Texas State Senate District 12 candidate surveys, 2022

Elections in Texas, 2022

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This article shows responses from candidates in the 2022 election for Texas State Senate District 12 who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

• Click here to see candidates and election results.
• Click here to see Candidate Connection survey responses.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Texas State Senate District 12

Tan Parker defeated Francine Ly in the general election for Texas State Senate District 12 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tan Parker (R)	61.4	213,018
		Francine Ly (D)	38.6	133,679

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 346,697
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

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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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?

Francine Ly (D)

Our economy must benefit all Texans. A robust public and higher education opportunities are critical for our future.

Healthcare is a right and women’s rights are human rights.

A representative democracy is only truly representative if every single citizen is guaranteed the inalienable right to vote in fair and open elections.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Francine Ly (D)

Education is the most important tool we have and I am a product of public education and I am proud of it. I attended community college while working full-time to support my family. I believe everyone should have the ability to obtain a quality education through our public schools and that teachers should be compensated properly and fairly. We should be competing for the best teachers by offering incentives and wages to match. We should be funding public education at higher level and offering the best resources to ensure students are given every opportunity to succeed. We should not be teaching to a test but rather we should teach tailored to students abilities and needs. Higher education should be equitable and affordable. Education is the essential building block for life, employment, and understanding of man and his environment. Without a solid foundation rooted in education, we will have a underdeveloped workforce and will be unable to compete on a global stage.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Francine Ly (D)

Beside my late father, the person I most admire has been my mentor, The Honorable Dale Tillery.

I worked for Judge Tillery prior to his decision to run for State Representative in 1994. My late father was disappointed when he found out I was working for an office-candidate as he never looked fondly on politicians and politics. My father believed politicians lacked ethics and morals. However, by the time Judge Tillery left office as a State Representative, his views on politics and politicians were completely changed. Judge Tillery showed my late father that a political leader could be ethical, moral, and be a voice for all constituents.

As a legislator, Judge Tillery pursued equitable outcomes for communities of color and advocated for marginalized and underrepresented constituents. I saw firsthand every day the way he treated his constituents as a State Representative. He was always fair, open-minded, and available to all no matter their party affiliation, aiming to learn from one another so that he could better serve them at the state capitol.

As a legal professional, and as part of his court staff, I see him devoted to honing his skill, not to enrich himself, but to better serve, protect and defend those most vulnerable: our working class citizens. I see him using all his life skills and knowledge to analyze and apply the laws independently, fairly, and impartially, and with respect to all those appearing before him.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Francine Ly (D)

The residents of Senate District 12 will be my sole interest and be the ones whom I will be working for during my term of office and they will always be heard and respected.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Francine Ly (D)

I really don't want to talk about it as it involves the birth and death of my brother, while we were still in Cambodia, still living at our farm. May be when I was 3 years old.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Francine Ly (D)

My very first paying job was as a dim sum cart pusher for about 3 years when I was about 14-15 years old.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Francine Ly (D)

Wonder Woman.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Francine Ly (D)

For the longest time, I had struggled with my English comprehension skills, as I did not learn to read, write nor speak the English language until I was 9, when I was finally enrolled in our public school system.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

Francine Ly (D)

Our system of government consist of three branches of government, which are equal and independent of one another.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Francine Ly (D)

Education, healthcare and the environment is the state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Francine Ly (D)

In a district as diverse as Senate District 12, a good policymaker must be an honest, non-judgmental listener, through mutual respect and with understand of each policy position, can we start working towards a compromise to reach an agreeable resolution.

See also

More about these elections:

• Texas State Senate elections, 2022

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