Dawn Buckingham (February 21, 1968) is Land Commissioner of Texas. She was elected in November 2022 and sworn in on January 10, 2023. She was a state Senator from 2017 to 2023. She worked as a surgeon before being elected Land Commissioner. She is the first woman in the state of Texas history to serve as Land Commissioner.DuPree, Will Where George P. Bush is working after leaving Texas elected office ''
KXAN-TV
KXAN-TV (channel 36) is a television station in Austin, Texas, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside Llano-licensed MyNetworkTV affiliate KBVO (channel 14); Nexstar also provides certain services to KN ...
'', January 18, 2023.
Background
Buckingham is a seventh-generation Texan. Buckingham grew up in
League City, Texas
League City is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, in Galveston County, within the metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 112,129.
The city of League City has a small portion north of Clear Creek within Harris C ...
, before moving to Austin. She attended Westlake High School. She attended college at the
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,07 ...
, and medical school at the
University of Texas Medical Branch
The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) is a public academic health science center in Galveston, Texas. It is part of the University of Texas System. UTMB includes the oldest medical school in Texas, and has about 11,000 employees. In Febr ...
in Galveston, Texas.
Buckingham is married to Ed Buckingham; they are both practicing physicians, herself as a oculoplastic surgeon.
Buckingham was a school board member of the
Lake Travis Independent School District
Lake Travis Independent School District is a public school district headquartered in Austin, Texas, ( USA).Sunset Advisory Commission and the vice chair of the Texas State Board for Educator Certification.
Buckingham is a Christian.
Political career
2016 Texas Senate election
The district stretches from the Austin suburbs in Travis County, West to Texas Hill Country, and North to Abilene covering roughly 20,000 square miles of territory. Buckingham was one of six candidates in the Republican primary to replace retiring state senator Troy Fraser. Buckingham portrayed herself as a political outsider and was endorsed by former governor Rick Perry. In the March 1, 2016, primary she received 25% of the vote, with state representative Susan King of Abilene receiving 27% of the vote. Because neither candidate received a majority, they advanced to a runoff election in May. After a contentious campaign focusing on the records and geographic profiles of the two candidates, Buckingham won the runoff with over 60% of the vote.
In the November general election, Buckingham faced Democratic nominee Virginia “Jennie Lou” Leeder of Llano. Buckingham won with over 70% of the vote.
Texas Senate
Buckingham filed her first bill to subject faithless presidential electors to a civil penalty of $5,000 and to bar them from being electors in the future. The
American Conservative Union
The American Conservative Union (ACU) is an American political organization that advocates for conservative policies, ranks politicians based on their level of conservatism, and organizes the Conservative Political Action Conference. Founded on ...
has given her a 96% lifetime rating.
2022 Texas Land Commissioner campaign
On June 6, 2021, Buckingham announced a run for Texas Land Commissioner in 2022. She became the Republican nominee after winning the May 24, 2022, runoff.