Located in Harris County, Texas Senate District 15 encompasses portions of the communities of Atascocita, Bellaire, Houston, Humble, Southside Place and West University Place, as well as unincorporated areas of north Harris County. The position was previously held by former Sen. John Whitmire, who resigned at the end of 2023 to take office as the mayor of Houston.
The Democratic winner of the March primary election will face Republican candidate Joseph L. Trahan—who is running unopposed in March—in the November election.
Candidates were asked to keep responses under 50 words, answer the questions provided and avoid attacking opponents. Answers may have been edited or cut to adhere to those guidelines, or for style and clarity.
For more information about voting in Harris County, click here.
Michelle Anderson Bonton
Experience:
15 years as a founder and leader of a 180-employee, $14 million budget organization
Occupation:
Social entrepreneur, business woman, retired educator
Candidate Website:
https://www.votemichellebonton.com
Contact Information:
832-387-6845
What is your top priority if elected?
Mitigating voter suppression. The vote is the only way that citizens can make their voices heard. Laws that make it more difficult to vote—i.e., restricting the number of polling places in certain communities, or making it illegal to pass out food or water—are detrimental to the democratic process.
What is the biggest issue the district is currently facing and how will you address it?
The stability of the electrical grid is most critical. Lives were lost during Uri, and the system barely held up during the most recent freeze. Current regulations need to be clarified, the system winterized, a specific plan to address population growth and a system failure must be put in place.
How will you work to prioritize education funding?
We have the largest surplus in state history and it can be used to provide additional school funding. School funding should be based on enrollment rather than [average daily attendance]. The per-pupil allotment should be increased and an inflation metric developed. We are 42nd in the nation on per-pupil spending.
How will you work to address flooding issues in your district?
Partner with state and regional funding planning entities to identify strategies to mitigate the impact of development and climate change; develop eco-friendly development policies. Note: The Texas Water Development Board will present the state's first-ever flood plan by September 2024.
How will you work to address prolonged spans of elevated inflation?
Keep government spending under control. Increase housing affordability. Limit out-of-state dependence on food and commodities, encourage local food production; and develop strategies to mitigate supply-chain disruptions. Work to maintain our position as a leading energy state.
Alberto "Beto" Cardenas Jr.
Experience:
Years of results: cleaning up the Housing Authority, millions raised for charity, and local infrastructure improvements.
Occupation:
Attorney
Candidate Website:
https://texansforbeto.com
Contact Information:
832-615-0661
What is your top priority if elected?
Women's rights. I want to enshrine women's control over their bodies in the Texas Constitution. Voters have a right not only decide this issue but to stand up for women and stand up to the special interests that politically blackmail the "conservative" Legislature into endangering Texas women. Ridiculous.
What is the biggest issue the district is currently facing and how will you address it?
My top priority, women's rights and individual freedom, is the biggest issue facing Texas. I will go toe-to-toe with Republicans on this by amending our constitution. If Republicans are so confident about their policies, they should allow Texans to vote on the issue. Texans will stand up for women.
How will you work to prioritize education funding?
I have the work experience to show the Legislature how they are wrong on their school funding math. The Legislature has hamstrung school districts. I will expose the fraud in the Senate's property tax reform, fight to restore the 2011 funding cuts, and use our surplus for dedicated funding.
How will you work to address flooding issues in your district?
My work experience directly related to finding funding for large projects, including the use of federal resources. We must take advantage of all available dollars to fund the projects needed, preserve and grow green space, and better utilize channels and waterways that drain to the Gulf. This is critical.
How will you work to address prolonged spans of elevated inflation?
The state can influence the cost of living. Texas has various obsolete taxes on consumers that no longer make sense, like high taxes on your cell phone bill, or the levy of tolls for roads that have been paid. I will work to end taxes that unduly punish working families.
Molly Cook
Experience:
ER nurse, public health expert, policy advocate and community organizer
Occupation:
ER nurse
Candidate Website:
https://mollyfortexas.com
Contact Information:
310-754-0103
What is your top priority if elected?
Increasing voter turnout. After two years of talking to voters, high-priority issues include: fully funding public schools, reducing gun violence, abortion access, secure housing, environmental justice, public safety, and rejecting extremism. I will co-govern with the constituency to develop a long-term strategy to achieve these goals.
What is the biggest issue the district is currently facing and how will you address it?
Low voter turnout. Without building capacity, we will not make the change we want to see in our district. In 2022, my race increased voter turnout, and I will continue to build on that foundation through year-round canvassing, community organizing, and constant, regular communication with the district.
How will you work to prioritize education funding?
I will organize and co-govern with students, teachers and residents of SD 15 to: increase per-student funding and transition to enrollment-based funding over attendance-based funding; uphold the separation of church and state in public schools; reduce reliance on high-stakes testing; advocate for raises for teachers and teaching support staff.
How will you work to address flooding issues in your district?
Flooding impacts many communities in SD 15. I will work to stop new construction in our floodways and flood plains, stop highway expansions that pave over flood-mitigating surfaces, and secure and oversee distribution of funding for flood relief on a worst-first basis.
How will you work to address prolonged spans of elevated inflation?
Last session, I helped pass HB 2071, which protects affordable housing and saves Harris County billions of dollars. I will continue to look for ways to utilize state policy to protect access to health care, housing, transportation and economic opportunity so that communities can thrive, even in a strained economic environment.
Jarvis Johnson
Experience:
State representative for HD 139 since 2016. Houston City Councilman for District B, three terms.
Occupation:
Business owner
Candidate Website:
https://www.jarvisfortexas.com
Contact Information:
832-856-5439
What is your top priority if elected?
Our rights are under attack from Republican leadership—from voting rights, attacks on public education, reproductive rights, local control and LGBTQ rights, to name a few. SD 15 needs a proven leader and someone who has fought against Republicans to stand up for them in the Texas Senate.
What is the biggest issue the district is currently facing and how will you address it?
Attacks on public education—we must protect public education from voucher schemes and work to ensure all children receive an excellent education regardless of their ZIP code.
How will you work to prioritize education funding?
The state hasn't paid its fair share in education funding in a generation. We must create sustainable, long-term funding from the state, instead of one-time cash infusions as they've been doing for decades.
How will you work to address flooding issues in your district?
As a member of the budget-writing committee, I've brought back billions in funding projects to Harris County. I will work to ensure funding streams remain open for countywide projects and advocate for SD 15-specific projects to protect our communities.
How will you work to address prolonged spans of elevated inflation?
There are many things the state can do to help address inflation. First, fund our public schools better, which will lower people's property taxes. Second, expand Medicaid and lower people's health care costs. Also, we must address corporations raising the cost of goods without raising employees' wages.
Todd Litton
Experience:
Father and husband, attorney-mediator, former candidate for CD-02, education nonprofit leader
Occupation:
Attorney-mediator
Candidate Website:
https://www.toddlitton.com
Contact Information:
713-408-9597
What is your top priority if elected?
I'm running to stand up to Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick and fight against their politics of fear and hate. We must put an end to their extremist agenda and move Texas forward by expanding access to abortion, making health care more affordable and protecting our public schools and local control.
What is the biggest issue the district is currently facing and how will you address it?
The extreme agenda of Abbott and Patrick to take away personal liberties like access to abortion and gender-affirming care, push school vouchers, takeover Harris County and [Houston] ISD, and stroke fear and hate in their base. I am an experienced leader who will stand up and fight their hate-filled agenda.
How will you work to prioritize education funding?
We must fully fund and support public schools and our teachers. As an education nonprofit leader I worked with a Republican legislature to pass SB 76, expanding access to early childhood education. I will fight every day to make education a priority in Austin and support our public schools and teachers.
How will you work to address flooding issues in your district?
I will build a coalition of local, state and federal partners and constituents to analyze and invest in projects including: increased detention, refortifying and expanding natural habitats and prairies, stopping development in flood zones, and much more.
How will you work to address prolonged spans of elevated inflation?
Abbott and Patrick have enforced the biggest tax on Texans by not expanding Medicaid, sending $36 billion to other states and taxing Texans for uninsured care. We will build a coalition in Texas to expand Medicaid and make housing more affordable, which are two of the biggest costs facing Texans.
Karthik Soora
Experience:
Rice University graduate; nonprofit leader: co-founded Momentum Education; education/political reform advocate opposing [Houston] ISD takeover
Occupation:
Former award-winning [Houston] ISD teacher and renewable energy developer
Candidate Website:
https://www.karthikfortexas.com
Contact Information:
832-299-5534
What is your top priority if elected?
In every conversation, political reform is the top priority. I will introduce legislation to legalize citizen-led ballot initiatives, so Texans can put reproductive freedom, universal gun background checks, Medicaid expansion, campaign finance limits, ranked choice voting, connecting ERCOT to other states, and more on the ballot like folks in other states.
What is the biggest issue the district is currently facing and how will you address it?
The district's primary issue is gun violence. I propose stringent gun safety measures: universal background checks, extreme risk laws, ensuring safe storage, bolstering funding for mental health support, education, job funding, improving murder clearance rates, and enhancing firearm tracking through interagency collaboration.
How will you work to prioritize education funding?
I will collaborate with rural Republicans who are concerned with underfunded public schools. Together, we will oppose vouchers, increase teacher salaries, enhance funding for apprenticeships, and ensure increased school funding across all ZIP codes. Our goal is to build an education system befitting the world's eighth largest economy.
How will you work to address flooding issues in your district?
I'll collaborate with the Army Corps, Texas' congressional delegation, and local bodies like HGAC to increase state and federal flood infrastructure funding, ensure full risk disclosure, upgrade vulnerable drainage systems, and advocate for the Ike Dike's eco-conscious implementation using the latest maps and innovative nature-based solutions.
How will you work to address prolonged spans of elevated inflation?
I'll reduce costs for food, energy, health care and housing by easing the burden on working families: lowering food taxes, integrating ERCOT so power prices go down, expanding Medicaid so Texans spend less on health care, and boosting affordable housing funding, including repurposing unused commercial buildings so rent goes down.
