Austin Kelly
Austin Kelly (Libertarian Party) is running for election for Texas Commissioner of Agriculture. He declared candidacy for the Libertarian Party convention scheduled on April 12, 2026.
Kelly completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Austin Kelly earned a high school diploma from Breckenridge High School. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree and a Ph.D. in ecology from Texas A&M University. Kelly's career experience includes working as an environmental consultant.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: Texas Agriculture Commissioner election, 2026
General election
The primary will occur on April 12, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for Texas Commissioner of Agriculture
Clayton Tucker (D) and Nate Sheets (R) are running in the general election for Texas Commissioner of Agriculture on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Clayton Tucker (D)  | |
 | Nate Sheets (R) | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Democratic primary for Texas Commissioner of Agriculture
Clayton Tucker (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Commissioner of Agriculture on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Clayton Tucker | 100.0 | 1,921,851 |
| Total votes: 1,921,851 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Republican primary for Texas Commissioner of Agriculture
Nate Sheets (R) defeated incumbent Sid Miller (R) in the Republican primary for Texas Commissioner of Agriculture on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Nate Sheets | 52.7 | 1,032,285 |
 | Sid Miller | 47.3 | 925,263 | |
| Total votes: 1,957,548 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Green Party convention
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Green convention for Texas Commissioner of Agriculture
Alfred Molison (G) is running in the Green Party convention for Texas Commissioner of Agriculture on April 11, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Alfred Molison | ||
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Libertarian Party convention
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Libertarian convention for Texas Commissioner of Agriculture
Austin Kelly (L) is running in the Libertarian Party convention for Texas Commissioner of Agriculture on April 12, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Austin Kelly | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign finance
Endorsements
To view Kelly's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. To send us an endorsement, click here.
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Austin Kelly completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Kelly's responses.
| Collapse all
- Bringing Real Scientific Expertise to Texas Agriculture. Unlike career politicians, I am a scientist and a practitioner. As a PhD candidate in Ecology at Texas A&M and an independent ecological consultant, I have spent my career on the ground—surveying public lands, mapping rare species, and helping private landowners manage their habitats for wildlife and agricultural tax valuations. I understand the biological and ecological realities that Texas farmers and ranchers face daily. I am running to ensure that the Texas Department of Agriculture is guided by sound science, practical field experience, and data-driven decision-making, rather than partisan politics or bureaucratic whims.
- Unwavering Defense of Private Property Rights. I believe that property rights are the foundation of a free society. As a Libertarian and a proponent of Objectivist philosophy, I hold that individuals should be free to manage their land and their lives without government interference. My work with private landowners across Texas has shown me the burden of excessive regulation. I will steadfastly defend Texans against federal overreach and state-level micromanagement. whether it involves water rights, land use, or conservation efforts. My goal is to empower landowners to be the best stewards of their property by removing the regulatory shackles that prevent them from thriving.
- Limited Government and Fiscal Responsibility. The government should be limited, efficient, and focused solely on protecting individual rights. I am committed to shrinking the size of the state bureaucracy and cutting wasteful spending within the Department of Agriculture. I believe in free-market principles where Texas agriculture succeeds through innovation, competition, and individual initiative—not through government handouts or restrictive licensing. I will fight to lower the barrier to entry for small farmers and independent producers, ensuring that the free market, not the government, picks the winners and losers in our agricultural economy.
Secondly, I am deeply committed to Private Land Stewardship. As an ecologist, I know that private landowners are the best conservationists. I will fight against eminent domain abuse and federal overreach into Texas water and land rights. Finally, I advocate for ending corporate subsidies. Agriculture should thrive on market demand and innovation, not on taxpayer-funded handouts.
Libertarian Party of Texas
ARK Ecological Consulting
Libertarian Booster PAC
Individuals:
Wes Benedict - Author & Former National LP Executive Director
Wes Benedict - Author & Former National LP Executive Director
Dr. Kathryn Herin - Veterinarian - Bandera, TX
Jake Bonnell - Rangeland Management Specialist - Midland, TX
Clyde Garland - Brazos County District Clerk Libertarian Candidate
Brad & Lacy Carriger - Pecan Factory Managers - Comanche, TX
Jeri Snyder - IT Project Manager - Breckenridge, TX
Ronnie McKay - Retired Oil & Gas Project Manager - Breckenridge, TX
David & Kathy Petty - Retired Teachers - Comanche, TX
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign finance summary
Campaign finance information for this candidate is not yet available from OpenSecrets. That information will be published here once it is available.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
