As Texas voters fret about the high cost of living, candidates running in this year’s midterm elections are trying to claim the mantle of affordability.
Candidates up and down the ballot have floated a litany of ideas, including cutting everyone a $1,500 check and pausing taxes, aimed at taming the high cost of, well, everything.
To help voters navigate those proposals, The Texas Tribune has assembled a guide of Texans’ major household expenses — from housing costs, property taxes and homeowners insurance to health insurance, groceries and a tank of gasoline — and how they’ve ballooned over the last several years. Reporters with the Tribune surveyed major candidates running in the most consequential statewide races, read campaign sites and interviewed experts to understand candidates’ proposals to tackle costs and what solutions they’re still missing.
Here’s the guide:
Expenses
Groceries
What is driving up costs
Disasters and disease: Snared supply chains during the pandemic lockdowns increased import costs. Severe weather and disease have also created steep price increases of specific foods. Drought and wildfires have reduced the U.S. cattle herd and caused beef prices to soar. An outbreak of avian influenza beginning in 2022 also led to the culling of chicken flocks in the U.S., and it took years before prices stabilized.
Immigration enforcement, war and tariffs: Labor costs have risen as immigration raids shrink the labor pool. Global conflict has spiked the cost of fertilizers and fuel for the transportation of food to store shelves. Tariffs enacted by the Trump administration have increased the cost of many food imports, with more than half of all U.S. food imports subject to a tariff as of February, according to the Tax Foundation.
What are candidates proposing
U.S. Senate
Ken Paxton R He said he would target the corporations that supply Americans’ food, accusing them of being monopolies that price gouge and engage in unfair business practices, particularly meatpackers. Paxton also promised to rein in government spending, which he argued has driven up inflation.
James Talarico D He promises to push back against efforts to restrict federal food aid programs, increase oversight into the mergers of companies that supply food, remove tariffs on produce that can’t be grown in the U.S. and work to increase competition among grocery providers.
Governor
Greg Abbott R He has not publicized a plan to tackle high grocery costs. His website says his efforts to boost the Texas economy have put money in Texans’ wallets.
Gina Hinojosa D She promises to go after the major corporations that supply Texans’ food, arguing they put their profits ahead of consumers. She specifically pointed to the practice of surveillance pricing, or an algorithm that works to determine the highest price a consumer is willing to pay when shopping online.
Lieutenant Governor
Dan Patrick R He has not released a plan to specifically address grocery prices.
Vikki Goodwin D She said she would support the Texas Food System Security and Resiliency Planning Council, a body created in 2024 that is intended to monitor and address food supply chain issues. She also promised to invest in local farmers and ranchers.
What candidates are missing
Ending the Iran war: The U.S. war with Iran, which candidates have little ability to directly influence, is a large driver of increased food prices. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz is restricting the exports from the Middle East, driving up the cost of fertilizer and fuel used in farm equipment and to transport food to store shelves. Diesel prices in Texas recently reached $6 a gallon, a record high for the state, according to AAA.
Ending tariffs: Under Republican control, Congress, so far, has shown little appetite to push back on many of Trump’s tariffs during his second term. That may change if Democrats take control of the legislative branch. At the state level, officials have little ability to directly impact federal trade policy.
— Paul Cobler
Gasoline
What is driving up costs
Oil markets are notably volatile because of the cost and effort that goes into drilling new wells and the global demand for gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.
Ukraine war: The price of oil jumped above $100 a barrel in 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine. Western sanctions on Russian oil, about 10% of global daily production, triggered a supply shock. Although the market adjusted to the disruption in the following years, Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian refineries this summer prompted Russia to ban diesel exports in July, further limiting the global supply of diesel. The price for a gallon of diesel in Texas reached $6 in September.
What are candidates proposing
U.S. Senate
Ken Paxton R He supports a permanent repeal of the federal gas tax. He also supports keeping regulations low for the state’s oil and gas industry, promising to increase American oil and gas production to lower prices. The federal gas tax is 18.4 cents per gallon of gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon of diesel.
James Talarico D He has also called for a pause on federal gas and diesel taxes and an end to the war with Iran.
Governor
Greg Abbott R Although Abbott has declared a state emergency over gas prices and used his emergency powers to allow the use of untaxed, dyed diesel fuel on Texas roadways, he has said he can’t unilaterally suspend the gas tax without the Legislature. He supports cutting red tape for the oil and gas industry.
Gina Hinojosa D She has called for a pause on the state and federal gas taxes. In Texas, the tax is 20 cents per gallon of gasoline and diesel.
Lieutenant Governor
Dan Patrick R He said recently in Midland he trusts Trump’s war with Iran, arguing the pain at the gas pump is worth defeating the Iranian regime. He is broadly supportive of low regulation of Texas’ oil and gas industry.
Vikki Goodwin D She blamed the U.S. war with Iran for high gas prices and said she would push the state to encourage flexible and remote work options and expand public transportation to reduce Texans’ reliance on cars.
What candidates are missing
Ending current wars: Experts say the global price of oil will not drop significantly until disruptions to supply are addressed, either through the end of the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East or the creation of alternative sources of oil. Republican candidates in Texas have largely remained behind President Donald Trump’s war effort.
Gas tax impact: Public policy experts also widely pan proposals to suspend the state and federal gas tax, arguing it offers minimal savings and artificially boosts demand for fuel amid a shortage, which can actually drive prices up.
— Paul Cobler
Utilities
What is driving up costs
While many have blamed the rapid growth of data centers for rising electricity rates in Texas, a mix of factors are making utilities, including water and gas, more expensive.
Transmission issues: Natural disasters damaging transmission equipment and transmission congestion caused by growing demand have helped increase energy prices in Texas.
Natural gas supply: Decreased utility natural gas supply has increased prices by 100% higher compared to a year ago, according to Texas Gas Service, the third-largest natural gas distribution company in Texas. International conflicts have hurt supply. And ratepayers are still being billed for the extraordinarily high prices distribution companies paid for gas during Winter Storm Uri in 2021 when gas infrastructure froze.
Water shortage: Water shortages and expensive efforts to upgrade the state’s water infrastructure have increased costs for utility customers, according to experts who testified at the Texas House Committee on Natural Resources in June.
What are candidates proposing
U.S. Senate
Ken Paxton R He would work to remove regulations on energy companies he says are increasing prices for consumers. He also backs Abbott’s plan to require data centers to pay for their electricity and water infrastructure and said he would support federal legislation to make that easier for companies to do.
James Talarico D He would work to pass federal legislation requiring data centers to pay for needed infrastructure. He also said he plans to modernize the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, a federal act that assists low-income households with paying for heating, cooling and preventing shut-offs. He would also work to fund electric, gas and water infrastructure to harden them in the event of a natural disaster.
Governor
Greg Abbott R He’s called for an end of municipally-owned utilities, arguing they drive up energy rates. Abbott also points to laws he’s signed to expand energy generation since 2021, and he touts his plan to require data centers to pay for their own electricity infrastructure and provide their own water.
Gina Hinojosa D She would require data center companies to pay for infrastructure upgrades they need to be energized, similar to Abbott’s policy. She’s repeatedly called on Abbott to call a special session so the Legislature can debate regulation for the industry. She also said she would increase regulation of corporations that supply gas to Texans.
Lieutenant Governor
Dan Patrick R He supports a legislative moratorium on the construction of new data centers until concerns around their use of electricity and water can be addressed. Patrick also wants to pause massive planned transmission line buildout over concerns that the lines cut through residents’ land. Instead, he encourages building of additional power generation where it’s needed.
Vikki Goodwin D She wants to require data centers to pay for needed electricity and water infrastructure. Goodwin also promised to invest state money into electric grid and water infrastructure projects.
What candidates are missing
Reducing transmission congestion: The state has enough generation to meet the state’s needs, but the transmission infrastructure that carries it to where it is needed is becoming increasingly strained by growing demand. Experts agree that reducing transmission congestion and upgrading electrical infrastructure is crucial to reducing prices.
Better grid demand forecasting: While it’s unclear exactly how much of it will come to fruition, the queue to connect to the state electric grid has more than 400 gigawatts of potential energy demand in it, four times higher than the grid’s highest ever demand set earlier this summer. Grid experts say managing that growth will be grid regulators’ central challenge for years to come.
Long-term water planning: Long-term water planning has also come under scrutiny in Texas after Corpus Christi nearly faced a water emergency earlier this year due to drought and industrial consumption. Climate change has disrupted long-term water use forecasts, which contributed to the water crisis in Corpus Christi, according to a report by nonpartisan thinktank Texas 2036.
— Paul Cobler
Housing
What is driving up costs
Housing supply: Texas faces a shortage of available homes to buy or rent that compounded as the state grew. The state needs about 260,000 more homes than it has in order to meet demand, according to an estimate by the housing advocacy group Up For Growth. That shortage has kept home prices and rents elevated.
Rising premiums: Homeowners insurance premiums have risen, too. Thanks to climate change, extreme weather events like hurricanes, hailstorms and winter freezes are more common and more severe. The cost of repairing damage to a home has grown owing to higher labor and construction material costs.
What are candidates proposing
U.S. Senate
Ken Paxton R He wants to give a $50,000 income-tax deduction for first-time homebuyers, and for those moving to a new primary residence. He wants to prevent corporations from buying single-family homes and to cut unspecified “federal red tape that adds tens of thousands of dollars to a new house.”
James Talarico D He wants to expand the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, remove federal and local barriers to construction, encourage modular housing, ban Wall Street home purchases and offer down-payment assistance for first-time homebuyers. He has said he supports legislation reducing insurance costs, but with no further details.
Governor
Greg Abbott R He wants to make it easier to build accessory dwelling units in the backyards of single-family homes, speed up building permits, allow pre-approved housing designs and punish cities who have flouted new state laws aimed at allowing apartments in more places. On the homeowners insurance front, Abbott wants to set up a $400 million roof fortification program to help harden Texans’ homes.
Gina Hinojosa D She wants to stop private equity firms from purchasing single-family homes and send every Texas household a one-time $1,500 payment. She has not publicly proposed a plan to address homeowners insurance.
Lieutenant Governor
Dan Patrick R He does not directly address housing costs or homeowners insurance in his campaign platform, but has shepherded state-level housing reforms in the past.
Vikki Goodwin D She wants to “incentivize the construction of lower-priced homes and remove unnecessary barriers that drive up the cost of construction,” her campaign said. She also wants to “strengthen oversight of insurance companies to ensure rates are fair and justified.”
What candidates are missing
“Missing middle” housing: No candidates have explicitly said they want to allow more “missing middle” housing like duplexes, fourplexes, rowhouses and smaller apartment buildings. Many cities make it illegal to build those kinds of homes, and tend to only allow detached single-family homes on large lots or large apartment buildings.
Rental assistance and eviction prevention: No candidates have proposed direct financial relief to renters or ways to keep them in their homes.
Workforce: Immigration raids have put a dent in the state’s construction workforce, making it harder to find the workers necessary to build the homes Texas needs.
— Joshua Fechter
Property taxes
What is driving up costs
Public services: Texans pay some of the highest property tax bills in the nation, in part because the state relies heavily on property taxes to pay for services like schools, police and fire departments, roads, parks and libraries.
Population growth: As the state has grown, so has the cost of providing those services. As property values have grown, local governments haven’t always adjusted tax rates to compensate.
What are candidates proposing
Governor
Greg Abbott R He wants to get rid of school property taxes for homeowners, put tighter limits on how much property values can rise and make it harder for local governments to raise taxes.
Gina Hinojosa D She has an unspecified plan to end state corporate subsidies and use that money to cut property taxes, with the aim of eventually getting rid of residential property taxes while fully funding public schools.
Lieutenant Governor
Dan Patrick R He wants to extend the senior homestead exemption on school property taxes to people age 55 and up, while boosting the exemption offered to every homeowner on those taxes from $140,000 to $180,000 of assessed value.
Vikki Goodwin D She wants the state to spend more on public schools as a means to lower local property taxes. She also wants to limit how fast rental properties’ values can rise in exchange for lower rents. Goodwin also wants to automatically give new homeowners a homestead exemption when they first buy their home, not make them apply for the exemption later.
U.S. Senators do not typically have much influence on state property taxes.
— Joshua Fechter
Healthcare
What is driving up costs
Less competition: More physician practices, hospitals and pharmacies are consolidating to form bigger businesses. With less competition, these big companies can control prices, which can often result in higher costs to patients.
Sicker patients: People, particularly those who are older and those who have chronic conditions, are seeking out more healthcare services and using their health insurance to pay for it. The higher cost that insurance companies incur from those sicker individuals is spread to other insured people in the form of higher costs.
High uninsured population: Texas has the largest number of people who have no health insurance, resulting in sicker patients who need pricier treatments by the time they land in the emergency room. Federal law requires any patient who arrives at an ER be treated or stabilized regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay. In a state where 16% of its residents have no health insurance, those costs to hospital ERs are considerable.
Medicaid and Affordable Care Act policy decisions: Texas consistently ranks among states with the lowest Medicaid reimbursement rate. Also, Texas is one of a handful of states that has refused to expand Medicaid coverage to working age adults, which could bring an estimated $5.4 billion in new federal funding to Texas. Then there’s the change a year ago to the Affordable Care Act which stripped customers of subsidies that kept the cost of their insurance lower, particularly older ACA customers who are too young for Medicare.
What are candidates proposing
U.S. Senate
Ken Paxton R His Protecting the Texas Promise plan would offer a $25,000 tax deduction for out-of-pocket medical expenses, including for insurance premiums, plus up to $25,000 per dependent. He will also create a $5,000 healthy-living deduction for gym memberships, nutrition plans, children’s sports and doctor-prescribed GLP-1 medications. His campaign said he would work to codify President Trump’s price transparency rules so hospitals and insurers post real prices before patients are billed.
James Talarico D He supports Medicare For All, an insurance model in which the federal government would mostly pay for everyone’s coverage. He also supports increasing drug price transparency and caps on out-of-pocket costs for medications. He said he would improve the Affordable Care Act and wants to reverse the Trump administration’s cuts to the ACA, Medicaid and Medicare.
Governor
Greg Abbott R He has proposed a $25 cap on inhalers and epinephrine. He would also allow smaller employers to offer a cheaper Essential Benefits plan that doesn’t meet all state mandates but would meet federal guidelines. Abbott says such a plan would save small businesses up to $3,400 per year and Texas families nearly $1,150.
Gina Hinojosa D She supports banning bad-faith insurance denials and strengthening the state’s rural hospital system.
Lieutenant Governor
Dan Patrick R He has not said or posted on his website any specifics on how to reduce healthcare costs.
Vikki Goodwin D Her Texas Cares Plan would create a new state health insurance program that covers working adults who make too much for Medicaid but who cannot get health insurance through their workplace. She also wants more money to improve rural healthcare.
Create a prescription drug affordability board: While the state has a Texas Pharmaceutical Initiative Board that can lower drug and medical supply costs for state employees, higher education, and health and human services beneficiaries, it does not apply to caps on what private insurance can charge. Currently, nine states have such boards.
— Terri Langford
College tuition
What is driving up costs
Average tuition and fees for Texas residents at universities has increased slightly but has not outpaced pandemic inflation, statewide data shows. Public higher education institutions in Texas have frozen tuition costs and fees for undergraduates since the 2023-24 school year, most recently under a directive from Abbott.
State funding drops: And while the Legislature has invested millions to reform community college funding and expand degree pathways for students, major funding gaps remain. Some colleges could see massive drops in state dollars in the 2027 fiscal year in part because the state needed to proportionately reduce funding for all community colleges to stay within its budget.
What are candidates proposing
U.S. Senate
Ken Paxton R While he’s claimed credit for ending undocumented students’ eligibility for in-state tuition, he has not offered other ways to lower tuition costs. He opposes student-debt bailouts, saying that the Biden administration’s student loan cancellation shifted costs onto taxpayers who never went to college or who have paid off their loans.
James Talarico D He has called for a reversal of federal cuts to the U.S Department of Education and for additional funding for Pell Grants and other student aid.
Governor
Greg Abbott R He supports requiring four-year universities to offer up to $1,000 off to undergraduates taking summer classes. The governor also has called for public universities to establish three-year bachelor’s degree programs to reduce costs.
Gina Hinojosa D She wants to appoint university regents who would expand tuition grant programs to include housing, food, transportation and textbook costs. She also supports having the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board investigate rising costs.
Lieutenant Governor
Dan Patrick R He has called on state lawmakers to review the community college funding model and evaluate transparency standards for higher education institutions.
Vikki Goodwin D She saidshe would “prioritize legislation” that lowers college costs, including increasing community college funding and expanding college credit opportunities in high school.
What candidates are missing
Funding need-based programs: Advocacy groups say lawmakers’ first step in the upcoming session should be fully funding need-based aid programs, including the Texas Grant, the Texas Educational Opportunity Grant, and the Tuition Equalization Grant. The Legislature agreed to fund about two-thirds of students eligible for state financial aid during the last session.
College credit options: Grace Atkins, Texas 2036’s postsecondary and workforce policy advisor, said the state should increase investment into its performance-based funding model for community colleges. It should also expand high-quality dual credit programs for high school students and improve the transfer process so students don’t lose college credits, she said.
College alternatives: The Texas Public Policy Foundation plans to advocate for an “Experience Matters Act,” which would recognize military experience and other skills as qualifications for state jobs to reduce “unnecessary degree requirements.”
— Megan Menchaca
Childcare
What is driving up costs
Inflation: The largest factors driving up costs for childcare are inflation and the fact that the federal government has not increased its support of childcare to meet inflation, according to Kim Kofron at Children at Risk, a Houston nonprofit children’s advocacy group. Childcare centers must provide food, entertainment and education to the children in their care, and the cost of each of those things has risen. Other costs of running a business such as electricity and property taxes have also risen.
Labor retention: Childcare employees are also coping with rising costs. Some childcare centers are struggling to retain employees because they can’t pay more than $11 or $12 per hour.
What are candidates proposing
U.S. Senate
Ken Paxton R He has not publicly offered solutions specific to childcare affordability, but he has advocated for child tax credits, medical expense deductions for children and a federal savings account for children. This would give parents more money to pay for expenses including childcare.
James Talarico D His childcare proposals include capping tuition for every 3- and 4-year-olds at 7% of a family’s total income; eliminating Texas’ childcare deserts through state partnerships; providing additional federal and state dollars for the Child Care Development Fund — which provides childcare subsidies for low-income families — and for the national Head Start program; creating federal tax breaks for childcare facilities; and supporting tax credits for companies that support childcare. Talarico has also advocated for child tax credits, which would give parents more money to spend on expenses, including childcare.
Governor
Greg Abbott R He has called for investigations into childcare fraud which he believes is draining cash from the childcare subsidy program. His campaign hasn’t focused on any specific solutions to childcare affordability.
Gina Hinojosa D She has prioritized policies addressing K-12 education, but told the Texas Tribune that Texas’ vouchers should be expanded to include public pre-K programs.
Lieutenant Governor
Dan Patrick R While he is also focused on increasing affordability overall, he has not offered any specifics on making childcare more affordable.
Vikki Goodwin D She said she has a track record of addressing childcare affordability issues and promised to continue that work, but did not offer specifics.
What candidates are missing
Permanent state funding: New Mexico has created a permanent funding mechanism for the childcare subsidy program that are paid on top of federal dollars. Texas has not.
Streamline requirements: Texas currently has four agencies that oversee childcare, and some of their requirements overlap. The agencies have discussed ways to improve and simplify requirements for providers, which could help reduce the workload for childcare operators. The agencies could implement some proposals while others require legislative approval.
Transparency for parents: Advocacy groups, like Texans Care for Children, have called for a system that keeps parents apprised of day care seats available in their communities, as well as the status of scholarship applications. There are more than 100,000 children waiting for news on scholarships to help pay for childcare and that number will grow before the end of the year.
A note on tax credits: Paxton and Talarico suggested tax credits and deductions for parents to help affordability. However, many parents won’t see the benefit of the deductions or credits until they file tax returns. These proposals do put more money in parents’ hands, but it may not impact their weekly budget.
— Jess Huff
Disclosure: Texas 2036 has been a major financial supporter of The Texas Tribune. Children at Risk and Texans Care for Children have been financial supporters within the past five years. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in our journalism. Find a complete list of them and more information about our financial and disclosure policies here.
This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune.
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