Springer endorses Hagenbuch in Olney

Local business and community leaders met last week with Brent Hagenbuch, the candidate that Texas Sen. Drew Springer wants to succeed him in representing Senate District 30 in 2025. Mr. Hagenbuch, the founder of Titus Transport of Denton, also has the backing of Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. He attended the U.S. Naval Academy and served ten years in the U.S. Navy before working in executive positions with Pepsico’s Frito Lay division, McKinsey & Company and FritoLay. He started Titus Transport 17 years ago and built it into a company with $170 million in revenue, he said. Mr. Hagenbuch became involved with the Denton GOP nine years ago and rose from precinct chairman to Denton County chair. The Senate race is “my first rodeo” as a candidate, he told the Olney crowd at Hometown Coffee & Tea.

Mr. Hagenbuch talked about his positions on major issues, including border security, school vouchers and teacher pay, and Texas and local economic development.

“I support everything the Governor has done,” he said of Gov. Greg Abbott’s efforts to shut the Texas-Mexico border to illegal migrants and to bring attention to the problem by shipping migrants to northern cities To keep Texas’ economy going strong, Mr. Hagenbuch recommended “full speed on drilling and more tax cuts,” including cutting the homestead exemption to $125,000 from the current $100,000.

Mr. Hagenbuch said that while he thinks “highly” of Texas public schools, and believes teacher pay should not be linked to the passage of school vouchers, he supports “parental choice” and believes some “kids are being indoctrinated by a liberal ‘woke’ agenda,” he said. When questioned, he said he would consider supporting a carve-out that prevented rural school districts with smaller populations from participating in the voucher scheme.

Mr. Hagenbuch also addressed claims by rival candidates that he does not live in Senate District 30 and is not eligible to run for the seat.

Dr. Carrie de Moor has asked a Denton County district to remove him from the ballot.

Mr. Hagenbuch said on Friday that he previously lived right outside the district but moved within its boundaries before Mr. Springer announced that he would not run for re-election.

He said the actions to disqualify him by his GOP opponents -- Dr. de Moor, Cody Clark and Jace Yarbrough -- stem from a misunderstanding.