From the Right: What GOP voters want Texas leaders to focus on

What GOP voters want: A Practical Agenda Rooted in Affordability, Accountability, and Safety

The Texas 2036 9th Voter Poll underscores a Republican electorate focused on keeping costs down, ensuring public safety, and maintaining Texas’ economic edge.

Nearly four out of five Texans (79%) report their property insurance costs have risen over the past five years, and 78% say they are more likely to support candidates who pledge to reduce property taxes.

Among Republican voters, support climbs even higher:

• 83% say they are more likely to back candidates who prioritize cutting homeowner’s insurance costs.
• 84% say they are more likely to back candidates who support reducing property taxes.

Confidence in the Texas Economy

Republicans’ economic optimism stands out across the poll.

A full 77% of Republican respondents say they are confident they could find a good-paying job in Texas today, compared to 66% of voters overall. Likewise, 54% of Texas voters statewide believe the state’s economy will outperform the national economy over the next four years, a belief most strongly held by Republican men (83%), with Republican women also bullish about the state’s economic future (70%).

Education: Accountability and Outcomes First

Education is a defining policy space for Republican voters. While 69% of all voters would be more likely to support a candidate who prioritizes increasing education funding, Republican voters are more drawn to accountability-focused solutions in education:

• 82% of Republicans say they are more likely to vote for candidates who commit to improving accountability in public schools.
• 78% favor candidates who prioritize aligning high schools with workforce demands.
• 75% agree that public university funding should be tied to measurable student outcomes, such as degree completion.

Crime and Safety Still Loom Large

Public safety remains the emotional and political backbone of Republican voter priorities in Texas. 86% of Republican voters are more likely to support a candidate who prioritizes ensuring crime leads to arrests and prosecutions. Among Republican men, that figure rises to 89% — making it their top priority among issues we surveyed.

When it comes to how concerned they are about crime in their communities and Texas cities, an overwhelming majority of Republican voters (86%) expressed concern, while 92% felt safe in their communities and Texas.

That combination of vigilance and confidence may suggest that voters aren’t responding to personal fear, but to a desire for consistency in leadership that sustains both the safety they feel and the accountability they expect.

Common Priorities Across Party Lines

Even with differing policy routes, GOP voters share much common ground with their Democratic counterparts on lowering health care prices (82% statewide support) and improving disaster response (78%). Texans of every political stripe continue to call for pragmatic leadership that makes life more affordable and communities more resilient.

You can see how these perspectives compare with the priorities of Democratic voters, who emphasize affordability and access in areas like health care and education, in our companion blog, “From the Left: What Democrat Voters Want Texas Leaders to Focus On.”