
Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
An eye surgeon endorsed by former President Trump and a wealthy conservationist are vying to become the new Texas land commissioner.
- The Republican candidate is Dawn Buckingham, a state senator from Lakeway. The Democratic candidate is Jay Kleberg, former associate director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation. His family owns the King Ranch.
Why it matters: The land commissioner oversees the Texas General Land Office (GLO), which manages public land and beaches, administers natural disaster relief funding, helps fund public education and maintains the Alamo.
- The land commissioner also chairs the Veterans Land Board, which oversees nine veterans homes and four veterans cemeteries.
Context: The GLO is the oldest public agency in the state.

State of play: The seat is open after incumbent George P. Bush ran for attorney general instead. Bush lost in the GOP primary in May.
The big picture: While no Texas Democrat has won statewide office since 1994, Kleberg has spent roughly twice as much as Buckingham, per campaign filings from the end of October.
- He's spent nearly $1.4 million and she's spent nearly $700,000.
Yes, but: In the May primary, roughly 115,000 more people voted for Buckingham than voted in the Democratic runoff altogether.
- And heading into the final turn, she had $500,000 on hand to his $125,000, per the end-of-October filing.

The intrigue: The two candidates have campaigned in very different ways. Kleberg went on a 10-stop campaign tour of dance halls in deeply red parts of the state. Buckingham participated in what she called a "guns to gowns" tour, according to her Instagram.
What they're saying: "I think that what we're trying to do is get back to a place where Texans elect people based on their experience and their qualifications and their being fit for service," Kleberg told the Texas Tribune last month.
The other side: The GLO oversees veterans nursing homes, which Buckingham told WFAA is "right up my alley as a physician." She added: "People come to me with their problems, and we fix their problems."

Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Dallas.
More Dallas stories
No stories could be found

Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Dallas.