Early Voting: Tuesday, January 21 – Friday, January 24, 2020
Election Day: Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Democratic Candidate
Eliz Markowitz (D)
EXPERIENCE
- Princeton Review, Instructor
- Princeton Review, Corporate Trainer
- Princeton Review, Author
- University of Houston, Research Assistant (2012 – 2017)
- Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality, Researcher (2009 – 2012)
- San Antonio College, Biology/Chemistry Instructor (2008 – 2009)
EDUCATION
- Doctorate, University of Houston, Curriculum and Instruction
- Master’s, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Health Informatics
- Master’s, The University of Texas at San Antonio, Management of Technology
- Bachelor’s, Trinity University, Computer Science
On the Issues
ABORTION / CONTRACEPTION
- “Texans must ensure that women have autonomy over their own bodies and are provided access to medically sound reproductive health services. In turn, crisis pregnancy centers that misrepresent their services should be stripped of funding and designation as a licensed medical facility. Every woman should have the opportunity to make her own decision regarding childbirth and should have access to contraception, counseling, family planning services, pre-natal and post-natal care, affordable childcare, and all forms of reproductive care.” [Website]
EDUCATION
- “All Texans have the right to receive high-quality, publicly-funded education from pre-kindergarten through either college or vocational programs. High-quality public schools that meet the needs of all individuals should be accessible.” [Website]
- “high-stakes standardized tests should be replaced with alternative performance measures that address the strengths and weaknesses of students, educators, and institutions.” [Website]
- “The state should immediately establish a school finance system with sufficient revenue to provide every individual with accessible, high-quality education.” [Website]
- “Institutions should be held accountable for student progress, meet established standards of educational excellence, and repeal “home rule” and “innovation” statutes that allow institutions to lower standards and simply push students through the system.” [Website]
- “Public charter schools must be held to identical standards of accountability in order to receive financial support.” [Website]
- “the $5.4 billion of public school funding that was eliminated by the Republican legislature in 2011 must be restored to fund improvements in Texas education.” [Website]
- “we must increase teacher pay and provide quality, affordable healthcare and retirement options.” [Website]
- “it is imperative that every Texas school provide and fund high-quality career and technical educational programs.” [Website]
- “Both gifted students and those with disabilities are entitled receive appropriate, high-quality early, secondary, and postsecondary education and access to all services and support indicated in their individual education plans. Furthermore, we believe that all institutions should provide a safe-haven for students of all abilities, and disparities in instruction or discipline based on such factors should be eliminated.” [Website]
- “we should oppose the implementation of any school voucher or tax credit program that would financially and academically harm the Texas public school system.” [Website]
HEALTHCARE
- “every Texan should have access to high-quality, affordable health care. As a state, we must ensure that we provide comprehensive health care options to our all Texans, including the most vulnerable, our children, veterans, and seniors. No individual should be denied access because of a pre-existing condition or inability to pay an exorbitant hospital bill.” [Website]
- “Texans should support legislation that expands upon the principles of the Affordable Care Act, providing preventative and primary care treatment for medical, dental, and vision issues.” [Website]
- “We must support a system that allows Texans to choose their providers, yet replaces high insurance premiums, deductibles, and co-pays with progressive financing.” [Website]
- “We must also ensure that Texans have access to quality, affordable prescription drugs. No individual should be the victim of a corporation’s desire to manipulate the cost of health care treatment.” [Website]
- “Texas is a diverse state and we must work to eliminate the health disparities that exist amongst minority populations. In order to ensure that all Texans live long, healthy lives, we must support policy and legislation that will reduce the disparities that exist among racial, socioeconomic, and geographic lines.” [Website]
- “We must lower the cost of prescription drugs, expand Medicaid, and develop rural health care centers.” [Community Impact Candidate Q&A]
INFRASTRUCTURE
- “We must reassess the role that development… play[s] in our district. Development must happen in a way that invites businesses into our community without displacing families who have been here for generations.” [Community Impact Candidate Q&A]
INSURANCE / FLOOD
- “Every Texan should be assured that the state has comprehensive plans for handling the occurrence and aftermath of natural and man-made disasters.” [Website]
- “The state must develop, fund, and implement processes to ensure the welfare of Texan residents, including plans to manage emergency transportation, both the temporary and permanent housing of displaced individuals, both the short-term and long-term health care needs of displaced individuals, the educational needs of displaced students, debris and hazardous material removal, testing physical locations prior to repopulation, and securing funding to rebuild.” [Website]
- “The state must also pass legislation that will prohibit the sale of residential land located in a flood-plain without the buyer’s knowledge.” [Website]
- “we must immediately implement plans to mitigate disasters and ensure the welfare of the displaced during and after such events.” [Community Impact Candidate Q&A]
- “we saw progress with the passage of Senate Bill 2, which allocated $1.7 billion to invest in flood infrastructure, but since this district has seen three 500-year floods in the past five years, we need to invest more into flood mitigation and control.” [Community Impact Candidate Q&A]
TAXES
- “We must reassess the role that… property taxes play[s] in our district.” [Community Impact Candidate Q&A]
- “we must reform our school finance system to reduce reliance on property taxes, which are pushing people out of their homes and create an inequitable education system.” [Community Impact Candidate Q&A]
- “public tax money should only be used to support a system of free public schools. Furthermore, we should oppose the implementation of any school voucher or tax credit program that would financially and academically harm the Texas public school system.” [Website]
Endorsements
- Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee
- Annie’s List
- 314 Action Fund
- Swing Left
- Future Now Fund
- National Democratic Redistricting Committee
- Victory Fund
- LPAC
- End Citizens United
- Network for Public Education
- Texas Parent PAC
- Texans for Public Education – Friendly Rating
- Fort Bend American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
- Texas State Teachers Association (TSTA)
- Run For Something
- Texas AFL-CIO Tidelands Labor Assembly
- Sierra Club
- Planned Parenthood Texas
- NARAL Texas
- Moms Demand Action
- Texas Freedom Network
- Fort Bend County Democratic Party
- Fort Bend County Young Democrats
- Fort Bend County Tejano Democrats
- Katy Area Democrats
- Indivisible Katy Huddle
- Pantsuit Republic – Katy
- Houston Hispanic Political Action Committee
- Se Habla Español News
- Plumbers Local Union 68
- 80-20 National Asian American PAC
- County Judge KP George
Republican Candidate
Gary Gates (R)
EXPERIENCE
- Real Estate Investment, Business Owner
EDUCATION
- Unknown
On the Issues
ABORTION / CONTRACEPTION
- “Protect innocent life” [Website]
- “I am proud to be pro-life, and will always fight to defend the rights of the unborn.” [Facebook]
EDUCATION
- As a community grows, the first pain points that are felt are in the schools. Oftentimes, our schools in growing communities are trying to catch up to meet the demands of the growth. The state needs to continue to support our public schools… to address the demands of growth” [Community Impact Candidate Q&A]
- “The best way to ensure the state has the resources to fund education… is to pass policies that ensure a robust Texas economy. As a businessman, I plan to do just that.” [Community Impact Candidate Q&A]
HEALTHCARE
- Nothing
INFRASTRUCTURE
- Nothing
INSURANCE / FLOOD
- “The best way to ensure the state has the resources to fund… [and] address flood mitigation… is to pass policies that ensure a robust Texas economy. As a businessman, I plan to do just that.” [Community Impact Candidate Q&A]
TAXES
- “Protect taxpayers” [Website]
- “Gary support reforming the appraisal process that has been the main culprit in higher property taxes.” [Website]
- “The state needs to continue to support our public schools… to provide property tax relief for local tax payers.” [Community Impact Candidate Q&A]
- “[One of] the top two issues with constituents is high property taxes… Texans want to know they will be able to afford to stay in their homes… I’ll be a strong advocate on [this] front.” [Community Impact Candidate Q&A]
- “We need to continue the work of providing property tax relief” [Community Impact Candidate Q&A]
ENDORSEMENTS
- Greg Abbott
- James Dickey
- Sid Miller
- Ryan Sitton
- Christi Craddick
- Troy Nehls – Sheriff
- Milton Wright – Former Sheriff
- Linda Howell – FBC GOP Chair
- Trevor Nehls – Constable Pct 4
- Wayne Thompson – Constable Pc 3
- Andy Meyers – County Commissioner Pct 3
- Vincent Morales – County Commissioner Pct 1
- Tajana Surlan – Former Fulshear City Council member
- Melissa Roberts – LCISD Trustee 2015-2019
- Rep. Phil Stevenson
- Rep. Rick Miller
- Chair John Zerwas
- Rep. Mayes Middleton
- Rep. Briscoe Cain
- Rep. Greg Bonnen
- Rep. Matt Schaefer
- Chair Chris Paddie
- Chair Drew Springer
- Chair Charlie Green
- Chair Dade Phelan
- Chair Four Price
- Rep. Brad Buckley
- Rep. Cody Harris
- Rep. Ed Thompson
- Rep. Keith Bell
- Rep. Will Metcalf
- Rep. Cole Hefner
- Sen. Pat Fallon
- Fort Bend County GOP
- Greater Katy Area GOP
- Greg Travis – Houston City Council
- Bill Benton – Mayor of Rosenberg
- John Healey – Former DA of Fort Bend County
- Gary Hale and Clinton Purnell former challengers for HD28
- Raymond Wick 2066
- Bob Sullivent 2100
- Greg Goodrun 3004
- Yvonne Ramsey 3005
- Mark Diehl 3014
- Justin Schiro 3083
- Kenn Carr 3133
- Jason Walker 3143
- David Savage 3144
- Melvin Menezes 3146
- Linda Harnist 3149 Mayor Pro Tem of Weston Lakes
- Anthony Carpenter 3150
- A.D. Muller 3156
- Dan Martinez 4747
- Carlo Jimenez 4082
- Pat Hebert 3057
