Lukas Gilkey

Patrick Election Night Statement: “I respect the will of the voters; the result was fair and square.” “This was a wave election in Texas and across the country. Whether it was about affordability, gas prices, data centers, 765-kV lines, or any other issue important to them, I respect how the people voted. It was a fair election, and I accept the majority will of the voters. To my millions of supporters: Thank you for your steadfast and principled support. I am proud of what the Senate and I accomplished over the past decade. I ran for office to end abortion, eliminate school property taxes, protect the Second Amendment, pass school choice, protect the border, support police, end DEI, and make Texas the leading job creator in the nation. Before Roe v. Wade was reversed, my great Republican senators and I reduced abortions in Texas by almost 80%, saving nearly 300,000 lives. Together, we eliminated school property taxes for seniors and cut them in half for those under 65. We led the charge to increase average teacher pay from $54,000 to $69,000. We increased school funding by $40 billion. We passed school choice for 100,000 families. We removed discriminatory DEI from K-12 schools and our colleges. We put the Ten Commandments in our schools. I placed 'In God We Trust' in the Senate chamber and put 'under God' in our state pledge. We passed campus carry, open carry, and constitutional carry, protecting the Second Amendment under my leadership and that of our great senators. I built six new mental health care hospitals and funded research for Alzheimer's and cancer. Going into 2028, the Republican Party of Texas has serious work to do to begin the process of taking our state back from Democrat control. Their democratic socialist policies will fail, as they have in every country in the world. Their defund-the-police agenda will make Texans less safe. Their goal of taking down the oil and gas industry will bankrupt Texas and double the cost of gasoline. I have been in the public spotlight for almost five decades. I came to Texas in 1979 as a sportscaster at KHOU-TV. I started a radio station and put an unknown Rush Limbaugh on the air. I served in office for 20 years. Jan and I will celebrate our 52nd wedding anniversary next year. I have two incredible children, a great son-in-law and a great daughter-in-law, and eight precious grandchildren. I have so much to be thankful for. I am the most blessed person you could ever meet. I love Texas, I love America, and most of all, I love my Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. He has given me an amazing life. God bless each of you who supported me through all my many endeavors over the last 50 years. I can never say thank you enough.”