The man who was once the Texas Legislature’s biggest firebrand could be making a return to elected office soon. Former State Rep. Jonathan Stickland- Texas House troublemaker-in-chief, permanent occupant of the back mic, and menace to Democrats and establishment Republicans alike- took to Twitter with a not-so-subtle hint recently:
The capital letters are not just randomly dispersed in idiosyncratic Trumpian fashion, but would appear to deliberately spell out GLO, the acronym for the Texas’ General Land Office. The GLO of course deals with land, some veterans issues, and is the custodian of Texas’ most sacred shrine: The Alamo.
The GLO Commissioner spot will also be an open race in 2022, as incumbent George P. Bush has announced he is running for attorney general instead.
Stickland served in the Texas House from 2013 to 2021 representing the Bedford area. He was consistently rated the lower chamber’s most conservative member by almost every metric and scorecard. Uncompromising and principled, he was a frequent “no” vote and a thorn in the side of GOP leadership. He decided not to seek re-election in 2020.
If Stickland runs for Land Commissioner, he will not be alone. Perennial candidate Weston Martinez has already announced he is running for the position with the endorsement of Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller. State Sen. Dawn Buckingham (R-Lakeway) is also considering the position, and has been running social media ads testing a potential run.
One issue is likely to dominate the Republican Primary for what is otherwise a rather mundane and uncontroversial office: The Alamo. Bush’s handling of The Alamo throughout his time in office was fraught with controversy, centering around unpopular plans to “Re-imagine The Alamo.”
Perhaps no Texas politician is simultaneously more loved and more hated than Stickland. If he runs for Land Commissioner, it will certainly make an already action-packed primary season infinitely more interesting.
Texas Citizen Journal 