Kelly Hancock
Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock will step down from his post as Texas’ chief financial officer at the end of July, according to a resignation letter he submitted to Gov. Greg Abbott Wednesday.
Hancock’s departure notice, first reported by Texas Bullpen and confirmed by Abbott, comes one year to the day after he took over the agency. He was chosen by the governor after the previous comptroller, Glenn Hegar, stepped down to become the chancellor of the Texas A&M University System.
Hancock oversaw the beginning of the state’s $1 billion program to offer parents vouchers to send their kids to private schools, one of the agency’s biggest and newest responsibilities.
[…]
Hancock, a Republican from North Richland Hills, ran to serve a full term as comptroller but lost his primary to Don Huffines, a former Senate colleague and ultraconservative businessman from Dallas. Hancock said he was confident the agency “will continue serving Texans effectively and maintain continuity for the work already underway,” and that Huffines “will build on the work.”
Huffines will face Democratic state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt of Austin in the general election.
The resignation will mark a departure from public office for Hancock, who began his political career as a school board member and served nearly two decades in the Legislature, first in the state House and later as senator representing a North Texas district covering parts of Tarrant County.
Hancock’s exit from the Texas Senate created a vacancy that led to a special election won by a Democrat to represent his ruby red district, which President Donald Trump had won by more than 17 points. The stunning upset generated national buzz, as Democrats saw it as early evidence that voters who supported the president in 2024 would swing back to them in this fall’s midterm elections.
A mostly forgettable term for an undistinguished man. But he did set the table for Sen. Taylor Rehmet to happen, so thanks for that.
He single-handedly got rid of the Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUB) certification for almost all of its categories despite it being legislatively mandated. He probably thought that would be his ticket to higher office. Karma had another idea