Meet The Candidates: Christie Wood For Texas House District 64
A Denton-area Democrat in a district pulled two ways.
This series is called Meet The Candidates. Over the next eleven months, I’ll spotlight a handful of Democratic races each month, mainly in the Legislature and in Congress. These aren’t endorsements. They’re introductions, a way to understand who’s running, the districts they hope to represent, and what’s at stake for people across Texas.
Who is Christie Wood?
Christie Wood is a Denton-area small business owner, longtime civic volunteer, and lifelong musician running to represent House District 64. Born in Texas City, she spent much of her childhood in Shreveport (with a brief year in Jackson, Mississippi), then returned to North Texas in adulthood.
Wood also talks openly about how her faith background shaped her politics. Raised Southern Baptist in a segregated church during the 1960s and 70s, she describes a growing conflict between the teachings of Christ and the reality of white-only worship. That tension led her to leave the Baptist church and eventually join more inclusive denominations. Alongside that personal journey, she emphasizes the separation of church and state and defends every Texan’s right to worship or not.
Professionally, Wood spent more than two decades in the computer industry, including work as a programmer at UNT and later as a product development and marketing manager at Unisys. For the past 30 years, she’s worked full-time in stained glass, growing a one-person basement studio into a larger operation in Denton that designed, built, repaired, and restored stained glass for churches, businesses, and homes across the country.
The district.
HD64 is a fast-growing, majority-Anglo, outer-metro/exurban district split between Wise County and a slice of Denton County. It’s a mish-mash right now because you have deep-red small-town Wise, and then more diverse Denton County pockets that behave differently and are the obvious place where a Democrat can expand.
In the Denton County portion, the big driver is Denton (city), plus Krum, and parts of Sanger. In Wise County, the key places will be Bridgeport, Decatur, Boyd, Rhome, and others. This matters because Democrats’ persuasion + turnout plan will not be the same in Bridgeport/Decatur as it is in the Denton/Krum slice. The district is one seat, but it behaves like two political universes.
The demographics here are 64% Anglo, 21% Hispanic, 9% Black, and 3 % Asian. It’s also a heavy commuter district. If you’re talking cost-of-living, you’re also talking gas, tolls, and commute time. Poverty in this district is 13.8% (right at the Texas average), and the per capita income is $37,953.
The Average gross rent is $1,397. Rent burden is a flashing red light, 45.7% of renters are paying 35%+ of income on rent (that’s extremely high). The affordability pressure in this district is very real, especially for renters.
Education and healthcare are the biggest employment sectors in this district, so public school issues, special ed staffing, healthcare access, and insurance costs hit home.
The incumbent.
Andy Hopper is a good buddy of Kyle Rittenhouse and often posts pictures with him on his social media. Hopper is among the furthest to the right in the Texas House, part of the group we (you and I) like to call the “Brainworm Brigade,” which includes Hopper, Mitch Little, and Brian Harrison. It did include Toth and Tinderholt, but they’re no longer in the House.
Plus, Hopper tries to legislate on QAnon hate-priorities and doesn’t understand anything about the world.
Christie Wood also has a Democratic primary opponent, Julie Evans.
In Christie Wood’s own words.
Below are some questions I asked Wood, based on previous reader polls, along with her answers.
Q: Do you support a statewide minimum wage increase to at least $15/hour?
Yes. A livable wage is fundamental to increasing prosperity not only for working-class people, but for the entire economy.
Q: Do you oppose school vouchers and efforts to privatize public education?
Yes. Absolutely. This is a key issue for my campaign.
Q: Should Texas guarantee free school meals to all K–12 students, regardless of income?
Yes. It is deplorable that our great state leaves children hungry.
Q: Should Texas end tax breaks and regulatory loopholes for oil and gas companies, including exemptions from emissions reporting and waste disposal standards?
Yes. Standards and reporting should be mandatory; no exemptions.
Q: Would you support redirecting state subsidies from fossil fuels to fund community-owned solar, wind, and battery projects in low-income and rural areas?
Yes. We need a completely diverse energy plan, especially for low-income and rural areas.
Bonus Question: How do you plan to engage and energize young and working-class voters?
By working with various groups. By actually responding to questions, rather than ignoring them. By being accessible to the public and meeting with them on their turf. By actively listening to them, hiring them (when I can), and having them on Team Christie Wood for Texas.
HD64 is expensive, fast-growing, and deeply split between two political realities.
One driven by culture-war extremism, the other by everyday pressures like rent, schools, healthcare, water, and infrastructure. Wood is clearly running toward the latter. Her background as a small business owner, longtime civic volunteer, and working artist shows up in how she talks about wages, public schools, energy, and accountability.
This race also highlights the contrast voters will be asked to make. On one side is an incumbent aligned with the loudest and most conspiratorial wing of the Texas GOP. On the other is a Democrat focused on cost-of-living, public education, and basic governance in a district where affordability is already stretched thin and public services matter.
As the campaign unfolds, the outcome here will depend on turnout, persuasion, and whether Democrats can meet voters where they are, especially in the Denton County portion of the district.
You can learn more about Christie Wood on her website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
February 2, 2026: Last Day to Register to Vote
February 17, 2026: First Day to Early Vote
March 3, 2026: Primary Election
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Yes! This is who we need!
Thanks Michelle! I shared this very late on the 11th to Bsky.