Pat Dixon, a Lago Vista engineering consultant and former city council member, is running as the Libertarian Party nominee for Texas governor in the Nov. 3 general election.
Dixon, 62, said he is running because voters deserve more than two choices. He said the Libertarian Party represents the founding principles of Texas and the United States, and that "right sizing government means you can do anything you want as long as you are not harming others."
Candidate information
- Party: Libertarian
- Age: 62
- Residence: Lago Vista, Texas
- Education: Bachelor's degree in Paper Science and Engineering, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio (1987); Archbishop Alter High School (1982)
- Family: Single
- Occupation: President of DPAS Inc., an engineering consulting firm (since 1998)
Experience and public service
Dixon served on the Lago Vista City Council from 2005 to 2007 and again from 2008 to 2010. He said he increased police pay during that time to attract and retain officers, citing the Atwater v. Lago Vista case.
He chaired the Libertarian Party of Texas for 10 years and said he has worked with Republican and Democratic state legislators since 2004. Dixon ran as the Libertarian candidate for Texas State Senate District 14 in 2022 and for U.S. House District 20 in 2024.
His professional background includes roles as Southwest Region Engineering Manager at GPA (2016–2020) and Advanced Control Consultant at Emerson Process Management (2004–2015). He has also led nonprofit organizations, according to his Vote-USA candidate profile.
On the issues
Economic growth and sustainability: Dixon named "Free Market Sustainability" as his top priority. He said his opponents give tax dollars to large corporations to lure them to Texas, shifting the burden of growth onto residents. Dixon said growth should pay for itself, with those who increase demand for water, energy, roads and schools covering those costs. He pointed to data center tax incentives as an example, saying Texas will forgo roughly $3.2 billion in sales-tax revenue over two years because of exemptions for qualifying data centers.
Property tax: Dixon said he would work on identifying state spending cuts first, which he said would lead to lower taxes. He cited a $321 billion state budget. He said he would respect local control and the ability of local governments to set reasonable tax policy.
Education: Dixon supports school choice. He said he would like a statewide scholarship that gives every child the same amount of money to follow them to any school. He said that approach would resolve the state's Robin Hood funding disputes and remove politically motivated testing mandates, freeing teachers to use their skills.
Public safety and criminal justice: Dixon called for the exoneration of Robert Roberson, who has been on death row since 2003. Dixon noted that 84 members of the Texas House signed a clemency petition for Roberson in 2024. The governor cannot pardon directly. Dixon said he would request the Board of Pardons and Paroles reconsider the case.
Border policy: Dixon said the governor does not make federal border policy but needs to be involved given Texas has the largest border. He said he would participate in effective immigration policy but would refuse to do so if it meant harming the life, liberty and property of Texans.
