Texas independence isn't a party

There is no Independent Party in Texas.

That's worth saying up front because when some people hear the word "independent," they assume we're talking about a third party. We're not. An independent candidate is simply someone who runs for office without a Republican, Democratic, or any other party label beside their name.

That question landed in my inbox this week when former Amarillo State Senator Kel Seliger, former State Representative Glenn Rogers, and Sarah Stogner, the district attorney for Ward, Reeves and Loving counties, joined independent lieutenant governor candidate Mike Collier in a federal lawsuit challenging Texas ballot-access laws.