School Vouchers Become Flashpoint In Tight Texas House District 37 Contest

Democrats are hoping to unseat incumbent state Rep. Janie Lopez, a first-term Republican by attacking her support for school vouchers in the contested race for Texas House District 37.

Jonathan Gracia, an attorney and former Cameron County justice of the peace, is aiming to unseat Lopez by supporting more funding for public schools and saying he would stand against vouchers.

According to the Texas Tribune, Lopez supported Gov. Greg Abbott’s school voucher proposal, though she expressed that she would opt for a limited program that would prioritize students from low-income families and those with disabilities. Gracia, on the other hand, strongly opposes the voucher program, arguing that it would divert much-needed funds from public schools, which are already underfunded in many parts of the state.

Both candidates have a strong interest in public education. Lopez is a school counselor and she also served on the school board of her district, Gracia, on the other hand, is married to a public school educator. He attacked Lopez for supporting vouchers despite having a background in education.

“You would think that that person would understand the struggle,” Gracia said. “And maybe they do, but they don’t care, and that’s just not good enough for South Texas.”

Abbott refused to increase funding for public schools without passing a vouchers proposal.

“They have this money and they simply don’t want to use it in the correct fashion,” Gracia said. “We need to make sure that what we have currently is working before we start thinking about trying to expand who’s going to take public education dollars. And that’s the real travesty of this all.”

The outcome of this race could determine the future of vouchers in the next legislative session. After campaigning against those Republicans who opposed vouchers and managing to unseat many, Abbott said he now has the numbers to pass vouchers in the next legislative session. But he holds only a slim majority that could be lost in the next election.

The district, which includes parts of Cameron and Willacy counties, has become a rare competitive seat in Texas. Republicans made gains in the region in the 2022 election, but Democrats like Gracia see an opportunity to regain ground.