In the race for Texas House District 113, we recommend three-term incumbent Democrat Rhetta Bowers over Republican challenger Stephen Stanley.
Since she was elected in 2018, Bowers, 57, has represented this district that mainly spans parts of Rowlett, Garland and Mesquite.
She has made good use of that time. As a sophomore legislator, she was named vice chair of the Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee, and has authored and supported a number of smart bills that passed.
The most notable is the Texas CROWN Act, which protects residents from discrimination based on hair textures and styles historically associated with race, including braids, locks or twists.
That bill passed the House 143-5 and the Senate 29-1, showing that Bowers has a quality we wish was much more common in the Texas Legislature: a spirit of bipartisanship.
Some progressive candidates have told us that, instead of searching for achievable, bipartisan victories, Democrats should work more in open opposition. Bowers told us she doesn’t think that’s the right answer. For her last three terms, Bowers said that she has hosted a dinner party for her colleagues on both sides of the aisle. “We try to do it before we get to those social issues and red meat issues,” she said, “so that we’re humanizing ourselves.”
For any Democrat in the dominantly Republican Texas Legislature, that’s the right approach, especially in a time of great polarization.
School voucher or education savings account proposals are a nonstarter for Bowers, as she says they will take money away from the public school system. Bowers said she favors raising the basic allotment by $2,000-$3,000 per student on top of the roughly $6,100 per student it stands at now.
Abortion is another hot-button issue for many Texas voters. Bowers believes that the government should not have a role in making such personal decisions. In the Voter Guide, she cited concerns with higher maternal mortality rates, the criminalization of doctors and the fact that more and more women are having to travel out of state for abortions.
Bowers favors the expansion of legal gambling in Texas, an area that we think needs greater study before legislators take action. She said in the Voter Guide that expanded legal gambling can raise additional revenues for the state and discourage residents from taking their business to gaming destinations in other states.
During our interview, Stanley, 60, showed command of the most important issues, but we disagree with him in areas such as property tax, which he said can be eliminated entirely. Having served on the Garland City Council, Stanley has experience with local politics, but we still tip to Bowers due to her proven track record and acumen as a state lawmaker.
Residents of District 113 should reelect her for a fourth term.
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