State Rep. Nate Schatzline launches bid for newly vacant Texas Senate seat

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Rep. Nate Schatzline, a hardline Fort Worth Republican, announced his bid Tuesday to fill the state Senate seat vacated by Kelly Hancock, who left the Legislature last week to become Texas’ acting comptroller.

“It’s clear that our state will only be as conservative to the extent we are willing to fight for it,” Schatzline said in his announcement. “As a senator, I will continue to show up to battle for Texans, standing firmly by the principles and promises I have made and kept.”

Gov. Greg Abbott has not yet called a special election to fill the North Texas seat, which covers about half of Fort Worth and much of Tarrant County’s northern suburbs.

Hancock, a North Richland Hills Republican, resigned from the Senate last week to take a senior position in the comptroller’s office, paving the way for him to become the agency’s interim head July 1, when Comptroller Glenn Hegar will step down to become chancellor of the Texas A&M University System.

Shortly after vacating his Senate seat, Hancock launched his campaign to win a full term as comptroller in 2026.

Schatzline, who was elected to the Texas House in 2022, is one of the body’s most conservative members and a frequent participant in partisan battles over religion and social issues. He is a member of the Corrections and Human Services committees.

His campaign announcement highlighted his work during this year’s legislative session championing school vouchers, requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms and banning land sales to people tied to the Chinese, North Korean, Russian and Iranian governments.

Schatzline rolled out his campaign with endorsements from dozens of fellow House Republicans and local elected officials, including Tarrant County leaders and Fort Worth and North Richland Hills city officials.

A former pastor, Schatzline, 33, founded For Liberty & Justice, an organization “dedicated to mobilizing the local church to see reformation in government,” according to his campaign website. He also serves as the director of operations for The Justice Reform, a Fort Worth nonprofit focused on combating human trafficking.

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