Inga Cotton

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Inga Cotton

Republican Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

March 3, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

Trinity University, 1996

Law

University of Texas School of Law, Austin, 1999

Personal

Birthplace

San Diego, Calif.

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Inga Cotton (Republican Party) ran for election to the Texas State Board of Education to represent District 5. She lost in the Republican primary on March 3, 2020.

Cotton completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Inga Cotton was born in San Diego, California. She received an undergraduate degree from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, in 1996 and a law degree from University of Texas School of Law in Austin, Texas, in 1999.

Elections

2020

See also: Texas State Board of Education election, 2020

General election

General election for Texas State Board of Education District 5

Rebecca Bell-Metereau defeated Lani Popp and Stephanie Berlin in the general election for Texas State Board of Education District 5 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rebecca Bell-Metereau (D)	48.9	493,930
		Lani Popp (R)	47.1	475,824
	Submit photo	Stephanie Berlin (L)	3.9	39,456

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,009,210
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary runoff election

Republican primary runoff for Texas State Board of Education District 5

Lani Popp defeated Robert Morrow in the Republican primary runoff for Texas State Board of Education District 5 on July 14, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lani Popp	78.0	55,990
	Submit photo	Robert Morrow	22.0	15,827

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 71,817
= 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 election

Democratic primary for Texas State Board of Education District 5

Rebecca Bell-Metereau defeated Letti Bresnahan in the Democratic primary for Texas State Board of Education District 5 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rebecca Bell-Metereau	68.5	143,351
		Letti Bresnahan	31.5	65,885

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 209,236
= 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 election

Republican primary for Texas State Board of Education District 5

Robert Morrow and Lani Popp advanced to a runoff. They defeated Inga Cotton in the Republican primary for Texas State Board of Education District 5 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Robert Morrow	40.0	54,460
✔		Lani Popp	34.0	46,276
		Inga Cotton	26.0	35,425

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 136,161
= 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 convention

Libertarian convention for Texas State Board of Education District 5

Stephanie Berlin advanced from the Libertarian convention for Texas State Board of Education District 5 on March 21, 2020.

		Candidate
✔	Submit photo	Stephanie Berlin (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= 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 themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Inga Cotton completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Cotton's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

When my husband and I began looking at schools for our children, one of whom has a disability, we were apprehensive. We knew our children needed a school that would meet their unique needs-not a one size fits all approach. I was able to find a public school nearby that worked for our children, but during my research I heard from parents across the state who were not as lucky. I made the choice at that time to be a voice for parents and students, advocating for stronger Texas schools. Now I am the founder and executive director of a nonprofit that helps parents find the best education options for their kids.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Support parents' choices in finding high quality education options for their children.
• Support students with special needs by offering special education services that will help them reach their full potential.
• Prepare students for choice-filled lives by offering them rigorous, college preparatory education and a range of career training programs.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Effective civics education requires both rigorous instruction in history and hands-on experiences about government in action. Students who gain a deep knowledge of United States history-both the failures and the triumphs-should develop a strong sense of patriotism and a love of liberty, freedom, and the rule of law. Through project-based learning, students can apply their knowledge of how government works to make change in their own communities.

We need to reform standardized testing practices and support policies that promote greater competition and accountability in our schools. Schools should not teach to the test, and students should not fear the tests.

In its 2016 decision, the Texas Supreme Court correctly gave deference to the legislature as the policy making branch of government. During the 2019 session, the legislators listened to voters and passed HB3, making changes to outdated funding formulas and appropriating $11.6 billion to public education.

Adoption of curriculum standards is one of the most important duties of the State Board of Education. Providing students with knowledge-rich classrooms is a powerful way to close achievement gaps and create opportunities for brighter futures.

The State Board of Education plays a supporting role in public school finance. I am a strong fiscal conservative and will work to make the Texas public education system more efficient and cost effective.

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.

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