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The Texas Land Commissioner race is often overlooked during elections because of the more powerful state offices up for grabs.
It's the oldest statewide office, dating back to the Republic of Texas. Its powers are important, but narrow. The commissioner leads the state’s General Land Office, or GLO. Among other duties, the GLO manages 13 million acres of state-owned land in Texas.
This year's race features the first woman to hold the office, Republican Dawn Buckingham, and Democrat Benjamin Flores, a newcomer to statewide politics.
Republican incumbent Dawn Buckingham is a ninth-generation Texan who worked her way through UT-Galveston medical school to build a career as an eye-focused plastic surgeon. She faces Democrat Benjamin Flores, a former Bay City councilman.
Buckingham's campaign didn’t respond to TPR’s interview request, but she’s been in the office since 2023. As land commissioner, she has said the Alamo is her "greatest love."
"You know, it doesn't matter where we travel as Texans in the world. We say we're from Texas, not the United States. We say we're from Texas. And when we say we're from Texas, reactively, it doesn't matter, on the plains of Africa, wherever I've been, instinctively the answer back is 'remember the Alamo,'" Buckingham said in one speech.
The GLO is the custodian for the Alamo — the state's top tourist attraction. Buckingham has overseen a more than half-a-billion-dollar makeover of its grounds in San Antonio. The project is designed to make it a bigger and more educational experience for visitors. Day-to-day operations at the Alamo, site of the 1836 battle that helped lead to Texas independence from Mexico, are handled by the Alamo Trust.
On top of that, the GLO’s business is land. It sees to it that money earned from state land goes toward public education. The agency also oversees veterans' land programs and long-term spending of federal disaster funds after floods or hurricanes.
UT-San Antonio Political Science Chair Jon Taylor said the office is often a springboard into bigger things, such as the governor's race. And it has just enough power to keep the job interesting.
“The idea is that it’s managing the state’s affairs in terms of money, especially disaster relief, public schools. Those are important things, so it does make sense that someone would want this position.”
Buckingham’s Democratic challenger is the Mexico-born Flores. He introduced himself in a campaign video to voters this way.
“I came to the U.S. in 1996 with a big dream. I worked my way up, earned my citizenship, and built a career in cybersecurity. Today, my family and I live on a small ranch in Bay City.” Flores operates a family pig farm in Bay City, too.
Besides their backgrounds, one of the biggest differences between Buckingham and Flores has to do with 2017’s Hurricane Harvey — specifically, how long-term federal relief funds were spent. Critics say the GLO, led by then Commissioner George P. Bush, discriminated against communities of color when distributing federal disaster mitigation funding. The Biden administration agreed. But the Trump administration cleared Texas of any civil rights violations earlier this year.
Buckingham called those allegations politically motivated. But Flores told TPR he’ll work to get funds back to hurricane victims in Houston.
Another divide between the candidates is border issues. Buckingham is proud of assisting Operation Lone Star — the controversial, Texas-funded border security initiative. Shortly after President Trump won the 2024 election, Buckingham offered her support — and state-owned land — in Starr County.
"I have extended an offer to President Trump to use this 1,400-acre property to construct a facility for the processing, detention, and coordination efforts of what will be the largest deportation of violent criminals in our nation's history," she said.
Buckingham’s office has also identified areas on the Rio Grande that belong to Texas and give law enforcement better border access. Her online photos include her wearing cowboy hats and toting guns on the border. Flores said immigration enforcement has nothing to do with the job.
“There is no capacity in which the land commissioner in my view, and I don’t think by legislature, should be trying to enforce certain laws that do not belong under the general land office.”
Despite Buckingham’s huge lead in campaign funding, polls show a close race. Like so many other statewide contests in Texas this year.
