Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday appointed Don Huffines to lead the comptroller’s office, elevating a one-time political nemesis to the post Huffines is seeking in the November election. The move comes after acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock — who Huffines beat in the March GOP primary — announced he was stepping down at the end of the month. Hancock is a close ally of Abbott’s and the governor ...

Don Huffines easily won the Republican primary for comptroller, defeating acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock and Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick.

Elias Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News/TNS

Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday appointed Don Huffines to lead the comptroller’s office, elevating a one-time political nemesis to the post Huffines is seeking in the November election.

The move comes after acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock — who Huffines beat in the March GOP primary — announced he was stepping down at the end of the month. Hancock is a close ally of Abbott’s and the governor backed him over Huffines in the primary.

On Thursday, the governor said Huffines is the right man for the job, which includes overseeing the state’s finances and the rollout of the state’s new private school voucher program, a key policy priority for Abbott. The appointment is effective Aug. 1.

“Don Huffines brings the right mix of business experience and conservative principles to this vital office,” Abbott said in a statement announcing the appointment. “He is a fifth-generation Texan, successful businessman, and proven conservative leader who puts taxpayers first.”

It is a remarkable turnaround for the two former political foes. Huffines, a former state senator from Dallas, has long been a critic of Abbott’s and ran against him in the 2022 governor’s race, labeling Abbott a “weak leader” and a “coward.”

“I'm honored by the trust Governor Abbott has placed in me,” Huffines said in a statement. “My commitment is simple: run government lean, protect every tax dollar, and keep Texas the best place to live, raise a family, and run a business.”

Huffines, a conservative firebrand who ran on his ties to the MAGA movement, has said he would not change the agency’s approach to the voucher program. He will remain on the ballot in November, when he faces state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, an Austin Democrat, who has opposed vouchers and is promising tougher oversight of the program.

“Don Huffines is the king of school vouchers who can’t win on his own, so here goes Abbott side-stepping voters to appoint him right before an election,” Eckhardt’s campaign said in a statement.

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