We have more than one Democrat running for Governor.
Benjamin Flores
I first met Ben Flores last fall, at his small pig farm on the outskirts of Bay City, a working-class town about half an hour north of Matagorda Bay. The cybersecurity consultant—who relocated his family from Austin during the COVID-19 pandemic to start Lord of the Pigs Ranch—was locked in a heated legal battle with his neighbor Kimberly Brown, who claimed his pigs were a public nuisance. Flores stood his ground, arguing that his organic farming methods prevented any unpleasant odors or ground contamination. (The civil lawsuit is ongoing.)
In 2023, Bay City voters elected Flores to the city council. As a Democrat in an overwhelmingly Republican city, Flores clashed regularly with his fellow council members. Frustrated by his lack of influence, he considered running for mayor but ultimately decided to set his sights higher—much higher. Early last week, Flores declared his candidacy for the 2026 Democratic gubernatorial nomination. He becomes just the second Democrat to throw his hat in the ring, after an East Texas dairy farmer named Bobby Cole.
Flores knows the odds are against him. In 2022, incumbent Governor Greg Abbott defeated Democratic nominee Beto O’Rourke by nearly eleven points. Just to win the Democratic primary, Flores will probably need to beat candidates with significantly better funding and higher name recognition. But the Mexican-born tech worker turned farmer told me he relishes the challenge. And, as his neighbors have discovered, Flores never backs down from a fight.
Here’s his website – I couldn’t find any social media accounts for him, and he is listed as his own Treasurer, so I think it’s safe to say this is very much a nascent candidacy. The rest of the story in an interview with Flores, and he sounds like an interesting person, the kind of candidate I’d be excited about if he were running for State Rep or Congress. Running for Governor, well, it’s still early days but I think I’ll hold out for news about Ron Nirenberg, while keeping an eye on Bobby Cole and the rest of the “thinking about it” crew.
I’d vote for an organic pig farmer over Hot Wheels all day long.
Just watched the Bobby Cole promotional video. That’s a heck of an introduction!
would u vote 4 me c.l.
First thing that came to mind here: Animal Farm (Rebelión en la granja).