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Vikki Goodwin
- Jan 18
- 6 min read
Table of Contents
Background
Mission
Relevant Experience
Notable Positions & Focus Areas
Considerations for Voters
Disclaimer: The information below summarizes publicly available information. “Considerations for voters” are intended to highlight relevant strengths, gaps, or strategic factors, not to advocate for or against any candidate.
Vikki Goodwin Lieutenant Governor
“'We the people’ means ALL people, regardless of their race, ethnicity, birthplace, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, reading habits, sports team… or any other box people try to sort us into.”
Candidate Overview
Background
Small business owner
Raised in Dallas
Works in real estate - has first-hand knowledge of housing issues for both renters and owners
Mission:
Build a collaborative and cooperative spirit, putting aside things that divide us and focusing on real issues that impact real Texans.
Relevant Experience
Current representative - on her 4th term
Passed the Natalia Cox Act of 2023, which provides critical resources to domestic violence victim
Passed legislation establishing the Texas Food System Security and Resiliency Planning Council that addresses critical vulnerabilities in the state's food supply chain
Notable Positions & Focus Areas
Sensible regulation framework for THC rather than outright prohibition
Ranked choice voting
Greater mental health resources for first responders
Comprehensive immigration reform that addresses both border security and economic realities
Supports abolishing Daylight Savings Time
Common sense gun laws
Considerations for Voters
Emphasis on collaboration over confrontation:
Goodwin frequently centers her leadership style around “collaboration” and “cooperation.” While this approach can produce bipartisan wins, the Lt. Governor role often requires aggressively confronting bad-faith actors and obstructionist leadership. Voters may want to consider how she would respond when cooperation is not possible.
Limited explicit critique of current power structures:
Compared to some candidates, Goodwin is less direct in naming specific threats posed by entrenched Republican leadership or anti-democratic actors. Her focus on process reform may leave open questions about how forcefully she would use the office to counter extremism.
The Lt. Governor wields significant control over the Texas Senate and legislative priorities. Voters may wish to assess whether a consensus-focused approach is sufficient in a role currently defined by hardline ideological control.
While Goodwin has passed meaningful legislation, her campaign materials highlight fewer examples of high-risk, politically costly stands (e.g., quorum breaks, direct procedural obstruction) that some voters may view as necessary in the current political climate.
Positions
Democratic Values
Stance:
Vikki Goodwin presents herself as a pro-democracy reformer focused on expanding participation, modernizing elections, and restoring public trust in government through structural change rather than partisan escalation.
Key Positions & Commitments:
Supports ranked-choice voting, particularly in local elections.
Advocates for online voter registration and election modernization.
Champions citizen-led ballot initiatives to give Texans direct democratic power.
Supports letting voters decide major issues via ballot (e.g., cannabis, gambling, time standards).
Approach to Increasing Participation:
Expanding voter access through registration modernization.
Empowering Texans with direct democracy tools.
Framing participation as a structural right, not a partisan tactic.
Democratic Norms & Threats Identified:
Lack of voter input in major policy decisions.
Over-centralization of power in the Legislature.
Barriers to participation that suppress turnout and trust.
Notable Emphasis:
Strong belief in process reform and democratic mechanisms.
Less explicit language about active voter suppression compared to some candidates.
Healthcare
Stance:
Goodwin supports comprehensive healthcare access and frames healthcare as both a public health and workforce issue, with particular attention to mental health and survivor support.
Key Positions & Commitments:
Supports comprehensive healthcare access.
Advocates for expanded mental health resources, especially for first responders.
Prioritizes child welfare and safety in healthcare-adjacent policy.
Supports expanding Medicaid, especially to address the high maternal mortality rates that disproportionately affect Black women, and the shortage of providers in rural areas.
Reproductive Healthcare:
Supports reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy.
Opposes outright bans in favor of evidence-based regulation.
Populations Centered:
Survivors of domestic violence
First responders
Children and families
Working parents
Relevant Expertise & Preparation:
Passed the Natalia Cox Act (2023) supporting domestic violence survivors.
Legislative leadership on survivor protection and safety policy.
Notable Emphasis:
Focus on practical, implementable healthcare-adjacent reforms rather than sweeping system overhaul.
Equity & Representation
Stance:
Goodwin frames equity through access, safety, and dignity, with an emphasis on inclusive governance and individual freedoms.
Key Positions & Commitments:
Strong support for LGBTQ+ rights and equality under the law.
Supports policies protecting marginalized communities from harm.
Focus on reducing barriers for working families and caregivers.
Approach:
Emphasizes constitutional protections and equal treatment.
Leans toward coalition-building and inclusive rhetoric.
Relevant Experience & Expertise:
Legislative record addressing domestic violence, childcare access, and worker support.
Experience working across policy areas affecting marginalized populations.
Notable Emphasis:
Values-based framing over movement-oriented language.
Does not frequently name specific marginalized groups beyond policy context.
Economy & Cost of Living
Stance:
Goodwin centers working families, small businesses, and wage earners, arguing Texas’s economy should work for everyone, not just corporations.
Key Positions & Commitments:
Supports raising the minimum wage to $15/hour.
Advocates increasing the tipped worker wage.
Supports small business protections against corporate dominance.
Backs childcare funding reform and living wages for childcare workers.
Cost-of-Living Focus Areas:
Affordable childcare
Housing affordability and renter protections
Insurance rate reform
Property tax reform through increased state responsibility
Populations Centered:
Working families
Childcare workers
Small business owners
Renters and homeowners
Approach to Economic Policy:
Targeted reforms rather than austerity.
Strategic use of state surplus for public investment.
Employer contribution models for sustainable funding.
Notable Emphasis:
Strong integration of childcare and workforce policy.
Grounded in real-world small business experience.
Texas Issues
Stance:
Goodwin takes a pragmatic, statewide approach to infrastructure, climate resilience, and public safety, emphasizing preparedness and long-term planning.
Key Positions & Commitments:
Clean water and energy investments.
Food system resilience and food desert mitigation.
Wildfire prevention and flood preparedness.
Sensible THC regulation instead of prohibition.
Approach to Climate Resilience:
Balancing environmental stewardship with economic growth.
Addressing region-specific climate threats (wildfire, flooding).
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions tied to extreme weather.
Relevant Experience & Expertise:
Passed legislation creating the Texas Food System Security & Resiliency Planning Council.
Legislative leadership on infrastructure-adjacent policy.
Notable Emphasis:
Climate framed through public safety and resilience, not ideology.
Education
Stance
Goodwin prioritizes strong public education systems, educator support, and early childhood investment.
Key Positions & Commitments:
Strong support for public education funding.
Expanding Pre-K eligibility for public school employees’ children.
Supporting educator retention through childcare access.
Approach:
Treating education policy as interconnected with workforce and family stability.
Removing barriers that push educators out of the profession.
Protecting the separation of church and state
Relevant Experience & Expertise:
Legislative advocacy for education-adjacent reforms.
Focus on childcare as an education workforce issue.
Notable Emphasis:
Early childhood education as economic infrastructure.
Accountability, Ethics, & Leadership
Stance:
Goodwin emphasizes collaboration, transparency, and evidence-based policymaking, positioning herself as a bridge-builder.
Key Positions & Commitments:
Evidence-based public safety policy.
Ethical governance focused on outcomes.
Support for regulatory frameworks over prohibition.
Approach:
Cooperative leadership style.
Focus on legislative solutions rather than confrontation.
Relevant Experience & Expertise:
Four-term State Representative.
Track record of passing bipartisan, survivor-centered legislation.
Notable Emphasis:
Repeated focus on “collaboration and cooperation,” which may raise questions about handling bad-faith opposition.
Immigration
Stance:
Goodwin supports comprehensive immigration reform that balances border security with economic and humanitarian realities.
Supports the bipartisan Dignity Act.
Advocates increasing visa caps and family-based pathways.
Supports safe processing facilities in home countries.
Approach:
Federal reform paired with state-level realism.
Rejects cruelty-based enforcement strategies.
Relevant Experience & Expertise:
Legislative engagement on economic and workforce impacts of immigration.
Notable Emphasis:
Immigration framed as both a moral and economic necessity.
Candidate Qualifications
Stance:
Goodwin brings deep legislative experience, policy breadth, and a record of passing impactful laws.
Key Positions & Commitments:
Focus on practical, durable policy wins.
Willingness to tackle complex, long-term challenges.
Approach:
Legislative-first leadership.
Systems-oriented problem solving.
Relevant Experience & Expertise:
Four-term State Representative.
Small business owner.
Author of multiple successful, high-impact bills.
Notable Emphasis:
Strong policy competency paired with a consensus-driven leadership style.
Scorecard Summary
Our Score: 22.5/34
Key Positions & Commitments:
Expanding voting access through online registration, ranked-choice voting, and ballot initiatives
Raising wages, addressing childcare affordability, and supporting working families
Investing in public education, teacher pay, and reduced standardized testing
Advancing cannabis regulation, clean energy, and climate resilience
Supporting humane immigration reform and LGBTQ+ rights
Approach:
Emphasizes collaboration, pragmatic reform, and legislative solutions
Focuses on process improvements and long-term structural fixes
Prioritizes economic stability, family supports, and community-based policy design
Less emphasis on direct confrontation with entrenched power structures
Relevant Experience & Expertise:
Four-term State Representative with a strong record of passing legislation
Small business owner with firsthand economic experience
Led successful bills on domestic violence protection, food system resilience, and child safety
Deep policy knowledge in childcare, education, and cost-of-living issues
Notable Emphasis:
Strong focus on family stability, childcare access, and workforce participation
Practical economic policy rooted in lived experience
Democratic reforms that expand participation rather than centralize power
A consensus-driven leadership style that may appeal to some voters and concern others in a high-conflict political environment
