Friends,
It was a busy week as Early Voting kicked off in Texas, and I made the trip to Washington, DC, to talk about the Texas Economic Miracle. As the new CEO, I was honored to talk about tort reform’s role in building the 8th largest economy in the world.
I’ve got a preview of that panel—plus, we’ll review voting turnout and highlight recent discussions on tort reform (stalled in Texas) and its success elsewhere.
This week, I was in Washington, DC for the PACT Summit: Protecting Consumers from Lawsuit Abuse, meeting with national tort reform leaders. I joined a panel with advocates from New York and Florida to discuss the reforms our states have enacted, and need to enact, to combat lawsuit abuse and strengthen our civil justice systems.
During the discussion, Texas took center stage as I highlighted TLR’s more than 30 years of advancing reform and the challenges we still face. To watch the full panel, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube page.
While in DC, I was able to connect with Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (right) and longtime TLR supporter, American Tort Reform Association President Tiger Joyce (left). Governor Kemp was happy to explain how he made sure tort reform passed in the Georgia legislature.
Primary early voting began on Tuesday, and returns show Democratic enthusiasm slightly outpacing Republicans statewide. The first days of voting showed Democrats cast over 16,000 more ballots than Republicans (196,751 v 180,066). The last time Democrats outvoted Republicans in a primary cycle was in 2020, when the enthusiasm was driven by the presidential primary ticket.
Pendulum or Partisan Fervor? In the 2024 primary, Republicans outvoted Democrats by nearly a million votes, feeding on energy from the presidential primary ticket. That enthusiasm carried over into the November election, though a host of other factors also contributed to the Republicans’ landslide victory.
More Voters in Texas: Secretary of State Jane Nelson announced Texas now has 18.7 million registered voters. That’s a million more voters since 2022, and nearly three million more since the 2018 midterms.
Return to the Norm: We will continue tracking early voting numbers as they come in, but here’s what we’re seeing so far: turnout is running slightly ahead of last year’s pace across Texas, with Wednesday showing increased participation from voters in both parties. Historically, about one-third of Texas voters cast their ballots during the early voting period, which runs through February 27.
TLRPAC endorsed a slate of lawmakers and statewide officials who firmly support lawsuit reform as a key driver of affordability issues across the state. A list of endorsed candidates in contested primary races is available here.
These pro-business candidates will fight for policies that will drive down costs for Texas families and businesses, grow jobs, and keep the Texas Economic Miracle thriving.
Tort reform is becoming increasingly popular nationwide. Some states, like Florida and Georgia, are celebrating successes through lower costs and improved affordability. Other states, like Texas and Virginia, are inching closer to becoming new contenders on the Judicial Hellholes national watchlist. Here’s what people are talking about when it comes to tort reform:
Flawed civil justice system taking toll on Texas: A new economic impact study highlights the growing affordability problem in Texas as the hidden tort tax increased 13% in the past year. Meanwhile, in Florida …
Florida Insurance Costs 14.5% Lower Than Without Reforms: A new study from Perryman Group found tort reform measures in Florida have lowered costs dramatically and added 29,000 jobs across the state.
SEC Chair Praises Texas Changes to Business Courts, Incorporation: A national economic watchdog is praising Texas’ legal and business policy reforms. SEC Chairman Paul Atkins cited the state’s expanding Business Court and updated business formation rules as key drivers behind a growing trend of companies relocating from Delaware to Texas, dubbed “DEXIT.”
Virginia Flip: Two months ago, Virginia was in Republican hands. A new Democratic-controlled assembly in Virginia is working quickly to pass anti-tort reform measures aimed at hurting small businesses so liberal trial attorneys can cash-in. If passed, the swift changes should serve as a warning to Texas, which failed to secure tort reform victories in 2025.
