By R.J. Morales | TX3DNews
COLLIN COUNTY, Texas — Rising costs of living, public school funding, and concerns about democratic norms emerged as the dominant themes Saturday as Collin County Democrats held a countywide ballot draw and candidate forum, marking the informal kickoff of the 2026 primary season.
Across multiple panels, candidates running in or directly affecting Texas’ 3rd Congressional District (TX-03) — including congressional and state House contenders — repeatedly returned to three core issues: affordability pressures on families, opposition to school voucher proposals, and the need to protect voting rights.
Plesa highlights record and resistance in Austin
State Rep. Mihaela Plesa, D-House District 70, who represents parts of Collin County, opened the forum by pointing to Democratic momentum in traditionally Republican territory.
“In 2022, nobody thought that we could win,” Plesa said. “It was a gerrymandered district in Southwest Collin County, and the Republicans thought that they could buy this seat from us.”
Plesa framed her remarks around both electoral success and legislative action, telling attendees, “In the last two sessions, I passed over a dozen bills as a primary author.”
She also described a direct confrontation with Gov. Greg Abbott over school vouchers, a recurring topic throughout the forum. “Greg Abbott also knows that when he came to me last session and told me to vote for his voucher scam, I was the only representative in Collin County that looked him in the eyes and said, ‘NO,’” she said.
Public education, she added, was central to her work in Austin. “I am the only state representative from Collin County that fought and stood for our public schools,” she said.
Hunt lays out affordability message for TX-03
Evan Hunt, a Democratic candidate for Congress in Texas’ 3rd District, focused his remarks on affordability and middle-class pressure, repeatedly tying federal policy to household costs.
“We need affordable healthcare so we’re not one medical emergency or cancer diagnosis away from bankruptcy,” Hunt said.
Hunt also criticized trade policy, describing tariffs as “taxes without representation” that “are paid for by American consumers.” He tied affordability to wages and economic mobility, saying, “We need to get back to a focus on expanding the middle class,” adding that “we need to raise minimum wages, because that is true freedom,” and put “reasonable tax limits on the billionaire class, which uses loopholes.”
On education, Hunt emphasized the federal government’s role in funding local schools. “Ten to fifteen percent of public school budgets come from the federal government,” he said, pointing to support for special education and school nutrition programs. He added that “what we need to do at the federal level is empower local educators… not micromanagement,” and said he would sponsor legislation to make it illegal to impose universal voucher programs on states.
Hunt also addressed voting and redistricting, stating, “Redistricting should only happen once every ten years, through a bipartisan commission.”
House candidates echo education concerns
Candidates running for state House districts overlapping Texas’ 3rd Congressional District repeatedly emphasized public school funding and opposition to school voucher proposals.
Jackier Bescherer, a candidate for House District 61, criticized vouchers, saying, “We need to completely fund our schools. The voucher system is totally defunding public education.”
In House District 67, educator Jordan Wheatley tied funding to outcomes. “If you can’t read, you can’t do math,” Wheatley said, calling current conditions “an injustice to our students,” and proposing a Texas Education Fund supported by a portion of the sales tax.
Sandeep Srivastava, a Democratic candidate for House District 66, echoed those concerns, calling for stronger investment in schools and educators. “We have to fund our public schools,” Srivastava said. “We have to pay proper salaries to the teacher and make our public schools once again better.”
Candidates in general echoed those concerns, with multiple speakers criticizing school voucher proposals and their impact on public education.
Housing affordability and organizing emerge as parallel priorities
Jason Pearce, running for Congress in Texas’ 4th District, called for limiting corporate ownership of housing. “I believe in banning corporations from owning single-family homes and forcing them to divest over the next ten years,” Pearce said, while also supporting rent caps and down-payment assistance for first-time homebuyers and veterans.
At the state House level, candidates stressed the importance of turnout. Brittany Black, a Democratic candidate for House District 61, said, “We have to know how to win elections. We have to get out here, we have to talk to people, and we have to understand what voters need.”
Shared themes frame the road to 2026
Across the forum, candidates repeatedly returned to the same concerns: rising cost pressures on families, broad opposition to school voucher proposals, concern about concentrated corporate power, and warnings about threats to voting access.
Party officials said the ballot draw will remain conditional if the candidate list changes and described the event as the start of the primary season.
Candidates closed by urging attendees to volunteer, organize, and vote, framing affordability, public schools, and democratic norms as central issues heading into 2026.
Editor’s Note
TX3DNews covers candidate forums, public meetings, and campaign events across Collin County and Texas’ 3rd Congressional District to inform residents about who is running for office and the issues being raised by candidates. Coverage of this event is intended to provide factual, issue-based reporting for voters and does not constitute an endorsement of any candidate or political party.
This article has been updated to correct a transcription error. Evan Hunt confirmed that he referred to billionaires, not millionaires, in his remarks on taxation. The quote has been corrected for accuracy.