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Democrat Mike Collier to run against Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick again

Texas Lt. Governor candidate Mike Collier.

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A popular Democrat is running for Lieutenant Governor of Texas: Mike Collier, who ran for the office in 2018, has officially thrown his hat in the ring.

Collier created an exploratory committee in April and has already raised more than $1 million dollars in small dollar donations, none of which are from corporate PACs.

He served as Senior Advisor for Texas to President Joe Biden in 2020, and his background is in finance. He earned a bachelor's degree and MBA from the University of Texas at Austin and has worked for Exxon, accounting firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and an oil company where he was CFO. He also ran for Texas state comptroller in 2014.

In his 2018 run, he lost to Dan Patrick by less than 5 points, earning 46.5 percent with 3,860,865 votes, to Patrick's 51.3 percent or 4,260,990 votes.

In a statement, he cited some of the disasters Texas has experienced in the last four years, including the energy grid catastrophe in February 2021, and called Patrick a "shock jock."

"Over the past few months, I have traveled all across Texas and spoken with thousands of Texans," Collier said. "People are exhausted. Exhausted of a negligent state government. Exhausted of a politics of hate and vitriol. And exhausted of politicians who refuse to do what is right and would rather do what is in the interest of their careers, of their bank accounts, and of their power."

"In November of 2022, Texans will have to answer one simple question: are they better off than they were four years ago? With 700 dead from a grid failure, 60,000 dead to COVID, a lagging state economy, and our constitutional rights under assault, the fact is Texas cannot bear four more years of Dan Patrick."

"Today, I am announcing my candidacy because I believe Texas deserves a Lt. Governor who is committed to honestly solving problems. As a career-long auditor, energy expert, and financial watchdog, I’m eager to deliver solutions for the people of Texas — not create more problems. The last few months have shown that our state faces a crisis of competent leadership, and Texas needs a proven business leader, not a radio shock jock zealot, at the helm of this great state."

The primary is on March 1, 2022; the general election is November 8, 2022.

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Texas races to the bottom in new list of best states for cyclists

Photo by Garry Neesam on Unsplash

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In what will come as no surprise to cyclists around Dallas, the state of Texas is not a good place for bicycling riding. According to a new report of the "Most Cycling-Friendly States in the U.S.," Texas comes in at No. 47 — meaning that only three other states are worse.

The report, from Philadelphia personal injury law firm KaplunMarx, examines all 50 states based on six metrics: Air quality index, the number of cyclist deaths per one million residents, bike routes per square mile, local government actions supporting cycling, federal funding for cycling projects, and bicycle laws.

Texas musters a mere 31 points out of 100 for its "cycling friendly score."

The most cycling friendly state in the U.S.: Minnesota, which earned 84 points to claim the title.

According to the report's findings, there have been 15 local government actions per capita in Texas that integrate pedestrians and cyclists in transportation projects. Texas' has a 41 air quality index value, and there are approximately 1.2 bike routes per 1,000 square miles in the state.

On cyclist deaths, Texas does a little better, with three cyclist deaths per one million residents in Texas — about nine percent lower than the national average.

According to KaplunMarx founding partner Ted Kaplun, there is an average of 857 cyclist fatalities in the U.S. every year. He adds that every measure or community effort to improve cyclist-friendliness is beneficial for all Americans.

"It's crucial for all states to continually assess and enhance their cycling provisions, learning from both high-ranking peers and their own experiences," he says.

Top-ranking Minnesota has only one cyclist death per one million state residents. It also has about 27.2 bike routes per 1,000 square miles.

After Minnesota, the remaining top five best states for cyclists are Massachusetts (No. 2), Rhode Island (No. 3), Washington (No. 4), and Iowa (No. 5).

At the bottom of the list are Nevada (No. 48), Arizona (No. 49), and Utah (No. 50) — all of which performed far worse than Texas to be declared the three least cycling-friendly states.

The entire country still has areas for improvement when it comes to creating a safer environment for cyclists, regardless of where each state landed on the list, according to Kaplun.

"With over 53 million Americans riding bicycles regularly, the importance of cycling-friendly infrastructure and safety measures cannot be overstated," said Kaplun in the report. "This isn't just about rankings – it's about enhancing the quality of life, promoting sustainable transportation, and most crucially, saving lives."

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