Democrat Clayton Tucker will be Texas' next agriculture commissioner after Republican Nate Sheets conceded Wednesday morning. Tucker claimed victory at 10:20 p.m. Tuesday while votes were still being counted. He is the first Democrat to hold the office since 1990, when Jim Hightower was the last Democrat to serve. Tucker said at a watch party in Amarillo that Texans had sent a clear message. Other Texas Democrats also claimed wins on Election Night, including in the U.S. Senate race and in races for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and comptroller.
In his concession statement, Sheets said those results should be a "wake-up call for Republicans." He said Texas is still a conservative state and that voters were sending a message that the status quo isn't working. Sheets also said the agency's leadership has faced "serious questions about ethics, accountability, and political favoritism."
The Texas Department of Agriculture regulates commercial scales, school lunch programs and hemp growing licenses, manages pests, and passes federal grants to farmers and ranchers. Tucker, 35, is secretary of the Texas Farmers Union. He campaigned on fighting corporate monopolies and slowing data center development, and he said he hopes to commission "agricultural impact studies" for new data centers. Outgoing Commissioner Sid Miller called for a special session on data center regulations and appeared with Tucker on the issue. Miller declined to endorse Tucker, saying he "wished him well." Sheets said Miller is a RINO (Republican in Name Only) and that his support for Tucker stems from the incumbent's primary loss.