The latest poll from the University of Texas confirmed what most of us living in rural Texas already know — people are less worried about partisan political fights and more worried about survival.
We’re still Republicans, still conservative, still rooted in faith, family and hard work. But folks are tired of the political blame game.
Out here, we’re trying to keep up with bills, pay for health insurance, and make a paycheck stretch while everything costs more than it did last month.
At the kitchen tables across Texas, political talk isn’t sound bites. It’s math. We are deciding what can wait until next payday, which bill to pay first, and whether there’s enough left for fuel or groceries.
These are the real issues shaping how rural Texans feel about government and the performance of our elected leaders.
For years, state leaders have celebrated the “Texas miracle” and bragged about record economic growth, but it doesn’t always look like that from our side of the fence.
When feed, fertilizer and electricity all go up faster than our income, it’s hard to believe we’re living in an economic success story. We know what prosperity feels like, and this isn’t it.
That’s why there’s growing frustration and fatigue with our state and federal leadership. This latest poll shows that the governor’s once-strong support in rural counties has weakened, and confidence in the state’s Republican leadership is slipping too.
Rural Texans haven’t walked away from conservative values — but we want those values to mean something again to our pocketbooks. We want integrity, competence and a government that’s accountable and relatable to the people it serves.
What I hear around town is simple: there needs to be less talk about ideology and more about outcomes. T
The same poll shows that Texans are most worried about the cost of living — inflation, taxes, and everyday expenses that make it harder to stay afloat. Those concerns cut across party lines.
Families are tired of being told the economy is great while they watch their savings disappear. You can’t preach prosperity when folks are choosing between groceries and gas.
This erosion of trust isn’t about politics — it’s about performance. Rural Texans still believe in limited government and personal responsibility.
Still, we also expect the government we do have to work. Fix the roads. Keep the hospitals open. Support our public schools.
Make sure small-town businesses are free from regulations so they can survive. None of that should be controversial. It’s just basic stewardship.
Even the border — long the concern of conservatives in Texas — is viewed from a different perspective now. For many of us, the negative impacts of immigration represent a failure of our government do its job to protect our families and keep them safe from harm.
When leaders talk about border security but can’t manage budgets or basic infrastructure, the problem looks bigger than policy and leads into concerns with elected officials and their job performance.
The deeper issue found in this poll is the erosion of trust. People haven’t changed what they believe but their expectations have changed. Real folks are no longer interested in speeches or slogans.
They want proof that someone in Austin understands that rural families live in the margins and we are looking for leaders who share our concerns about the future and are willing to get back to basics so that we can keep Texas moving forward.
When we practice Dirt Democracy, good government grows from the ground up — from the people, who understand what it takes to make things work. It means leaders who listen to who they legislate, who balance the books like families do, and who measure success by the health of their communities, not by headlines or party loyalty.
Heading into 2026, the message from rural Texas couldn’t be clearer. We’re not asking for miracles.
We’re asking for good government. Focus on the cost of living, property taxes, healthcare, and local jobs — the everyday issues that decide whether small towns survive.
Folks in rural Texas already know what they stand for. What we’re looking for now are leaders who stand with us.
Around every kitchen table in this state, people are sorting through bills, budgets and broken promises — and deciding for themselves who deserves their trust.
Suzanne Bellsnyder is editor and publisher of the Hansford County Reporter-Statesman and Sherman County Gazette. A former Capitol staffer with decades of experience in Texas politics and policy, she now focuses on how state decisions shape rural life through her newspapers and the Texas Rural Reporter. You can subscribe to the newsletter at www.TexasRuralReporter.Substack.com