HD50: A Young, Diverse District Choosing Its Next Voice

Six Democrats, one open seat, and what voters need to know.

I know it’s late, but I got a late start. You see, I pulled my neck out last night… while sleeping, which may be a sign of my age, or that I need to drink more water. So I spent most of the day on the sofa, watching way too much MSNow.

Last week, we discussed HD49 in Austin, which has eight Democrats running. Today, we’re going to talk about another Austin seat, HD50, but this one only has six Democrats in the race.

HD50 is James Talarico’s seat, which he is not running for re-election to, as he is running to be our next US Senator. This district is in Travis County and actually includes Austin, Pflugerville, a sliver of Round Rock, and Wells Point.

This district.

HD50 is one of the most diverse districts in Central Texas, with Latino + Black voters forming a clear majority coalition and a sizable Asian population. This is not a persuasion-of-white-moderates district.

It’s a young, mobile district anchored by working-age adults, with more than 70% of residents between 18 and 64 and a far smaller senior population than the Texas average. Nearly a quarter of workers operate remotely, and the district has experienced significant in-migration over the past year, driven mainly by job mobility and housing churn. The electorate skews toward renters, younger professionals, and transplants working in tech and service sectors.

With over 42% of residents holding a bachelor’s degree or higher, HD50 is a policy-literate district with a workforce concentrated in professional, scientific, management, education, healthcare, and public service roles. Voters here are accustomed to parsing systems, budgets, and tradeoffs. They respond to clear policy frameworks and material outcomes rather than abstract messaging or purely emotional appeals.

Housing is the central pressure point in HD50. A clear majority of residents rent, average rents exceed the state norm, and nearly 2/5 renters are rent-burdened. While home values are high, ownership remains low, creating a district defined by instability rather than equity. Issues like housing affordability, renter protections, property taxes, land use, and transit shape daily life and political priorities.

HD50 is economically compressed. Per-capita income sits just above the state average while poverty remains a persistent reality for a meaningful share of residents. Most households fall into a broad middle band that earns too much to qualify for assistance but not enough to absorb rising housing, healthcare, and childcare costs. This is a squeezed-middle district with significant overlap between working-class renters and middle-income professionals.

Politically, HD50 is deep blue but not disengaged. Voters lean progressive on housing, labor, healthcare, and public education, and they expect elected officials to translate those values into concrete action.

The candidates.

I’m going alphabetically, no preference.

Nathan Boynton.

Nathan Boynton is an Account Executive at Dell Technologies who has lived in Austin for 13 years. He says that his campaign is focused on practical, people-first policy and protecting affordable housing, strengthening public education, expanding access to healthcare, and supporting local businesses and workers.

Aside from that, he doesn’t have a social media presence, and I wasn’t able to find him on any podcasts or forums online. With only 59 days until the primary election, we would hope to see candidates be a little more visible.

Josh Hash.

Josh Hash is a long-time Austin resident and Wells Branch parent whose background in youth outreach and education has shaped his commitment to public service. A graduate of UT Austin, he has spent his career helping first-generation students navigate school and career pathways. On the front page of his website, he says he admires James Talarico. I think that matters in this district.

He lists his priorities on his website as education, healthcare, the environment, housing, and gun sense. You can also find Hash on Facebook and Instagram, plus he recently did a podcast interview with Pastor Plek.

Jeremy Hendricks.

Jeremy Hendricks has served as Assistant Business Manager and Legislative & Policy Director for the Southwest Laborers District Council, representing Laborers’ International Union of North America members in Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas since 2008.

His priorities center on working families, he wants strong public schools, affordable healthcare, a clean energy economy, and accountable leadership. His platform is unmistakably progressive. You can find him on Facebook and Instagram, and he was recently on the Progress Texas podcast. Representative John Bucy and Travis County DA Jose Garza have also endorsed Hendricks.

Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch.

Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch is a nationally recognized immigration attorney, community advocate, and proud Austinite. She is widely recognized as a thought leader in immigration. Her insights and advocacy have been featured in The Texas Tribune, TIME Magazine, The New York Times, CNN, NPR, and Business Insider. She currently serves on the City of Austin’s Commission on Immigrant Affairs.

She does not list her priorities on her website. You can also find her on Facebook and Instagram.

Samantha Lopez Resendez.

Samantha Lopez Resendez is a proud Austin resident and dedicated public servant. For years, she has served at the Texas Capitol, working alongside leaders like State Representative Donna Howard to champion issues that matter to everyday Texans.

The daughter of immigrants, Lopez Resendez is a proud Latina and first-generation college graduate. Because of her roots, she is dedicated to opening doors for others and shaping policy that reflects the diverse voices of Texas. She believes every family in Austin deserves a fair shot, whether that means quality schools, affordable healthcare, safe neighborhoods, or the chance to build a secure future. You can also find her on Facebook and Instagram.

And she has pulled in quite a few legislative endorsements, including Representatives Donna Howard, Cheryl Cole, Erin Zwiener, Linda Garcia, Josey Garcia, Vince Perez, and Senator Roland Gutierrez.

William Rannefeld.

William Rannefeld is a lifelong Texan and grew up in Austin and the Hill Country. He has worked in state government at both the Texas Ethics Commission and the Texas Legislative Council, where he gained insight into how government operates, how laws are applied, and the importance of transparency and accountability in public service.

His priorities include investing in college and workforce education, strong public education, safe and secure elections, accessible healthcare, reliable and affordable energy, personal freedom, increased funding for public safety, and reducing property taxes. I was unable to find any social media presence or podcast interviews for Rannefeld.

My two cents.

Unlike HD49, which I keep hearing about left and right, this particular race is a lot less cut-throat, and I’ve barely heard anything about it.

Boynton and Rannafeld only have websites. Maybe they have social media that I couldn’t find (feel free to email me if you have links), but at this stage in a competitive primary, they should be everywhere OFFLINE, and there should be proof of that ONLINE. So, even if they didn’t have a Facebook, surely someone would have snapped a photo or video of them at a club meeting or town hall.

Last week, when I spoke about HD49, I said one of the candidates seemed like a cool guy, but I wasn’t sure he was a serious candidate. Then, I got messages about how serious a candidate he was. So, I won’t speculate about anyone’s seriousness. However, with 59 days left until the primary election and six candidates running, the candidates should be everywhere in physical and digital spaces.

Rannafeld uses a lot of “moderate-coded” language, such as “increasing funding for public safety.” As someone who has worked in the Legislative Council, he should know it’s illegal in Texas for cities to cut their police budget in place of community programs or mental health support. So, talking about increasing that funding, while that law is still in place, does not give any shades of progressive (or even liberal).

I think the top three candidates for this race are going to be Hendricks, Lincoln-Goldfinch, and Lopez Resendez.

Hendricks is the only obvious progressive, based on his priorities on his website. However, that doesn’t mean the other top two aren’t progressive.

Lincoln-Goldfinch has her popularity/local-celebrity status going for her, but does she put that to work with door-knocking and town halls? And does her platform align with what voters want in this district? Maybe. We’ll have to find out later.

Lopez Resendez has the most big-name endorsements, and that comes directly from years of working in the Texas Capitol. I’m inclined to believe that working behind the scenes as a Chief-of-Staff also gives her a leg-up on saying, “I know how to do this job.” It should be noted that this is a majority-minority district, and Lopez Resendez is the only non-Anglo candidate in this race.

Lopez Resendez has a lot more going for her in this district than some of the other candidates. And I believe she will be one of the two who wind up in the runoff. Who will be the other one? We’ll have to see.

HD50 isn’t looking for a placeholder or a resume line.

It’s a young, diverse, policy-literate district under real cost pressure, and voters here expect candidates to show up, articulate clear priorities, and demonstrate they understand how power actually works in Texas. This race may not be as loud as HD49, but that doesn’t mean it’s low-stakes. Whoever wins this seat will inherit not just James Talarico’s district, but the responsibility to deliver on housing, healthcare, education, and economic stability for a community that cannot afford symbolic representation.

At this point, visibility, seriousness, and alignment with the district’s material needs matter as much as ideology. As the primary approaches, candidates who combine a clear policy vision with real-world organizing and credibility are most likely to break through. HD50 voters will decide who earns that trust, and in a race this fluid, the next few weeks may matter more than anything that’s happened so far.

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