Sarah Eckhardt, a Democratic state senator from Austin, is running for Texas comptroller in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.

Eckhardt described the comptroller as the state's chief financial officer, responsible for notifying the Legislature how much money the state is projected to generate in tax revenue. Asked in a Surround Sound News questionnaire why she is running, Eckhardt said, "It is time to ask hard questions so Texans get honest answers about where their tax dollars go."

She also said she would "audit the $1 billion private school voucher program under this office's oversight, stand up for our public schools, stop no-bid contracts to wealthy donors, investigate tax breaks for data centers, and open the state budget to the public …"

She faces three opponents. Also on the ballot are Don Huffines (Republican), Shehla Faizi (Green) and V. Alonzo Echevarria-Garza (Libertarian).

Candidate information

Occupation: "Attorney and public official," Eckhardt said in our questionnaire.

Hometown: Austin, Texas, according to her Texas Senate page.

Education: "Double Longhorn: LBJ School of Public Affairs and UT Law," Eckhardt said. She holds a juris doctor and a master's in public affairs from the University of Texas at Austin (1998) and a bachelor's in theater from New York University (1986).

Family: "I am the youngest of seven, the parent of two, and owner of a couple of fur babies," she said.

Family in politics: "Among my immediate family, I am the odd-one-out in my family as the only one who pursued public office like my dad, the late Congressman Bob Eckhardt. My two children have so far served in routine civilian roles in the federal government," she said.

Party: "Lifelong Democrat, but I am running in this race to serve Texans regardless of party," she said.

Experience and public service

Eckhardt said she has held the following offices: "Currently the state senator for District 14, comprising Austin and surrounding areas; previously, the Travis County Judge, Travis County Commissioner for Precinct 2, and Assistant County Attorney for Travis County."

Asked what accomplishments show she can handle the job, Eckhardt said, "As the chief executive over Travis County, the 5th largest in the state, I cut taxes 3 times in 5 years, balanced the budget 3 times, built infrastructure on time and on budget, and oversaw a massive increase in good-paying jobs."

She added: "In that role, I managed more than 4,000 employees; there are 3,000 in the Comptroller's office, and I am prepared to let them loose doing the honest work of telling Texans where their money is going."

On the issues

Revenue estimate: Eckhardt said the biennial revenue estimate process "requires steadiness and maturity to ensure that the Legislature's ultimate budget is fiscally sound. This is not an opportunity to inject political grandstanding."

Education savings accounts: Eckhardt said she did not vote for the voucher program as a state senator but would enforce the law as comptroller. "I will very carefully and aggressively manage the program to ensure that contractors are complying with their obligations to the state," she said.

Property taxes: Asked whether she supports proposals to eliminate school district property taxes, Eckhardt said, "Continuing this strategy is ill-advised." She said funding property tax buydowns "relies on temporary budget surpluses." She said assuming boom conditions will last indefinitely "is fiscally reckless." She also said current policies "ignore other struggling groups—such as young homeowners, businesses, and particularly renters, who receive zero relief under current state proposals."

Economic development incentives: Eckhardt said the state "abates a tremendous amount of potential revenue through a myriad of sales tax exemptions." She said some exemptions "are just handouts to wealthy corporations that do not need the incentive … such as for AI data centers." As comptroller, she said she would "analyze all of the tax exemptions and submit a report to the Legislature on their effectiveness going forward."

Differences from opponents: Eckhardt said, "I've answered to Texas taxpayers for more than twenty years, working my way up from being a family violence prosecutor to serving as the state senator over our state's Capitol."

Candidate responses were collected through a Surround Sound News questionnaire. Answers are presented in the candidate's own words.