Abbott appoints former rival Don Huffines as Texas comptroller

Greg Abbott appointed Don Huffines as Texas comptroller, putting a former rival in charge of the state’s top financial office. The appointment takes effect Aug. 1, after acting comptroller Kelly Hancock steps down at the end of July.

The comptroller oversees tax collection, revenue estimates, unclaimed property and the state’s Economic Stabilization Fund, the account that helps cushion Texas in downturns and budget shocks. The office also administers Texas Education Freedom Accounts, the state’s new school-choice program backed by $1 billion in funding from the 2025 legislative session.

Huffines arrives at the office after winning the Republican comptroller nomination in March 2026, when he defeated Abbott ally Kelly Hancock. Hancock had held the job for about a year before announcing his resignation. Abbott spent $2.6 million from his campaign war chest on ads supporting Hancock, then moved to install Huffines after backing the incumbent in the primary.

The former Republican state senator from Dallas challenged Abbott from the right in the 2022 GOP gubernatorial primary. Abbott called Huffines “the right mix of business experience and conservative principles” for the office.

Huffines will enter the office with the comptroller’s school-choice rollout already underway. The comptroller’s office put first-year TEFA applications at more than 274,000 and nearly 73,000 families due initial funding on July 1. Hancock put the number of students who had already received funds for the 2026-27 school year at more than 100,000 by the time he left.

Huffines will face Democratic state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt in the November general election. Donald Trump endorsed Huffines on June 30.