We recommend in the race for Texas House District 89

In the Texas House 89th District in Collin County, we recommend Republican Candy Noble for re-election. While we disagree with some of her positions, we recognize that she represents the values ​​of her constituents as a strong conservative who stands up for what she believes in.

Noble, 62, was one of five Collin County Republicans who voted to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton. This shows that their values ​​are non-negotiable, even if it means running against a pro-Paxton candidate in the primary.

Noble was unavailable for our in-person interview, but we were able to reach her by phone. She also provided detailed answers in our Voter Guide.

Noble supports strict abortion restrictions and opposes gun control, two issues where we would like Republican lawmakers to have more flexibility, but there are other areas where she is open to compromise, such as the economy, transportation, water and energy. In the last legislative session, she sponsored a bipartisan bill that would require the state child welfare agency and its contractors to conduct more comprehensive background checks when hiring employees.

Although she left blank a question in the Voter Guide about whether members of the minority party should be appointed committee chairs, she advocated in February for including moderate Democrats in the legislative process.

In the past, she described herself as a “free market girl.” We'd like to see more of this in the coming legislative session, as housing affordability is a top priority for Texas and Gov. Greg Abbott has called for legislative solutions to curb institutional homebuyers as one possible path forward.

Noble, who has a degree in education, supports introducing a voucher program in the next legislative session, arguing it should be an option for low-income families who can't afford private education and are stuck in underperforming schools. Your input next session on one of Abbott's top priorities should be important, but we would like to see a proposal that does not undermine public funding in schools.

Noble also wants to eliminate the STAAR test and replace it with individual progress and achievement tests three times a year and a final test. Noble told us that children were too stressed for a single test and that her suggestion should have no impact on students' progress.

Immigration has been a top concern for Noble, and we expect it will continue to shape the border policy debate in Texas. In the last legislative session, Noble sponsored two immigration bills that provided infrastructure for Operation Lone Star and increased penalties for human smugglers.

Democrat Darrel Evans, who works in digital advertising, is running against Noble. Evans lacks political experience and has been unable to make a convincing case for why he should replace the incumbent in this conservative district that includes parts of Allen, Fairview and other cities.

Evans, 40, is passionate about education, an area on which he provided detailed answers. We think he should consider running for school board trustee where he can apply his knowledge.

But for the Texas House of Representatives' 89th District, voters should elect Noble.

We look forward to hearing your thoughts in a letter to the editor. See the guidelines and Submit your letter here. If you have any problems with the form, you can email it to [email protected]