Greg Abbott Dishes Plums to Hard Right
with Huffines Pick and Schatzline Hiring Capitol Inside
July 2, 2026
Governor Greg Abbott sought to fortify his credentials on the far right on Thursday when he selected Don Huffines to serve as state comptroller while enlisting former Texas House member Nate Schatzline as a senior advisor on his Capitol staff.
The Republican governor's appointment of Huffines as the comptroller drew an immediate backlash from Democrats - who accused the state's top leader of trying to manipulate the outcome of the general election by giving the job to the GOP nominee for the post.
Huffines will be a temporary replacement for Kelly Hancock in the wake of his announcement on Tuesday that he's giving the position up at the end of the month. To keep the post, Huffines would have to defeat State Senator Sarah Eckhardt of Austin as the Democratic nominee for comptroller in the general election.
"By appointing the Republican nominee before the election, the Governor has effectively conferred the power and advantages of incumbency on a candidate who has not yet the office from the voters," the Texas Senate Democratic Caucus said in a statement objecting to the choice for the upcoming opening.
A former Senate member from Dallas, Huffines attempted to oust Abbott in the gubernatorial primary in 2022 when he branded him as a tyrant who'd closed businesses across the state during the early stages of the covid pandemic two years earlier. Abbott vigorously supported and bankrolled Hancock in the first round of the 2026 midterm elections when Huffines advanced to a runoff in a field of four with 57 percent of the vote. The governor's handpicked candidate finished as a distant second with less than 24 percent in March.
Huffines appeared to be the favorite in the fall before the sudden elevation from nominee to officeholder. An added advantage running as the incumbent would only play a factor if the comptroller's race is close at the finish line.
Abbott announced the hiring of Schatzline as an aide after speculation that he'd be the governor's choice to replace Secretary of State Jane Nelson when she steps down as planned. But unsubstantiated reports on social media indicated that Nelson delayed her departure due to her opposition to Schatzline as the successor.
Schatzline was elected to the House initially in 2022 before a winning re-election race two years later. Schatzline did not seek a third term in 2026 - and he resigned on July 2 exactly one year ago before the second had ended. Schatzline had been a member of a small group of conservatives who'd been critical of the chamber's Republican leaders. He'd been working for an anti-human trafficking group before landing back at the Capitol as a key Abbott advisor.
Schatzline's selection has the potential to backfire at a time when Abbott and the Republicans have been trying to portray Democratic U.S. Senate contender James Talarico as a candidate who isn't macho enough to represent the state in Washington D.C.
Schatzline was shown wearing a dress in a video that surfaced during his freshman term in 2023. Schatzline said the footage had part of a college project at a school he attended when it was known as the Southwestern Assemblies of God University. The emergence of Schatzline in drag put Republicans in a sticky situation in light of the fact that he'd the leading proponent for a proposal to ban drag shows in Texas.
more to come ...
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