on October 21, 2023
Farming is hard, but ethics should be easy, Susan Hays has said often on the campaign trail.
, See also:Texas Agriculture Commissioner election, 2022. However, hemp in Texas hasnt lived up to expectations. margin-bottom: .75em; At a time when newsroom resources and revenue across the country are declining, The Texas Tribune remains committed to sustaining our mission: creating a more engaged and informed Texas with every story we cover, every event we convene and every newsletter we send. display: inline-block; width: 350px; Susan will fight hard for us. The agency is also responsible for helping rural hospitals with financial aid and technical assistance through its rural health division. | Hays said she would continue to advocate for those priorities in the future. I helped draft and pass the law that legalized hemp in Texas, and the ag commissioner regulates the hemp program and it was going through its rulemaking process. When asked about spreading fabricated photos or supporting stories on social media, Miller said he doesnt personally post everything to his accounts and that his team takes posts down most of the time when they find out theyre false. width: 50%; She said these are still important issues that need to be addressed by state leaders. .widget-row.value-only.white { Several studies, reports and courts have found that voter fraud is relatively rare, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, a nonpartisan law and policy institute. } To help people live better lives. And yet, you think about, well, what about the ag department? color: #fff; width: 50px; } Whether its Miller or Hays in office next year, the agriculture commissioner has several issues coming to a head. .race_header, .results_text, .results_table_container, .votebox_legend { The board is separate from the newsroom and other sections of the paper. An example from only a few years ago. And what I fear right now is that as the market gets further and further ahead of the government, its going to be harder to put some of the genies back in the bottle.. display: block; position: relative; LUBBOCK A mere 44 miles, a flyspeck on the map, separates the Central Texas towns where Sid Miller and Susan Hays grew up. One is a former rodeo cowboy caught in controversy. .results_row td { top: 0px; I decided in large part to run because of that experience.. But since 2015, 16 rural hospitals have closed, according to TORCH. .mw-body #mw-content-text .votebox .race_header h5.votebox-header-election-type { As an agriculture commissioner, what weve heard. And because it [was] run by an out-of-state corporation that doesnt particularly care. } color: #0645ad; } So there are loans and grants that USDA administers that help stabilize farmers and help them make it in the lean years so they can keep producing our food and fiber. So a big reason I wanted to run was to take those programs out of the basement, beef them up, and work night and day to try to save rural health care in Texas. The vaping crisis. Right now the government is engaging in a head-in-the-sand stance on it and thats not helpful to anyone, Hays told the board. I am truly humbled, Miller said on Twitter on Tuesday night. For more than two decades, Republicans have held every statewide office. SAN ANTONIO - Susan Hays is a Democrat candidate Texas Agriculture Commissioner. Why does this factor so largely in your campaign? I could lose everything: Dallas drag performers say Texas bills could impact their jobs, Facebook users can now apply for a portion of a $725 million settlement. padding-bottom: 3px; --subtitle-background: #334aab; He was not criminally charged for either trip following investigations into the travel by Travis County prosecutors. Texas agriculture commissioner race 2022: Susan Hays .widget-row.heading { clearInterval(nTimer); I was in a county that had kind of a regional hospital that used to be locally controlled its now privately held and poorly run. Our Ag Commissioner and his political operatives apparently missed those lessons, Hays said in the news release. Public policy. top: 2px; a.communitylink { color:black; font-weight:bold; } Sid Miller claims outright victory in Republican primary for agriculture commissioner The two-term Republican will face Democrat Susan Hays, assuming his lead holds in the Republican primary. Farming is hard, but ethics should be easy, Susan Hays has said often on Texas agriculture commissioner } During this election cycle, high-ranking Texas Republicans were privately undermining Miller, too. This years election cycle saw low turnout for early voting compared with 2020 and 2018, and more people waited to vote on Election Day this year. } We spoke to Hays about her background, her candidacy, and how she would approach the role of agriculture commissioner. font-weight: bold; Several studies, reports and courts have found that voter fraud is relatively rare, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, a nonpartisan law and policy institute. Listen to the interview above or read the transcript below. padding:7px 8px 8px; She spoke with the Texas Standard about why she, a progressive, has decided to challenge a conservative incumbent in a deep red state. But a big part of this job is pulling down those federal dollars for economic development programs or health care. The data is from our partner Decision Desk HQ, which gathers information from the Texas Secretary of States office and a representative sample of 50 counties to provide estimates as to how many votes are left to be counted and call winners. } WebCommissioner Miller is a businessman who breeds and trains American Quarter Horses. background-color: #f9d334; width: 100% !important; }. She directly against the corruption surrounding the selling hemp licenses for absurd prices ($25,000 vs. the expected $100). And Ill take the hemp program as an example. On the legalization piece of it, were now seeing poll numbers come out that more than fifty percent of Republican voters want it legalized. So it is absolutely the job of the AG Commissioner to look for new economic models for agriculture and promote them. } } You have to tell them what varieties youre growing. Yeah, he did. word-wrap: break-word; } In 2020, she represented Harris County in several cases as the county worked to figure out voting in the pandemic against a backdrop of furious opposition from state officials. Superintendent openings: Which ones are open or filled in North Texas? background-color: #db0000; .mw-body #mw-content-text .votebox .race_header h3.votebox-header-office-name { His opponent, Democrat Susan Hays, a former Dallas County Democratic Party chairwoman, has made Millers ethics baggage a central message of her campaign. } .votebox { The secretary of states website will also have information on polling locations closer to the start of voting. background-color: white; Additionally, you can confirm with your county elections office whether election day voting is restricted to locations in your designated precinct or if you can cast a ballot at any polling place. As the Features and Opinion Editor, she is responsible for coordinating editorials and segments from diverse authors. DALLAS Attorney Susan Hays says she knows the marijuana issue is garnering most of the headlines in her race for Texas agriculture commissioner. Democratic challenger Susan Hays, left, will face Republican Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller in November. Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. LUBBOCK A mere 44 miles, a flyspeck on the map, separates the Central Texas towns where Sid Miller and Susan Hays grew up. Susan Hays, candidate for Texas Commissioner of Agriculture I was thinking when you were talking about drafting the hemp law Miller embraced it, as I recall now. font-weight: 300; .electionsectionheading { height: 22px; Ive been a civil appellate lawyer for some years, and as I shifted my practice, I was named super lawyer in the cannabis category. Aside from Millers corruption, when you have a leader thats disengaged, its hard to get things done. } Sid Miller, former Dallas County Democratic chairwoman in race for Texas ag commissioner, (Photo courtesy of Hays Campaign / Courtesy of Hays Campaign), promotion of conspiracy theories, false stories and racist memes on social media. Hays has questioned Millers ethics and pointed to his controversies. --progress-bar: #f0a236; If you found the reporting above valuable, please consider making a donation to support it here. Then the impact of COVID-19. Box 41647 Phone: +1 (432) 538 This includes Millers reputation for making offensive remarks about immigrants, spreading falsehoods on social media, and the indictment of his longtime political consultant on charges of theft and bribery in exchange for state hemp licenses. You know, at times statutory changes are needed. margin-top: 1px; She lost in the general election on November 8, 2022. This transcript has been edited lightly for clarity: Texas Standard: Youre a Democrat running in a largely conservative state. Another reason Texas leads the nation in rural hospital closures is because it has the largest number of rural hospitals in the country with 158. They or someone they know has tried it and found it to be very helpful, Hays said. Do you value our journalism? We were impressed with Ireson, 34, a businessman with family ties to the cattle industry in Brazos County. margin: 0; Get the latest politics news from North Texas and beyond. Its estimated that Texas would receive $6.3 billion annually, and coverage would be expanded to include 1 million enrollees. position: absolute; Your gift helps pay for everything you find on texasstandard.org and KUT.org. font-size: 16px; background-color: grey; Miller and Hays can both legitimately claim deep Texas roots, but from those roots grew two diametrically opposed politicians now running against each other for Texas agriculture commissioner. } })(); See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection. 2023 Texas Standard. Texas agriculture commissioner And at the time we really needed some better regulations out of USDA. We think Hays is the best choice for Democratic voters. I spent the pandemic in Alpine, and I now pretty much live there. text-align: left !important; You are a cannabis attorney. State executives | Attorney Susan Hays filed to run as a Democratic candidate for agriculture commissioner, taking on the current occupant Republican Sid Miller. } .non_result_row div { Updated: 10 AM Central. Every Texan deserves to feel and be safe. EVALI was the acronym for the condition that people developed. .key-messages li {margin-bottom: 10px;} Instances of alleged fraud have also in some cases turned out to be mistakes by elections administrators or voters, according to the center. The man behind Mattress Mack: salesman, gambler introvert? padding-left: 8px; Miller claimed there havent been many rural hospital closures during his tenure, citing that a majority go back to 2005 a decade before he became commissioner. Well, you anticipated what I was going to ask, because when you started talking about hospitals, I thought, agriculture commissioner, really? Texas agriculture But something that Im hearing you talk about, though, are these sort of political and broader social implications, when it comes to criminal justice, all of those implications. Machines used to mark and read ballots cannot connect to the internet to protect against hacking. Susan grew up in rural Texas in the middle of ranching and hunting country. Its time that we got the bureaucrats and elected officials out of making medical decisions because what were doing now is picking winners and losers, Miller said. } } .votebox_legend .non_result_row { And nobody wants to throw them in jail for that. AUSTIN The race for Texas Agriculture Commissioner has focused less on the positions responsibilities and more on the controversies involving the Republican incumbent throughout his almost eight years in office. Susan Hays (Democratic Party) ran for election for Texas Commissioner of Agriculture. Obviously, the current agriculture commissioner, Sid Miller, is quite a character. Were recommending Hays because we think she possesses a more detailed grasp of key issues, deeper experience and is Democrats best option for agriculture commissioner. --title-background: #334aab; Miller opposes legalizing marijuana for recreational use in Texas. This takes time as polling places are closed down and election materials are transported back to county election officials. Show us with your support. Failure to expand Medicaid is a great example of Republican policies that are terrible for rural Texans. five election-related convictions during that period. text-align: left; The Texas Secretary of States office launched an audit of the 2020 election results in Dallas, Harris, Tarrant and Collin Counties. Humanities (1992); Georgetown Univ. You describe yourself as the first cannabis super lawyer. color: black; position: absolute; Commissioner } Sid Miller, former Dallas County Democratic chairwoman in race vertical-align: top; Voting for this election ended March 1, 2022. So financially, theyre pretty sound, Miller said. My Magic 8 Ball seems to think so. padding-bottom: 8px; background-color: #003388; One thing Ive seen by studying cannabis policy in other states, when the government gets behind the market, bad things happen. $('.showResponses').show(); width: 43%; Its hard to do business with [TDA]. .widget-value { .percentage_number { Aarn Torres, Austin Bureau Correspondent. if(document.getElementsByClassName("reference").length==0) if(document.getElementById('Footnotes')!==null) document.getElementById('Footnotes').parentNode.style.display = 'none'; What's on my ballot? Its just the wrong way to go about it. She said a top priority is to address the rural hospital shortage by revitalizing agriculture programs now rotting in the basement that can boost rural economic development and rural hospitals. line-height: 1.5em; @media (max-width:600px) { We can produce a crop of very, very high quality, but we have to continue to use all the platforms we have to promote that, Bessent explained. Miller said a majority of Texans 4 in 5 are in favor of legalizing marijuana for compassionate purposes. width: 90%; Then in mid-January, his longtime political consultant, Todd Smith, was indicted on theft and bribery charges related to selling access to hemp licenses from Millers agency. This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. This state is not prepared to deal with something like that because of the lack of enforcement mechanism. Texas }) Your opponent is an incumbent with a whole lot more name recognition. .non_result_row th { margin: auto; width: 250px; .contact_entity {font-size: 1.5em ;margin-top: 0.6em; margin-bottom: 0em;margin-right: 0.5em;} U.S. Congress | if (typeof $ != 'undefined') { Hays campaign issues include rural economic development, expanded health care, marijuana legalization and fighting corruption. This will be Millers third term in the role. And then there is rural health care, a topic Hays evoked at a recent rally with gubernatorial candidate Beto ORourke at Texas Tech University. } Ballot measures, Who represents me? State and local courts | clear: both; Well, you can be a character without being a nonstop scandal. .votebox_legend { This option is fairly limited in Texas. Susan Hays is challenging the Republican incumbent in the November midterm elections. display: inline-block; The Sunset Commission said were the best state agency theyve ever reviewed, so I think that says a lot about what weve done and what type of people we have with the TDA, Miller said. Some counties also make this information available on their websites. A Chronicle investigation reveals the extent of the ballot paper shortage in Harris County's November election, including how the shortages could impact the future of Texas' election laws. } Our commitment to ethical, fact-based journalism is vital to our democracy, and we cant do it without you. } As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on members to help keep our stories free and our events open to the public. Well, I mean, I wouldnt ask that question on the nose. .inner_percentage.Libertarian { That hospital drew from all the surrounding counties. But the Democrat wants the public to know the position is also responsible for rural health care in Texas, and she says she has a plan to save it. And its not because we want giveaways to farmers farmers arent the type to take them. Hays promotes practices that could help farmers boost their crop growth even with Texas changing climate. Our medical cannabis program is comically rudimentary. Youll need one of seven types of valid photo ID to vote in Texas: A state drivers license, a Texas election identification certificate, a Texas personal identification card, a Texas license to carry a handgun, a U.S. military ID card with a personal photo, a U.S. citizenship certificate with a personal photo or a U.S. passport. The machines also have seals with unique serial numbers and are locked down at the end of voting. None of them are credible.. background-color: grey; What can you tell them that might convince them to vote for a Democrat for this position? Are there any other issues that you would like to champion as agriculture commissioner? .votebox-results-metadata-p { .widget-key { The coalition also has hotlines available in other languages and for Texans with disabilities. Source. float: left; We need to quickly, fully expand the medical cannabis program, and then we also need to both decriminalize and legalize. @media screen and (max-width: 350px) { Millers challenger Susan Hays says another kind of outside influence has already tainted his office. He later turned it into 20 world rodeo championships. She directly against the corruption surrounding the selling hemp licenses for absurd prices ($25,000 vs. the expected $100). Susan will fight hard for us. Im running for Agriculture Commissioner because corruption is bad for business. Miller also led Hays 51%-40% among almost certain voters in a poll late last month by the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation. Both candidates have high-profile endorsements three former Texas Supreme Court justices, all Republican, have endorsed Hays, while Miller has former president Donald Trumps endorsement. So are we, thats why were fighting back against the right-wing lie machine. Her political ideologies are driven by her lessons in vacation Bible school and growing up around politicians whom she considered good examples for public service. Susan Hays is the best for agriculture commissioner I mean, there are a lot of hemp farmers who feel that theyre sort of high and dry. Her law practice took her to advising cannabis producers and businesses, and pushing Texas to open the door to this high-value crop with the hemp program. a[aria-expanded=false] .fa-chevron-down { display: none; } margin-bottom: 0; I would get three different answers from three different people. This election season, Texans around the state will turn to The Texas Tribune for the information they need on voting, election results, analysis of key races and more. Government can be used to help people make money. Hays said she would support that program, which is now stalled, and also diversify the agriculture departments staff. padding-bottom: 7px; Miller has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump and was once thought to be under consideration to be the U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary under the 45th president. color: white; It also hit the hemp crop. How do you feel about that? Governor, Attorney General and the other statewide offices down-ballot, perhaps the most impactful votes will be coming from rural Texas. font-size: .9em; On top of that, in this growing season, we had the drought and that devastated the cotton crop. Im running for Agriculture Commissioner because corruption is bad for business. .inner_percentage.CrossFiled { } } } DALLAS Attorney Susan Hays says she knows the marijuana issue is garnering most of the headlines in her race for Texas agriculture commissioner. font-weight: bold; background-color: green; var nTimer = setInterval(function() { One of the problems of getting into hemp, the varieties of hemp that are for sale arent predictable. The job of this position is to bring as many federal dollars back to Texas as possible. Paper ballots are also stored in locked boxes and must be preserved for at least 22 months after an election. If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you. Miller has also been accused of raising taxes and fees on struggling farmers and ranchers and neglecting the jobs essential duties. What does that title mean? Hays has more than doubled Millers fundraising efforts, reporting more than $111,500 to his $48,000, according to Oct. 11 campaign finance reports. Thats awful to do to people. Farming is hard, but ethics should be easy, Hays said Thursday as she announced her campaign against the scandal-prone Miller. Both candidates displayed humor, a solid understanding of the job, and maturity levels that seemed to far exceed the incumbents. Youll want to check for open polling locations with your local elections office before you head out to vote. .race_header.democratic { But I watched him not be able to change anything, not be able to use the power youd think hed have as a Trump guy. margin-bottom: -2px !important; } Both their families have been in the state for generations, Hays since just after the Civil War and Millers since the 1700s. } $('.showResponses').on('click', () => { Hes just not suited for public office and not suited for this management role and outreach role that this office demands, Hays said. $('.collapse').collapse('show'); height: 50px;