Democrat Michael Collier wants a rematch against incumbent Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.

After losing a 2018 race to Patrick by five percentage points, Collier told The Dallas Morning News that he’s again running for lieutenant governor, hoping that he’ll mobilize enough voters to give Democrats its first statewide victory since 1994.

“The campaign is all about holding Dan Patrick accountable for the many failures, the last being the power grid and the water situation,” Collier told The News. “I’m convinced that not only do we have to run against him, we’ve got to beat him. And because we came so close in ’18, I think I’m the guy to do it.”

In 2018 Collier, a Houston auditor and accountant, ran on a statewide Democratic Party ticket that included former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke of El Paso. O’Rourke lost to Republican incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz by 2.6 percentage points, but his campaign, which hauled in over $80 million and inspired a stout volunteer army, helped propel Collier and the rest of the slate.

Collier points out that he outpaced O’Rourke in most Texas counties, though O’Rourke garnered more votes than any Democrat on the ticket.

With Joe Biden losing to Donald Trump with a smaller than usual margin in the Texas presidential contest, Collier said he can unlock the Democratic Party vote in the state’s small towns.

“I did better than Beto in two-thirds of the counties in Texas, 172 counties,” Collier said, acknowledging that he needs to do better in urban areas. “Needless to say, we’re going to campaign hard in rural Texas.”

O’Rourke, who has been mentioned as a possible candidate for governor, said last week that he is “not planning to run” against Abbott, but added that he could become a future candidate for governor.

Meanwhile, Collier said Patrick, a staunch conservative Republican, has not strengthened his political position since the 2018 race.

“His popularity has declined. My name recognition is much higher and the state has some horrific policy failures since then,” Collier said. “I think that makes this a winnable race.”

But Patrick is popular with a vast majority of Republican voters. In 2020 he led Trump’s Texas presidential effort and helped in the effort that led to the GOP maintaining control of the Legislature and stopping the hemorrhaging that occurred in 2018, when Democrats made significant gains.

Patrick has also pledged to fix the state’s electric power delivery system and hold accountable the industry officials responsible for not adequately responding to this year’s crippling winter storm.

Collier believes that voters are ready to blame Patrick and other GOP leaders for the failed response to the winter storm. At least 200 people were killed when much of the state was left without power.

Patrick’s popularity

By 38% to 27%, registered voters approve of the performance of Patrick, according to a recent poll by and the University of Texas-Tyler.

“Patrick is in a good position. He came though COVID unscathed and the winter storm unscathed,” said Republican political consultant Vinny Minchillo.

Minchillo added that Collier would not have the money or voter appeal to beat the incumbent. Collier lost to Patrick in 2018, four years after Republican Glenn Hegar soundly defeated him for Texas Comptroller.

“You have to give people a reason to fire him,” he said. “I don’t know Collier can deliver that reason.”

But Collier says Patrick is part an incompetent GOP leadership team.

“As a career-long auditor, energy expert, and financial watchdog, I’m eager to deliver solutions for the people of Texas — not create more problems,” he said. “Our state faces a crisis of competent leadership. Texas needs a proven business leader, not a glib radio shock jock at the helm of this great state.”

Collier’s platform includes modernizing the state’s power grid, investing more money and resources in public education, helping steer the state out of the coronavirus pandemic and the economic devastation it caused and reducing the property tax burden faced by average Texans.