Sen. Jane Nelson officially appointed as Texas Secretary of State
A month after former Secretary of State John Scott announced his resignation from the role, Gov. Greg Abbott officially appointed Texas State Sen. Jane Nelson as his replacement on Thursday.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — A month after former Secretary of State John Scott announced his resignation from the role, Gov. Greg Abbott officially appointed Texas State Sen. Jane Nelson as his replacement on Thursday.
Abbott accepted Scott's resignation on Dec. 6 and announced that he would appoint Sen. Jane Nelson to fill the position. The appointment was officially filed Thursday.
She will be the 115th secretary of state for Texas.
Nelson made the following statement after her official appointment:
"I am deeply honored to continue my career as a public servant as Texas Secretary of State, and am grateful for the confidence Governor Abbott has placed in me to serve in this critical new role. As Secretary of State, I hope to continue safeguarding the integrity of our state's elections and enhance transparency so that all Texas voters can have confidence in fair, accurate elections across each of our 254 counties. I also look forward to working with our many international partners - including our largest trading partner, Mexico - to enhance Texas' position on the global stage and continue building our reputation as a global economic powerhouse."
Nelson will be formally sworn in by Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht on Saturday.
Abbott’s office said Nelson did not run for re-election after serving three decades in the Texas Senate. Her tenure included serving as chair of the Senate Finance Committee since 2014, where she was the first woman to serve in that role.
She was first elected to the Senate in 1992 after serving on the State Board of Education. Abbott’s office noted she was chair of the Senate Health Committee longer than anyone in history.
You can read more about Nelson and her appointment to the position online.