I keep seeing Republican political ads stating all the things they are going to fix in Texas. Republicans have been in complete control of Texas for over 30 years.
They have controlled every statewide office and hold a majority of the Texas House of Representatives and a Super Majority in the Texas Senate, not to mention both US Senators and the Texas Supreme Court.
Below are just a few statistics and studies according to Chat GPT and Google, published by reputable organizations. There are variations, but all in all this is really close to where we rank nationally on the issues that should really matter to you and your family.
So when you go to the ballot box this election, don’t vote party, vote results. Texas boasts a great economy. Number 1 according to many studies. But at what cost? And how do current policies affect every day Texans. Look at the rankings. Do your own research. Ask the tough questions? If you think we are No. 1 at anything, it’s probably not the first place you would be proud of.
HEALTH INSURANCE (Dead Last)
Texas ranks LAST, 50th in the United States (the worst in the nation) for its rate of uninsured residents, holding the highest uninsured rate of any U.S. state.
MATERNAL MORTALITY (33rd Nationally)
Texas ranks 33rd nationally for maternal mortality. As terrible as this is, the number is much worse. Republican leadership is blocking the true numbers.
INFANT MORTALITY (Highest Number of Deaths in the Nation)
According to the National Center for Disease Control (CDC) Texas regularly records the highest absolute number of infant deaths of any state, with more than 2,200 infants dying before their first birthday annually.
HIGHWAY SAFETY (48TH OUT OF 50 STATES)
In a comprehensive safety index study Texas 48th out of 50 states (making it the 3rd least safe state in the country). Looking purely at the "Road Safety" metric within that study, Texas lands at 40th to 44th place. One or more people die on Texas roads a day and there hasn't been a deathless day since 2000, with over 90 Thousand Deaths making our highways some of the most dangerous in the nation.
HUNGER AND FOOD INSECURITY (Worst in the Entire United States)
Texas ranks #1 in the nation for the total number of people and families experiencing food insecurity, holding the top spot for the third consecutive year .
STUDENT EDUCATION FUNDING ( 3rd From Last!)
Texas ranks 47th nationally in per-student spending in average daily attendance according to the Texas State Teachers Association ($13,189 per student compared to the $18,853 national average).
PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM RANKING (Almost Last!)
(2026) Evaluated across 18 educational metrics (including school quality, attainment gaps, and diplomas earned), Texas ranks 41st nationally.
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION OR EQUIVALENT(Rank: #49 / Second Worst)
Texas General educational baseline ranks 49th out of 50 for the percentage of adults aged 25 and older who hold a high school diploma or equivalent.
HIGHER EDUCATION (Bottom half of the Nation)
Texas ranks 26th among U.S. states based on 71 metrics across eight categories.
QUALITY OF LIFE
Ranked 49th (second-to-last) in CNBC's quality-of-life matrix. This low mark is driven by high uninsured rates, fewer primary care doctors per capita, weaker worker protections, and strict regulatory environments regarding civil and voting access.
VOTING (Bottom of the Barrel)
Cost of Voting Index:
Texas ranks 46th nationally. The peer-reviewed study, published in the Election Law Journal, measures the relative time, effort, and regulatory "cost" required for a citizen to register and cast a ballot. Only four states (Wisconsin, Arkansas, Mississippi, and New Hampshire) rank as more restrictive. Texas ranks among the most restrictive states in the nation for voting accessibility Academic and nonpartisan index scorecards generally position the state near the bottom of the country for ease of casting a ballot.
AIR AND WATER QUALITY
U.S. News & World Report: Texas ranks 42nd nationally for Air & Water Quality and 46th for its overall Natural Environment. The state logs 211 days with unhealthy air quality annually. Texas leads the country in total volume emissions of toxic air pollutants, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds.
PROPERTY TAXES
Texas ranks 7th HIGEST in the nation for its effective property tax rate (1.40%), according to 2026 data from the Tax Foundation.
SAFETY AND CRIME (Second to Last)
48 out of 50 states. A 2026 Study places Texas as the third-least safe state behind only Louisiana and Mississippi.
MENTAL HEALTH (Worst in the Nation)
• Access to Care: Ranked #50 (or last/#51 in several metrics) nationally by Mental Health America (MHA) due to severe provider shortages and high uninsured rates. [1, 2]Overall State Ranking: Ranked #46 overall by MHA when factoring in both the prevalence of mental illness and access to treatment. [1, 2]Forbes Advisor Ranking: Ranked #1 worst state in the country for mental health care for consecutive years, citing high numbers of uninsured adults with mental illness and a shortage of treatment facilities.
HEALTH CARE ACCESSIBILITY ( Dead Last)
According to a study published in the Houston Chronicle, when evaluating health care accessibility specifically, Texas ranks dead last or near the bottom across every major national study.
INCARCERATION RATE (One of the Highest in the United States)
Ranked #1 in the U.S. for the largest raw number of prisoners.Ranked #6 in per capita incarceration rate (roughly 477 per 100,000 residents, compared to the U.S. average of about 318–355).
EXECUTIONS
Texas ranks #1 nationwide for the highest raw number of total executions, carrying out more than a third of all executions in the United States since capital punishment was reinstated in 1976. Texas ranks 3rd in the Nation for wrongfully executing innocent people.
OVERALL PUBLIC SAFETY AND DISASTER PREPAREDNESS (Rank: #48 / Third Worst)
A comprehensive index placed Texas as the 3rd least safe state in America (ranking 48th, ahead of only Louisiana and Mississippi). Emergency Preparedness (#48): Texas is third from the bottom due to its high frequency of severe climate disasters causing over $1 billion in damages, paired with an energy grid and infrastructure vulnerabilities.
ELECTRICITY INFRASTRUCTURE ( One of Worst if Not The Worst)
Frequency of Power Outages (Rank: #1): According to Department of Energy data compiled by Payless Power, Texas has had the most weather-related power outages in the country over the last five years, recording hundreds of major events tied to extreme heat and cold storms.
• Transmission Planning (Rank: D- Grade / Bottom Tier): An authoritative 2025 national report by Grid Strategies and Americans for a Clean Energy Grid issued Texas a "D-" grade for grid planning. It cited ERCOT's isolated system and its "reactive" approach to building infrastructure, which is struggling to keep up with skyrocketing demand from artificial intelligence data centers and crypto mining.Consumer Outage Duration (Rank: #44): When evaluating the general reliability experienced by average citizens, Texas ranks 44th nationwide. On average, Texans experience 717 minutes of power disruptions per year, which is among the longest average outage times in the United States.Utility Shutoffs (Rank: #1): According to federal energy assistance program reporting, Texas leads the nation in utility disconnections, seeing the highest volume of households disconnected from electricity due to extreme heatwaves straining family finances.
OPPORTUNITY AND EQUALITY(Rank: #48 / Third Worst)
The annual U.S. News & World Report Best States Ranking positions Texas at #48 overall for Opportunity. While the economy thrives at #1, this structural sub-ranking tracks severe economic disparities, gender wage gaps, low economic mobility for low-income brackets, and high overall poverty rates.
GUN DEATHS (#1)
Texas records the highest number in the nation with approximately 4,389 gun deaths annually.
SCHOOL SHOOTINGS ( 2ND PLACE)
Overall K-12 Shootings (1966–Present): According to historical databases like Statista and the K-12 School Shooting Database, Texas has recorded roughly 192 to 237 school shootings over the long term, placing it second.
SEX OFFENDERS #1
Texas leads the entire United States in total volume, housing over 75,000 registered sex offenders (accounting for roughly 10% of all registered sex offenders nationwide), followed by California with over 60,000. However, on a per-capita basis, states like Oregon, Arkansas, and Alaska have higher concentration rates relative to their population size.
RAPE (#1)
Texas ranks first in the nation for the total number of reported forcible rape cases, with 15,097 cases reported according to data from Statista.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ( TOP 10)
Texas ranks around 10th nationally in the rate of women murdered by male intimate partners, while lifetime domestic violence prevalence affects roughly 40.1% of Texas women and 34.9% of Texas men.
PERSONAL FREEDOM (LAST)
Texas ranks 50th (last place) in personal freedom in the Cato Institute Index, penalized for strict criminal justice policies, severe cannabis laws, and limited gambling.
Editor’s Note: The above guest column was penned by state Rep. Terry Canales of Edinburg. The column first appeared on the author’s social media pages.
