Texas agriculture commissioner primary: Who is running and what you need to know

Editor’s note: To help readers learn more about primary candidates, The Texas Tribune is sharing background information on top candidates. In particularly crowded races, we focused on candidates who have political experience or prominence. For a full list of the candidates running in this race view our primary ballot page. For more information on the primaries and the voting process, check out our voter guide here.

About this seat: The Texas Agriculture Commissioner is the chief advocate for Texas’s agriculture industry. Under the commissioner’s purview, the Texas Department of Agriculture regulates the state’s agriculture industry, including cattle, grain, plants, pesticides, hemp and organic operations. The department provides agribusiness support, promotes Texas products and advocates for policies at the state and federal level that help farmers and ranchers. It also administers the National School Lunch Program to public schools. The department works on economic development in rural areas and provides disaster relief to farmers. The department also ensures that price scanners and scales are all accurate to ensure consumers are paying an accurate price for these items when they purchase them.

What’s at stake: Agriculture is the second largest industry in the state and Texas is home to more than 230,000 farms, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 2024, it was the 6th largest state exporter of agricultural products. Farmers and ranchers are on the frontlines of economic pressures, the effects of climate change, and labor and supply chain disruptions and it’s the responsibility of the state agriculture commissioner to regulate farmers from a consumer protection standpoint, while providing support and funding to farms that are economic engines in rural areas of the state.

Candidates at a Glance:

Campaign site

Sid Miller

Republican

💰 Campaign finance:

• $102,525 cash on hand

💰 Major donors this cycle:

• Philip Oshotse, owner of Houston African grocery store – $60,000
• Joe Cavender, owner of Cavender’s boots – $5,000
• Stan Graff, owner at El Dorado Motors – $10,000
• Kent Hance, former U.S. Rep. and chancellor of Texas Tech University System – $10,000

Experience:

• First elected agriculture commissioner in 2014, and reelected twice in 2018 and 2022
• 12 years in the Texas House of Representatives
• Graduate of Tarleton State University in Stephenville, where he lives and owns a tree nursery
• Breeds horses and is a rodeo cowboy

Political ideology:  Miller is known as a staunch MAGA conservative with a fiery personality and a loyal supporter of President Donald Trump.  He is a Christian who often rails against Islam and leftist politics on social media. He’s against diversity, equity and inclusion policies and in 2023, he ordered employees to dress “in a manner consistent with their biological gender,” a move that was viewed as anti-transgender.  

Policy stances:

• Increasing water security in Texas
• Defending agriculture from invasive pests and disease
• Enhancing local food pride through the agency’s Go Texan brand program
• Ensure farm and ranchland is not affected by the expansion of data centers in Texas
• Supports legalization of marijuana for medical purposes

In the news:

• USDA slaps down Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller over New World screwworm
• Anti-DEI crusader Sid Miller urged UT to enroll student emphasizing her race and socioeconomic status
• State Ag employees told police they were wary of Sid Miller’s political consultant. Now he’s the agency’s chief of staff.
• Former Sid Miller allies told police the ag commissioner feared the DEA, told a friend to get rid of marijuana

Endorsements:

• State Rep. Gary Gates, a Republican from Richmond
• State Rep. Don McLaughlin, a Republican from Uvalde
• Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian
• Ted Nugent, a guitarist and singer

How to contact or learn more:
campaign@sidmiller.com
6407 S US Hwy 377
Stephenville, TX 76401

Campaign site

Nathan Sheets

Republican

💰 Campaign finance:

• $373,235 cash on hand

💰 Major donors this cycle:

• Houston furniture store owner Mattress Mack – $10,000
• Sen. Kevin Sparks, a Republican from Midland and family – $13,000
• The Saulsbury Family, owners of Saulsbury Industries oil and gas company in Odessa and former donors of Sid Miller’s campaign – $25,000

Experience:

• Texan business and ranch owner
• Served for six years in the U.S. Naval Reserve before he graduated from Texas State University
• He and his wife founded a honey company called Nature Nate’s, which became famous for its raw and unfiltered honey. He sold the company in 2021 and resigned as CEO in 2024 to run for agriculture commissioner.
• Previously worked as communications director for E3 Partners, an evangelist ministry organization that establishes new Christian congregations around the world

Political ideology: Sheets is a conservative Christian and self-declared member of the MAHA (Make American Healthy Again) movement, which was inspired by Trump administration Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Nature Nate’s Honey emphasized testing to ensure the honey didn’t contain pesticides or herbicides, and Sheets has said his experience leading the company shaped his views on healthy eating.

Policy stances:

• Helping Texas farmers grow and produce clean and healthy food at home and in the state’s public schools
• Boost job opportunities in the agriculture industry in rural areas of the state
• Work with the Legislature to ensure Texas has the power to investigate agro terrorists who might spread pathogens that could damage state agriculture production

In the news:

• Gov. Abbott endorses Nate Sheets over Sid Miller for agriculture commissioner
• Why Nature Nate Is Shifting From Business to Texas Politics
• North Texas beekeeper turns to politics to save bees, launching campaign for Texas Agriculture Commissioner
• Sheets Opens Fundraising Lead Over Miller in Texas Ag Commissioner Race

Endorsements:

• Gov. Greg Abbott
• Texas Farm Bureau, Texas Cattlefeeders Association
• State Sen. Charles Perry, a Republican from Lubbock 
• State Sen. Kevin Sparks, a Republican from Midland 
• State Sen. Angela Paxton, a Republican from McKinney
• Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, a Republican from Pennsylvania

How to contact or learn more:
campaign@natesheets.com

Campaign site

Clayton Tucker

Democrat

💰 Campaign finance:

• $45,130 cash on hand

💰 Major donors this cycle:

• Jim Hightower, former Texas Agriculture Commissioner from 1983 to 1991 – $1,000

Experience:

• Grew up working on his family’s ranch in Lampasas
• Fair trade organizer for the Trade Justice Education Fund, a left-leaning non-profit that promotes awareness of the impact of trade on public health and the environment.

Political ideology: Tucker spent his early career working as a Democratic political campaign organizer. He is an active member of the Texas Democrats and a member of the Texas Progressive Caucus.

Policy stances:

• Preserving family farms
• Lowering the cost of food and removing chemicals from food
• Stop the spread of microplastics and regulate dangerous chemicals like PFAS
• Protect Texas from the growth of data centers across the state and “bust monopolies”

Endorsements:

• U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, a Democrat from Austin 
• U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, a Democrat from Austin
• U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland 
• Many Democratic state representatives

How to contact or learn more:
info@claytontuckertx.com
PO Box 1059
Lampasas, TX 76550

Disclosure: Texas Cattle Feeders Association and Texas Tech University System have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.