Interview: Kelly Hancock on His Bid for Texas Comptroller

June 19, 2025

By Brad Johnson

Kelly Hancock launched his long-rumored bid for Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.

Now-former state Sen. Kelly Hancock (R-North Richland Hills) announced his bid for Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts shortly after joining the agency as an employee — a way to get around the constitutional obstacles related to a direct appointment.

He is the third candidate in the race, joining former state Sen. Don Huffines (R-Dallas) and Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick.

Below is a transcription of The Texan’s interview with Hancock about the race, his time in the Legislature, and the transition to a new job. It has been lightly edited for readability.

Now-former Sen. Kelly Hancock, congratulations on the run. You just jumped into the comptroller’s race today and, of course, started as chief clerk at the comptroller’s office. How’s the first day going with the new job?

Well, I got Gov. Greg Abbott’s endorsement. It’s not a bad start.

Why run for this office, and what do you bring to the table in this campaign?

I am a financial guy, and it’s what I focused on all along; I served on the Senate Finance Committee. And Texas is a great state. There’s a lot going on, and I’ve got a good history [in the Legislature]: ten years working on the budget from one side and years on the Legislative Budget Board. We of course passed the most conservative spending cap the state’s ever had. But there’s a lot going on. It’s an exciting place right now.

When you look at federal funds coming back on border security — potentially — we’ve got to make sure that with all that border money we continue to secure the border, while making sure we don’t pay twice for things. And that we use federal dollars when we can, so we’re not using Texas taxpayer dollars. Other things are broadband expansion and the opioid settlement, but the big thing now is education savings accounts (ESAs). With my 13 years on the school board and all the other experience, it’s just a really good fit. And I like good challenges, and I’m excited about it.