TEXAS — State Rep. Michelle Beckley, D-Carrollton, announced she's running for lieutenant governor Tuesday morning. 

In her campaign announcement, she criticized Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick for implementing policies that "hurt Texas businesses and make life harder for all Texans." 

"Texans are ready for change," Beckley said. “I’m running for lieutenant governor because politicians are putting ideology ahead of results that matter to Texans. In the last legislative session alone, they worked to limit voters’ rights, put bounties on women, marginalize minorities, and make up false boogeymen in our schools, and the health and wealth of Texans suffered. I’m running to stop them.”

She joins two others in the Democratic primary. Mike Collier, a Houston accountant who was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 2018 and came within 5 percentage points of beating Patrick, and Matthew Dowd, a political commentator who worked for George W. Bush and Bob Bullock, are also running. 

Beckley said her top priorities as lieutenant governor would be expanding Medicaid, fixing the state’s power grid, fully funding public education and legalizing marijuana. 

Beckley is the owner of a pet shop and entered politics in 2018 when she unexpectedly flipped her traditionally Republican North Texas seat, beating incumbent Ron Simmons, who authored the so-called "bathroom bill." 

Earlier this year, Beckley announced a run for Congressional District 24, which is currently held by Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Irving. She suspended her campaign after lawmakers made the district more favorable to Republicans during the redistricting process.