Private citizen (retired)

Cate Brennan is a Democrat from Grapevine and a retired executive who spent 30 years in nonprofit management, mostly with health care organizations, including as CEO of two organizations¹³. She served as a Tarrant County Democratic precinct chair from 2023 to 2024². She won the Democratic primary for the open House District 98 seat in March 2026².

Where they stand

• School choice: No, and scale back charter schools too Questionnaire answer · medium confidence
  • Said she will fight to repeal the school voucher program and limit public funding of charter schools. (2026-02) source
  • Her campaign calls for defunding private school vouchers with some limited exceptions for students with disabilities. (2026) source
• Minimum wage: Raise it higher and tie it to the cost of living Questionnaire answer · medium confidence
  • Said she would raise the Texas minimum wage to $20 an hour, citing a living wage estimate for a single adult. (2026-02) source
• Childcare and pre-K: Guarantee low-cost childcare for all families plus universal pre-K Questionnaire answer · high confidence
  • Said she supports establishing and funding free universal childcare, pre-K and kindergarten for all Texas children. (2026-02) source
• Marijuana: Legalize and regulate it like alcohol Questionnaire answer · high confidence
  • Said Texas should legalize THC and marijuana for medical and recreational use and use the tax revenue for schools, health care and childcare. (2026-02) source
• Healthcare: Keep the Affordable Care Act and fix what is broken Questionnaire answer · medium confidence
  • Said she would expand Medicaid, regulate insurers and pharmacy benefit companies, and have Texas temporarily subsidize Affordable Care Act premiums if federal subsidies are not restored. (2026-02) source
  • Her campaign says the U.S. needs a major overhaul of its health care systems and that Texas should expand Medicaid and CHIP, expand community health centers, and regulate drug and medical service costs. (2026) source
• Safety net programs: Expand help for childcare, housing and paid family leave Questionnaire answer · medium confidence
  • Said she would expand Medicaid to Texans who need it and supports free universal childcare. (2026-02) source
• Abortion: Legal in all cases, left to the woman and her doctor Said · medium confidence
  • Her campaign says abortion decisions should be made between a woman, her faith and her health care provider. (2026) source
• Housing and growth: Allow townhomes and apartments in more places to bring prices down Said · medium confidence
  • Her campaign calls for streamlined permitting, zoning reform, and letting more homeowners build accessory dwelling units, in partnership with cities. (2026) source
  • Said the Legislature should limit local zoning restrictions that suppress the housing supply. (2026-02) source
• Curriculum and books: Locally elected school boards Said · medium confidence
  • Her campaign says decisions on school funding, staffing and curriculum belong with local school boards. (2026) source
  • Said she would return more curriculum control to classroom teachers and local school districts. (2026-02) source
• AI data centers: Allow them case by case, with strict local rules on siting, noise and water Said · medium confidence
  • Her campaign calls for tight regulation of data center power, water, noise and site selection, no state or local tax incentives, and ultimate local control over data center development. (2026) source
• Election rules: Easier access: automatic registration and mail voting for anyone Said · medium confidence
  • Her campaign says she supports expanding access to voting by mail and early voting and removing unnecessary barriers to voting. (2026) source
• Property taxes: Shift more of the burden onto high-value and commercial property Questionnaire answer · medium confidence
  • Said she supports cutting residential property taxes only if the revenue is replaced, and that new revenue from gambling and marijuana could eventually replace residential but not commercial property taxes. (2026-02) source
• Immigration: Position does not fit our answer choices; see evidence. Questionnaire answer · medium confidence
  • Said Texas should play a limited role in border security because it is a federal responsibility, and would greatly reduce Operation Lone Star funding. (2026-02) source
  • Said she supports deporting criminals with due process but opposes ICE arrests of people without serious convictions and Keller's 287(g) program. (2026-09) source
• Redistricting: Position does not fit our answer choices; see evidence. Said · medium confidence
  • Her campaign says she supports ending unethical gerrymandering so voters choose their leaders. (2026) source
• Student loans: Position does not fit our answer choices; see evidence. Questionnaire answer · medium confidence
  • Said she supports free community college tuition for Texas residents and more state grants and student loan programs for low- and middle-income students. (2026-02) source

No public position found on: Business regulation, Guns, Energy and climate, Texas power grid, Policing and crime, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Gender care for minors, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Ranked-choice voting, Death penalty, Qualified immunity, Mandatory minimums, Drug prices, Paid leave, AI regulation, Kids online, School vaccines, Nuclear power, E-Verify mandate, Transgender athletes, DEI programs, Religion in schools, China policy.

Record

• Tarrant County precinct chair from 2023 to 2024².
• Won the March 3, 2026 Democratic primary for House District 98 over Aaron Hendley²⁵.