What Is a Land Commissioner and Who’s Running for the Open Seat?

As current Land Commissioner, George P. Bush embarks on a double adventure against Attorney General Ken Paxton, a run for Trump’s endorsement and the AG seat at the same time, runner-ups are starting to line up for the upcoming vacancy as head of the Texas General Land Office (GLO).

Possible candidates include State Senator Brandon Creighton who has been discussed as a potential candidate but limiting his statements to legislative issues, Weston Martinez who has run twice for the Railroad Commission and recently endorsed by Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, controversial former State Representative Jonathan Stickland, and the latest announcement; State Sen. Dawn Buckingham.

As we previously reported, on Friday afternoon, Buckingham launched several Facebook ads alluding to a land commissioner run, asking viewers, for example, if they are “ready to elect the first female Land Commissioner.”

The incumbent Land Commissioner’s tenure at the GLO has been rocky at times, according to the Dallas Morning News, having faced criticism over his handling of the Alamo historic site upon removing the Daughters of the Republic of Texas and replaced by non-profits that Bush’s General Land Office controls.

Bush won his first term as land commissioner in 2014 and was reelected in 2018.

An executive position in the Texas State Government, the Land Commissioner serves as the elected head of the Texas General Land Office (GLO).

According to its mission statement, the GLO serves schoolchildren, veterans, and all people of Texas by preserving their history, protecting their environment, expanding economic opportunity, and maximizing state revenue through innovative administration and prudent stewardship of state lands and resources.

GLO’s mandate is established in Article 14 of the Texas Constitution, which states that it shall be at the seat of government, where all land titles which have emanated or may emanate from the State shall be registered.

In Texas, the Land Commissioner is elected in midterm election years, a seat that will be disputed November 8^th, 2022.