AUSTIN, Texas — This week, Gov. Greg Abbott got his first Republican challenger for the 2022 primary.
Don Huffines is a wealthy businessman from Dallas who served one term in the state senate before being unseated by Democrat Nathan Johnson in 2018. He's been critical of Gov. Abbott's handling of coronavirus policies and says it's time for "actual Republican leadership."
In an interview on Capital Tonight Thursday he said he's vowing bolder action on border security, elections and wants to eliminate property taxes.
"This is not overnight," he said. "This is not going to happen in one to two years. This might take a decade. It might take 12 years...If you don't have a governor that's going to champion getting rid of property taxes than it's not going to happen."
When asked about how to pay for eliminating a property tax, Huffines said one possibility is raising the sales tax.
"What it really means is we're going to capture the growth in revenue in the state of Texas and use it to buy down our property taxes."
Huffines says he'll run to the right of Gov. Abbott on almost every issue and is seeking the endorsement of former President Donald Trump.
"I'm looking forward to getting his endorsement," he said.
Click the video link above to watch our full interview with Huffines.