Barbara Denson
Barbara Denson (Republican Party) ran for election to the Texas State Board of Education to represent District 6. She lost in the Republican primary on March 3, 2026.
Denson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Barbara Denson studied at Grove City College and earned her bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Pittsburgh in 1980. Denson's career experience includes working as an engineer, business owner, business development director, and author.[1] She has also served as a precinct chair, election judge, senate district secretary, member of the Harris County Republican Party (HCRP) Local Government Committee, and executive director of the Girl Scouts in Egypt. Denson was a founding member of both Republicans Abroad and Girl Scouting in Bolivia.[2]
Elections
2026
See also: Texas State Board of Education election, 2026
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for Texas State Board of Education District 6
Michelle Palmer (D) and Tiffany Nelson (R) are running in the general election for Texas State Board of Education District 6 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Michelle Palmer (D) | |
 | Tiffany Nelson (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. | ||||
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Democratic primary
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Democratic primary for Texas State Board of Education District 6
Michelle Palmer (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas State Board of Education District 6 on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Michelle Palmer | 100.0 | 123,979 |
| Total votes: 123,979 | |||
| = 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 State Board of Education District 6
Tiffany Nelson (R) defeated Barbara Denson (R) in the Republican primary for Texas State Board of Education District 6 on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tiffany Nelson | 65.8 | 77,433 |
 | Barbara Denson | 34.2 | 40,274 | |
| Total votes: 117,707 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Endorsements
Denson received the following endorsements. To view a full list of Denson's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. To send us additional endorsements, click here.
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Barbara Denson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Denson's responses.
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Beyond her professional accomplishments, Barbara has demonstrated a deep commitment to volunteerism, particularly through her long-standing involvement with the Girl Scouts of America. Recognized as "Volunteer of the Year" by Girl Scouts International in 1998, she played a leadership role in expanding scouting initiatives abroad. During the 1990s, she served as Chairwoman of Girl Scouting while living in Egypt and Bolivia, guiding programs that empowered young girls in both regions. She now resides in Houston with her husband, a retired executive in the oil and gas industry.
Barbara has been involved in local politics as a Precinct Chair (she recruited 22 block captains to work her precinct), Presiding Judge, and member of the Local Government Committee. She speaks at City Council and Commissioners Court meetings on a regular basis.Texas continues to rank too low in educational outcomes. The Legislature has taken important steps - such as ending whole‑language instruction and returning to phonics - but improvement hasn’t followed. This is because although the law says teachers must teach this way, many were never trained in these fundamentals. We can't exactly send them back to school, however, what we can do is hire teacher‑coaches who can retrain them in phonics, cursive, and foundational numeracy. We must then follow up with ongoing support. Passing laws is only the beginning; implementation is where success happens.
It's just common sense.
- All subjects in Texas get updated every eight years. However, science is evolving at the speed of light. Eight years is an eternity in a field where new discoveries and technologies are constantly emerging. It is simply not acceptable. If we want our students to be scientifically literate and competitive, we must update our materials far more frequently to reflect the world in which our students actually live. To prepare students for a world shaped by technology, engineering, and scientific advancement, we must update materials as frequently as possible.
- Business-friendly Texas has done a great job attracting advanced manufacturing, engineering, and technology companies. Unfortunately, too many employers struggle to find a workforce trained for the jobs they bring. That is a failure of alignment - not ability. We need to communicate with industry and with colleges so students have clear pathways from high school to meaningful careers. Some schools are already doing this well; we need to do this statewide.
It is just common sense.
Texas is growing, innovating, and leading - and our students deserve an education system that keeps pace.
• Teacher Certification: Requirements for professional development and licensing.
The Houston Regional Business Coalition (HRBC)
The C Club
The Republican Voters of Texas PAC
The Young Republicans of Texas
The Menudo Club
Harris County Commissioner Tom Ramsey
State Rep. Mano DeAyala
SBOE Member Will Hickman
Alice Linahan
Hon. Mark Lewandowski, President of Tomball ISD
Hon. ISD Trustees:
o Bridget Wade (Houston)
o Courtney Anderson (Spring Branch)
o David Slattery (Spring Branch)
o Lizzy Ivey (Montgomery)
Dorothy Woodall
Houston City Council Members:
o Mary Nan Huffman
o Julian Ramirez
o Fred Flickinger
o Twila Carter
SREC Committeewoman Brenda Estis
Past Officeholders:
o SBOE Chair Chase Untermeyer
o TFRW President Carolyn Hodges
o Houston City Council Member Mike Knox
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 website
Denson's campaign website stated the following:
Teach Facts, Not Political Agendas
Barbara is stepping into public life for the first time with a mission centered on educational integrity and opportunity. Her platform emphasizes:
High‑quality educational options for every student
A renewed focus on critical thinking and factual instruction
Preparing students for the rapidly changing job landscape
Strengthening pathways into technical, vocational, and STEM careers
Texas is attracting a surge of advanced manufacturing, engineering, and technology companies—and students must be ready for the opportunities these industries bring. Barbara is committed to ensuring that classrooms equip young Texans with the skills, reasoning abilities, and academic foundation needed to thrive in this new economy.
She also pledges to review and revise textbook content to remove ideological bias—including embedded DEI and CRT frameworks—that undermine academic neutrality. Because a strong, fact‑based education isn’t just a policy position; it’s the foundation of Texas’ future workforce.
— Barbara Denson's campaign website (January 20, 2026)
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
|
Candidate Texas State Board of Education District 6 |
Personal |
Footnotes
