HD-52: Bryan Daniel's not listless

The first thing you notice about Bryan Daniel is he talks fast. The second is he likes lists. The Georgetown Republican quickly recalled his policy positions and district's needs in an interview with PolitickerTX.com. No doubt this skill will be useful as he heads into the last days of one of Texas's most competitive state House contests.

Daniel is a former state director for the United States Department of Agriculture. The Texas Tech graduate is now an executive with Agricultural Workers Mutual Auto Insurance.

He is campaigning on his experiences in economic development with the USDA and as a small businessman - as well as a list of policy issues.

Daniel said property taxes are a critical issue. People want "some idea what the property tax burden is going to be," he said.

He supports more local control for school districts and favors accountability, but wonders "if there's not a better way" than the state's TAKS achievement test.

He refuses to cede the education debate to his Democratic opponent, former Round Rock school board president Diana Maldonado.

"I've never heard my opponent articulate any plan for education, and I haven't certainly seen her put anything in print," Daniel said.

Making sure there is enough access to healthcare in booming Williamson County is another priority.  He supports securing the Texas border and favors using law enforcement if "crime is the issue."  

He also wants to make sure government is using its money effectively and favors less government.

"There's still sorta a sense of individualism and opportunity for folks," he said of the district's mentality. "People generally know how to take care of things if you will just simply put the task to them." 

His district has traditionally voted Republican, but many Democrats believe the area is trending their way because of new residents.

"District 52 is certainly different with regard to the fact that it's much more diverse in terms of where people came from. They don't come just from Texas anymore. They come from California, some from the East Coast, all over the nation in fact."

Still, Daniel doesn't think the newcomers are Democrats.

"I've not seen any kind of influx of Democratic votes...I do think that Williamson County has a lot of independent voters," he said.

Daniel faces a well-funded opponent in Maldonado. He called her "pleasant," but her positions are "not right for this county."

"I've never heard her articulate what she intends to do as a state representative," he said.

He expects to a close, issue-focused race.

"If anything, we may sharpen up some comparisons on the issues, but certainly if it gets personal, it won't be coming from this campaign," Daniel predicted. 

Maldonado had about four times Daniel's cash on hand in July. But he had to spend money on a primary and a runoff, while she ran unopposed.

"I feel very confident that the campaign we've outlined to run, we'll be able to run it according to our original plan. That includes using all the appropriate kinds of media that we need to use," Daniel observed.

When asked to name one thing he wanted voters to remember about him Daniel laughed, because he had to name just one.

"Bryan Daniel has studied these issues, and he listened to the voters who told him the importance of these issues, and he pledged to find out the best way to address these issues for Williamson County, and when he goes to Austin he'll be the guy that always asks what the voters think and finds the best possible answer to satisfy those issues for the district," he said.  

One sentence, for sure, but definitely a list.