Vikki Goodwin

Vikki Goodwin
Member of the Texas House of Representatives
from the 47th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 8, 2019
Preceded byPaul Workman
Personal details
Born (1967-05-18) May 18, 1967
Arlington Heights, Illinois, U.S.
PartyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of Texas, Austin (BBA, MPA)
Signature
WebsiteCampaign website

Vikki Ann Goodwin (born May 18, 1967)[1] is a Texas Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives for House District 47, which is located in Travis County, Texas.[2] She is also a small business owner, owning a residential real estate business with her husband.[3]

Early life and education

Goodwin was born in Arlington Illinois. She grew up in Dallas, but moved to Austin to attend the University of Texas in 1985.[4] Goodwin earned her Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing from University of Texas in Austin and her master's degree in public affairs from the LBJ School of Public Affairs.[5]

Texas House of Representatives

On November 6, 2018, Goodwin won the general election with 52%, defeating incumbent Republican Paul Workman who got 48% of the vote.[6] Her service as a State Representative has been focused on issues concerning public education, child welfare, and comprehensive healthcare.[7]

Goodwin is known for her work helping pass 'Cati's Act', a drowning prevention act meant to expand safety regulations for children under twelve.[8] In addition she filed the 'Natalia Cox Act', meant to aid victims of domestic violence by requiring police officers and medical professionals to provide victims with resources.[9]

In 2025, Goodwin was one of the Democratic members of the Texas House who participated in a quorum-bust to delay the passage of controversial new congressional maps.[10] While she was absent from the state, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit to have her seat, along with those of 12 other representatives, declared vacant and remove them from office.[11] In May 2026, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that it did not have jurisdiction in the legislative dispute and dismissed the case against the absent members.[12]

Goodwin has often been ranked as one of the most progressive members of the Texas House.[13] During the 89th legislative session she was a member of the House Appropriations Committee and the House Insurance Committee.[14] In prior legislative sessions, she served on the House Committees of Agriculture and Livestock, Environmental Regulation, Homeland Security and Public Safety, Urban Affairs, and the House Select Committee on Community Safety.[15][16]

In May 2025, Goodwin announced her candidacy for Lieutenant Governor in the 2026 election.[17] In the Democratic primary she faced union leader Marcos Velez[18] and software manager Courtney Head.[19] On March 3rd, Goodwin secured 48% of the vote to Velez's 31.5% and Head's 20.5%.[20] With no candidate receiving the majority, Goodwin and Velez advanced to a runoff election that was held on May 26, 2026. Goodwin won the runoff, and is now the Democratic nominee and she will face off against incumbent lieutenant governor Dan Patrick.

Electoral history

2018 Texas House of Representatives 47th district election[21][22][23]
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Vikki Goodwin 5,389 33.64
Democratic Elaina Fowler 4,674 29.18
Democratic Sheri Soltes 3,794 23.69
Democratic Candice Aylor 1,187 7.41
Democratic Will Simpson 974 6.08
Total votes 16,018 100.0
Primary Runoff election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Vikki Goodwin 4,676 58.11
Democratic Elaina Fowler 3,371 41.89
Total votes 8,047 100.0
General election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Vikki Goodwin 55,307 52.4
Republican Paul Workman (incumbent) 50,244 47.6
Total votes 105,551 100.0
Democratic gain from Republican
2020 Texas House of Representatives 47th district General election[24]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Vikki Goodwin (incumbent) 66,816 49.3
Republican Justin Berry 65,474 48.3
Libertarian Michael Clark 3,311 2.4
Total votes 135,601 100.0
Democratic hold
2022 Texas House of Representatives 47th district General election [25]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Vikki Goodwin (incumbent) 51,045 61.3
Republican Rob McCarthy 32,272 38.7
Total votes 83,317 100.0
Democratic hold
2024 Texas House of Representatives 47th district General election [26]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Vikki Goodwin (incumbent) 59,016 60.2
Republican Scott Firsing 39,066 39.8
Total votes 98,082 100.0
Democratic hold
2026 Texas Lieutenant Governor Democratic primary
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Vikki Goodwin 1,012,055 48.0
Democratic Marcos Isaias Velez 663,449 31.5
Democratic Courtney Head 431,833 20.5
Total votes 2,107,387 100.0

References

  1. ^ "Rep. Vikki Goodwin – Texas State Directory Online". www.txdirectory.com.
  2. ^ "Texas House Member Rep. Goodwin, Vikki District 47". www.house.texas.gov. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  3. ^ https://vikkigoodwin.com/meet-vikki
  4. ^ https://vikkigoodwin.com/meet-vikki
  5. ^ "Meet the LBJ alumni running for office in 2018". LBJ School of Public Affairs. Archived from the original on March 17, 2020. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  6. ^ Chang, Julie. "Republican Paul Workman defeated in Travis County's HD 47". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  7. ^ https://vikkigoodwin.com/issues
  8. ^ "Cati's Act advances in Texas Legislature". KVUE.com. May 7, 2021.
  9. ^ "The 'Natalia Cox Act' is now a Texas law". KVUE.com. May 16, 2023.
  10. ^ "Texas Democrats Continue to Hold Out in Illinois Amid Redistricting Fight: 'We Are Standing Up for the People'". WTTW News. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  11. ^ Vakil, Caroline (August 8, 2025). "Paxton seeks to remove 13 Texas Democrats from their seats". The Hill. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  12. ^ Klibanoff, Eleanor; Guo, Kayla (May 15, 2026). "Democrat Gene Wu can keep House seat, Texas Supreme Court rules". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  13. ^ Downey, Renzo; Méndez, María (April 24, 2024). "Texas Lt. Gov race: Goodwin, Vélez head to runoff". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  14. ^ https://house.texas.gov/members/3820/committees
  15. ^ https://pluralpolicy.com/app/person/6531/vote-history
  16. ^ "Member profile - Texas Legislative Reference Library". lrl.texas.gov. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  17. ^ Scherer, Jasper (May 20, 2025). "Democratic Rep. Vikki Goodwin announces run for lieutenant governor". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  18. ^ Downey, Renzo; Serrano, Alejandro (January 27, 2026). "Steelworkers union leader emerges as sleeper in Texas' Democratic lieutenant governor primary". Houston Public Media. Retrieved April 24, 2026.
  19. ^ Neel, Kylie; Huber, Nic (January 28, 2026). "Democratic candidate Courtney Head outlines platform for Texas lieutenant governor race". KLTV. Retrieved April 24, 2026.
  20. ^ "Texas Lieutenant Governor Primary Results 2026". NBC News. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
  21. ^ "Texas House of Representatives District 47". elections.sos.state.tx.us. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  22. ^ "2018 Democratic Primary". Secretary of State of Texas. March 6, 2018. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  23. ^ "2018 Democratic Primary Runoff". Secretary of State of Texas. May 22, 2018. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  24. ^ "Texas House of Representatives District 47". ballotpedia.org. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  25. ^ "November 8th 2022 Texas Election Results". Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  26. ^ "November 8th 2022 Texas Election Results". Retrieved July 14, 2025.
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