Texas politics just shifted in a way it hasn’t in over three decades. Democrat Vikki Goodwin defeated incumbent Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, becoming the first Democrat to win a statewide race in Texas since 1994. She’ll be sworn in when the legislative session begins in January, and results are still developing according to the AP Decision Team.

Why should a Waxahachie listener care? The lieutenant governor isn’t a ceremonial title. That office presides over the Texas Senate and sets the legislative agenda, meaning it decides which bills move and which stall. Property tax reform, school funding formulas, and the growth rules shaping DFW exurbs all pass through that gavel first. The last Democrat to hold the office was Bob Bullock, who served until 1999.

For a historic courthouse town that’s now part of the fastest-growing metro in the country, the stakes are local as much as they are statewide. Whether you’re celebrating or frustrated by the result, the person in that chair for the next session will shape the debates that hit your driveway and your tax bill. What issue do you most want the new lieutenant governor to address first?