Patrick, who heads the Texas Senate, is running for a fourth term. He called the upcoming midterms the most important election yet. He also said a trio of Democrats are running against West Texas values.
His sharpest words went to data centers. "As I've told the data center industry, this is your Bud Light moment," Patrick said. "You've really messed up. And Budweiser hasn't recovered."
His ask to the industry has three parts. Take care of local communities. Tell people what you're doing and how they benefit. Give them the right to decide if you're going to build. Patrick said companies that skip those steps will end up "kicked to the side." For people here, that means neighbors should hear the plan and get a say before a data center goes up.
Democrat Vikki Goodwin, a state representative from the Austin area, is challenging Patrick for his seat. Her campaign focuses on education funding reform and restricting the growth of AI data centers. Her campaign has not announced any events until Election Day.