting Committee. If you are interested in serving on a local committee, please email elections@thsc.org to get started on qualifying to join a committee.

Do you personally know of a candidate running for public office that you think should be endorsed by THSC? Let us know about it!

Please email elections@thsc.org to inform us of candidates in your community who demonstrate the values we protect and uphold. We will contact the campaign to begin the political vetting process, including asking if they are interested in pursuing an endorsement from THSC.

Q: What kind of person may volunteer to serve on a THSC Vetting Committee? Someone who:

  • homeschools, has homeschooled, or has been homeschooled themselves.
  • is aligned with THSC’s legislative objectives related to protecting and expanding family rights and homeschooling freedoms in Texas.
  • is not difficult to work with in any capacity.
  • is active in a church congregation and committed to the authority of Scripture as God’s inspired Word.
  • has voted consistently and, ideally, Vetting Committee members will have voted consistently in local elections (ie: school board, city council).
  • Is able to understand, appreciate, and, when necessary, respectfully disagree with different worldviews.
  • can represent THSC values even if their own personal convictions lead them to vote differently in certain elections.

Q: What does the time commitment look like for serving as a volunteer on a THSC Vetting Committee?

  • For Primary Elections, some Vetting Committees may meet five times over the course of five months while other Vetting Committees may meet one time over the course of five months. This is primarily based on a number of factors:
    • Some districts have long-time incumbents where contested races are less likely.
    • Some districts are more affiliated with a particular political party and so contested races are less likely.

Q: How many people typically serve on a THSC Vetting Committee?

  • Our goal is to fully build out our Vetting Committees by having 5-8 committee members so that when 1-2 members must miss due to competing schedules, the interview can proceed because there will still be 3-5 other members who can be present to represent a THSC Vetting Committee.

Q: What time of the year do the Vetting Committees begin to interview candidates?

  • For the Primary Elections, the Vetting Committees begin to interview candidates in September and continue until mid-December. This is due to the candidate filing deadline in early to mid-December.
  • Late-arrival candidate interviews may happen in January.
  • In the case of special elections, interviews will start based on the timeline of the election.

Q: How are the candidate interviews set up? Who arranges when the Vetting Committee will interview a candidate?

  • THSC sends out questionnaires to candidates and candidates are required to complete the questionnaire within a certain timeline.
  • THSC receives the completed questionnaire from the candidate.
  • THSC sends the completed questionnaire to the members of the Vetting Committee as well as the Chair.
  • It is expected that each Vetting Committee member reviews the candidate’s questionnaire one full day prior to the interview.
  • THSC interfaces between the Chair, the committee members, and the candidates to schedule the interviews.
  • THSC provides our Vetting Committee members at least 1 week in advance to prepare to interview a candidate, so that the members can make arrangements to be there. NOTE: In some instances, one week may not be possible and the Vetting Committee may receive shorter notice depending on the urgency of the election process timelines.

Q: How are candidate interviews conducted?

  • All candidate interviews are in person by default. The interviews are held in a location that is private such as an office space, a room at a church, or someone’s home in lieu of a restaurant or coffee shop. Public places are intentionally avoided to ensure confidentiality.
  • In areas such as the Rio Grande, we permit Zoom interviews namely due to the vastness of the region.

Q: Are the candidate interviews AM or PM and what days?

  • Most interviews are in the PM. There are some committees who have the flexibility to vet candidates during the day as well. Most candidate interviews take place on a weekday evening. Occasionally, there may be weekend vetting. Such decisions rest with the Chairperson who knows when their Committee can meet.

Q: How long do candidate interviews last?

  • Candidate interviews may take anywhere from 30-45 minutes, but never longer than 1 hour. The Chairperson is responsible for facilitating the interviews in such a way that he or she is respectful of everyone’s time. A Vetting Committee can interview 6 candidates in 1 evening for 30 minutes a piece. This is a normal protocol.

Q: Are the interview questions scripted or ad-hoc?

  • THSC Vetting Committees reference:
    • an Interviewer’s Guide to launch from as they question the candidate. This resource is provided by THSC through iVoter Guide.
    • the candidate’s responses to the questionnaire that they receive.
    • Prior to any candidate interview, a candidate must have already fully completed and submitted their questionnaire to the THSC Elections Team. The Elections Team then emails the questionnaire to the specified Vetting Committee.

Q: Are the preliminary and introductory statements with the candidate scripted?

  • They are not scripted. The Chairperson is the one who greets the candidate, allows the members to introduce themselves to the candidate, and then the Chairperson oversees the flow of the meeting, ensuring the meeting is fully productive in a timely manner.

Q: Are there any ad-hoc questions that can be asked of the candidate during the interview?

  • The Interviewer’s Guide, the candidate’s questionnaire, and any background information provided by THSC are compasses for asking questions. The Vetting Committee is expected to ask any probing or ad-hoc questions to find out more about the candidate.

Q: How do I communicate the results of the interview? Is there a checklist? Is the interview recorded?

  • Each committee member must be willing to provide a written candidate assessment to the THSC Elections Team via Google Forms or email within 24 hours of the interview.
  • The members must make their own assessment without attempting to persuade or dissuade one another regarding their assessment of the candidate. We want each member to make their own assessment because we truly value the suggestion and voice of each member. Conversation that takes place during the interview should never be discussed with non-committee members or non-THSC staff members.
  • THSC values honor, honesty, and integrity and so regardless of whether we agree with the candidate’s views or not, our commitment is to honor the candidate because they are valuable even if our views are different from theirs.
  • Finally, the interviews are not recorded. Each Chairperson has a checklist and is very familiar with the process s/he needs to complete and is very articulate with expressing to the committee what s/he needs from each member to submit forms and paperwork to the THSC Elections Team.

Q: What is the atmosphere of the Candidate Interview?

  • Interviews are conducted to be respectful, casual, and substantive.
  • Each interview is confidential. Regardless of the answers that the candidate gives, each vetting member is on the Vetting Committee because they treat each individual with respect even in the face of strong disagreement

Q: Can more than one family member serve as a volunteer on the THSC Vetting Committee?

  • Absolutely. We have several husband-wife couples and even couples and adult children. We value the multi generational perspectives.

Q: I’m ready. What do I do to get started?

  • Email elections@thsc.org with the subject line: Interested in joining a THSC Vetting Committee. Share with us your name, city, your affiliation with homeschooling, and why you are interested in serving as a volunteer on a THSC Vetting Committee. We will be more than happy to help you get started on qualifying to join a committee.

All 2024 THSC Endorsements

Texas House of Representatives

House District 1 Dale Huls

House District 2 Brent Money

House District 4 Joshua Feuerstein

House District 5 Cole Hefner

House District 6 Daniel Alders

House District 8 Cody Harris

House District 9 Paulette Carson

House District 11 Joanne Shofner

House District 12 Trey Wharton

House District 13 Angelia Orr

House District 15 Steve Toth

House District 16 Will Metcalf

House District 17 Tom Glass

House District 18 Janis Holt

House District 19 Ellen Troxclair

House District 20 Terry Wilson

House District 23 Terri Leo-Wilson

House District 24 Greg Bonnen

House District 25 Cody Vasut

House District 26 Jacey Jetton

House District 28 Gary Gates

House District 29 Edgar Pacheco

House District 29 Alex Kamkar

House District 30 A.J. Louderback

House District 31 Ryan Guillen

House District 37 Janie Lopez

House District 43 J.M. Lozano

House District 44 Alan Schoolcraft

House District 52 Caroline Harris

House District 53 Wes Virdell

House District 54 Brad Buckley

House District 55 Hillary Hickland

House District 57 Richard Hayes

House District 58 Helen Kerwin

House District 59 Shelby Slawson

House District 60 Mike Olcott

House District 61 Keresa Richardson

House District 62 Shelley Luther

House District 63 Benjamin Bumgarner

House District 64 Andy Hopper

Texas House of Representatives Continued

House District 65 Mitch Little

House District 66 Matt Shaheen

House District 67 Jeff Leach

House District 69 James Frank

House District 71 Liz Case

House District 72 Stormy Bradley

House District 73 Carrie Isaac

House District 81 Brooks Landgraf

House District 82 Tom Craddick

House District 83 Dustin Burrows

House District 84 Carl Tepper

House District 85 Stan Kitzman

House District 86 John Smithee

House District 87 Caroline Fairly

House District 88 Karen Post

House District 89 Candy Noble

House District 91 Stephanie Klick

House District 94 Tony Tinderholt

House District 97 Leslie Robnett

House District 98 Giovanni Capriglione

House District 106 Jared Patterson

House District 112 Angie Chen Button

House District 118 John Lujan

House District 121 Marc LaHood

House District 122 Mark Dorazio

House District 126 Sam Harless

House District 127 Charles Cunningham

House District 128 Briscoe Cain

House District 129 Dennis Paul

House District 130 Tom Oliverson

House District 132 Mike Schofield

House District 133 Mano DeAyala

House District 138 Lacey Hull

House District 150 Valoree Swanson

U.S. Senate

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz

U.S. Congress

U.S. House District 2 Dan Crenshaw

U.S. House District 4 Pat Fallon

U.S. House District 12 Craig Goldman

U.S. House District 13 Ronny Jackson

U.S. House District 21 Chip Roy

U.S. House District 24 Beth Van Duyne

U.S. House District 26 John Huffman

U.S. House District 27 Michael Cloud

Statewide

Commissioner of the Railroad Christi Craddick

Statewide Judicial

Supreme Court of Texas Place 2 Jimmy Blacklock

Supreme Court of Texas Place 4 John Devine

Supreme Court of Texas Place 6 Jane Bland

Court of Criminal Appeals Place 1 David Schenck

Court of Criminal Appeals Place 7 Gina Parker

Texas Senate

Senate District 7 Paul Bettencourt

Senate District 8 Angela Paxton

Senate District 10 Phil King

Senate District 12 Tan Parker

Senate District 17 Joan Huffman

Senate District 25 Donna Campbell

Senate District 30 Brent Hagenbuch

State Board of Education

State Board of Education District 10 Tom Maynard

State Board of Education District 12 Jamie Kohlmann

State Board of Education District 15 Aaron Kinsey

Local Candidates

Williamson County Republican Chair Michelle Evans

Montgomery County Republican Chair Bryan Christ

Tarrant County Assessor-Collector Rick Barnes

Tarrant County Commissioner Precinct 3 Matt Krause

Tarrant County Criminal District Court 2 William Knight

Collin County Commissioner Precinct 3 Darrell Hale

Ellis County 443rd Judicial District Court Greg Wilhelm

Harris County Sherriff Glenn Cowan