State of Texas
State Representative, District 80
Don McLaughlin
Republican Incumbent- On ballot as
- Don McLaughlin
- Current role
- State Representative, Texas House District 80 (elected November 2024; took office January 14, 2025)
- Background
- Co-founder (2000, with his father), DKM Enterprises, an oil and gas pipe business in Uvalde (per Texas Tribune)
- Founding member, Cactus Jack Foundation (per campaign)
- Grew up in Uvalde and lives there with his wife, Karen
- Experience
- Mayor of Uvalde (first elected 2014); was mayor during the May 2022 Robb Elementary shooting
- Passed House Bill 33, the "Uvalde Strong Act", on law enforcement response to school emergencies (per campaign)
- Republican primary (March 3, 2026): unopposed
- Top priorities
- Campaign site: "Water is the number one issue facing our district and the state"
- "working closely with local, state, and federal law enforcement to keep our border secure"
- "rein in runaway appraisals, cut wasteful government spending, and drive down tax bills"
- "less teaching to a test, more focus on life skills, financial literacy, and career training"
- "fighting to protect local jobs, lower the cost of groceries and gas"
- Tidbits
- Abortion: No public statement found
- Border and immigration: Campaign site: "Don has seen firsthand the damage caused by illegal immigration, including higher rates of crime, drug smuggling, and human trafficking."
- Guns: To the Texas Tribune in March 2025, on raising the age to buy a semi-automatic rifle from 18 to 21: "If all we want to do is raise the age, that's not going to solve the problem"
- Public schools and vouchers: Campaign site: "This session, Don secured over $132 million in historic funding for public schools in House District 80."
- Property taxes: Campaign site: "Don is still fighting to rein in runaway appraisals, cut wasteful government spending, and drive down tax bills in a meaningful, lasting way."
- Endorsements
- Texas Home School Coalition
- Texas Values Action
- Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT) PAC
- Texas Right to Life PAC
- Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC
Show all 8
- Texas Alliance for Life
- NFIB Texas PAC (primary)
- TruckPAC (Texas Trucking Association) (primary)
- Campaign website
- donfortexas.com
Open in the full comparison: Webb County, Atascosa County, Dimmit County, Frio County, Uvalde County, Zavala County