How Kelly Hancock went from Fort Worth’s state senator to Texas comptroller
By David Montgomery
AUSTIN — Sitting in an Austin high-rise with a spectacular view of the Texas Capitol just behind him, former state Sen. Kelly Hancock left no doubt that his two announced opponents in the Texas comptroller’s race will have a fight on their hands.
“A lot of elected officials don’t like campaigning,” he told the Fort Worth Report during an interview at his downtown campaign headquarters. “I love campaigning. I won’t see all 31 million Texans but I’ll see a lot of them. We’ll go all over the state.”
In a top-level job swap June 19, Hancock was positioned to replace departing state Comptroller Glenn Hegar as acting comptroller after submitting his Senate resignation to Gov. Greg Abbott two days earlier. Now, the 61-year-old Tarrant County Republican is plunging into a 2026 election fight against two previously announced candidates — Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick and former state Sen. Don Huffines.
Hancock announced his candidacy the same day Hegar swore him in as chief clerk in the comptroller’s office. He will become acting comptroller July 1 when Hegar, himself a former senator, leaves to become chancellor of Texas A&M University System.
Read more at Fort Worth Report.
