Texas state Rep. Mihaela Presa (D-Dallas) won a close race in 2022 by fewer than 900 votes. For the first time in decades, a Democrat won a Texas House seat in Collin County. Her district spans parts of Allen, Plano and Richardson. She is currently competing in one of the most competitive races in the state this November.
Republican candidate Steve Kinard is an active member of the crypto community and an oil and gas financier who is fighting to unseat the first-term lawmaker.
And Presa is also a target of Gov. Greg Abbott and several national groups that advocate for education savings accounts. The Education Savings Account is an Abbott-backed policy that allows families to use their public school tax dollars to pay for private schools or homeschooling. The proposal failed last year when a coalition of Democrats and local Republicans defeated it in the Texas House of Representatives. After defeating several Republicans in the March primary, Abbott says he has 76 votes to pass, but that’s just the edge. This Collin County seat, along with a handful of others in Texas, could decide whether school choice vouchers pass.
“The idea that it’s a parent’s choice or a school’s choice is misguided and a lie,” Congressman Pressa said in an interview with NBC5.
Mr. Presa insists that public education funding is a top priority and is pushing for the policy to be blocked. The three major school districts in her area are Plano, Frisco and Allen ISD, all of which send money to the state through the controversial “Robin Hood” school financing system.
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“Listen, I’m not saying don’t send your kids to private school,” Presa said, “but the majority of parents who move to Plano are here because of the public schools, because of the state championships. They’re moving here because they don’t have to send their kids to expensive private schools. ”
Supporters of Mr. Abbott’s plan say it would allow families with special needs children or those who want a more religiously focused education to choose schools that align with their values and goals. It is claimed that Kinard argues that the policy gives parents a veto over federal changes to Title IX requirements regarding transgender issues in public schools.
“We haven’t seen it happen yet in Plano ISD, Allen or Frisco, but we are actually seeing efforts to completely eradicate Title IX, especially at the federal level,” Kinard said. Ta.
In other words, Kinard believes it’s unfair to lock families into a particular school when they could potentially go to a private school with state funding.
“I don’t think you can say if you don’t like it you have to move to another zip code,” Kinard said.
Regarding funding concerns, Kinard says, “We’re going to do both.”
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Gov. Abbott’s 2023 plan also calls for billions of dollars in public school funding to allay concerns that school choice vouchers would siphon future revenue. Critics point to recent developments in Arizona, where a similar plan has ballooned far beyond what lawmakers there originally anticipated.
Congressman Presa spent six years as a legislative staffer on Capitol Hill before running for Congress himself. In an interview with NBC 5, she touted that experience as helping her sign 90 bills signed by Governor Abbott.
Mr Kinnaird has been criticized for voting against a human trafficking bill that would have increased penalties for human smuggling. In response, Presa said, “He didn’t have much to run for to achieve his record, so he had to do it.”
On immigration issues in general, Presa told NBC 5 that he supports border security efforts like Operation Lone Star, but believes they can be done in a “more humane” way and does not require excessive use of the state’s National Guard. He said it was a burden.
“If we’re creating a humane system, then yes. What I don’t like is the fact that the National Guard had to leave their families. They had to quit their jobs. ” Presa said.
As the son of Panamanian immigrants, Kinard said he supports legal immigration. He generally believes the country can do more to deter illegal immigration. Although much is left in the hands of federal officials, he supports a proposal that failed last year: creating a Texas border agency dedicated to investigating crimes illegally committed by people in the country.
“The reality is, there’s a highway that runs through Collin County, and we’ve had a tremendous amount of drugs seized. It’s a major thoroughfare for both drug trafficking and human trafficking,” Kinard said. Now, every region is a border area.”
The state’s strict abortion laws are also a key issue in the election campaign.
Presa opposes near-total bans on abortion and supports allowing greater access to abortion. Kinard told NBC 5 that while he supports the current law, he supports making it clear that doctors can perform abortions if the mother’s life is in danger. The debate revolved around the high-profile case of Kate Cox, who fled the state to get an abortion believing doctors would save her life.
Early voting begins October 21st. Voting day is November 5th.
