Joseph Kopser announced his candidacy for the Texas House of Representatives in District 47, running as a Democrat with a commitment to breaking through partisan gridlock and focusing on results-driven leadership. The candidate emphasized addressing pressing issues facing Southwest Austin families, including rising costs, underfunded schools, and economic opportunities. Kopser stated that his campaign aims to move beyond performative politics and culture wars, instead prioritizing practical problem-solving for working families.
Kopser's background includes 20 years of service in the U.S. Army, where he earned the Ranger Tab, Combat Action Badge, and Bronze Star, followed by a career as a technology entrepreneur. He is a West Point graduate with a degree in Aerospace Engineering and holds a master's from the Harvard Kennedy School. His professional experience includes teaching Leadership and Strategy at UT Austin and West Point, and he currently serves as a special advisor for military and veteran affairs at the University of Texas. As co-founder of RideScout, which was acquired by Mercedes-Benz in 2014, and President of Grayline Group, Kopser has been involved in job creation and mentoring entrepreneurs within Texas's tech and energy sectors.
The candidate's platform centers on three main priorities: building a strong economy for all, ensuring education for every child, and securing the future for coming generations. Specific policy goals include fighting for fully funded classrooms, competitive teacher pay, and education-to-career pipelines. He also plans to support small businesses and high-wage careers in technology, energy, cybersecurity, and trades, while addressing infrastructure, public safety, and affordability to make Texas a place where every family can thrive.
In his campaign launch, Kopser outlined four rules to guide his approach: standing up for healthcare against Medicaid cuts and the potential end of Obamacare subsidies; taking on rising costs by speaking out against tariffs and helping young families access capital for homeownership; broadening the coalition beyond traditional Democratic voters; and staying focused on kitchen table issues while defending the dignity every Texan deserves, despite political distractions. He emphasized that with MAGA Republicans controlling all branches of government in both Washington D.C. and Texas, it is time for Democrats to fight back smarter and build stronger.
Kopser previously ran for Congress in 2018, building a bipartisan coalition that won the Democratic primary with a message of working across the aisle. His campaign at that time pioneered innovative fundraising and voter communication techniques, raising over $3.1 million—the highest amount by any candidate in Texas's 36 congressional districts in the fourth quarter of 2017. He received more votes than any Democrat in Texas congressional history up to that point and drove record turnout in his district, ultimately falling short by fewer than three points in what he describes as a heavily gerrymandered race.
The campaign is framed as a people-powered effort to restore leadership focused on service, humility, and results. Kopser's personal motivation stems from his family's journey, as illustrated by photos from his time at Fort Hood in 1999 contrasted with recent images in Austin with his wife Amy and their three daughters. He stated that like every family, he wants Texans to feel proud raising their children in the state. Additional information about the campaign is available at https://www.KopserForTexas.com.
