
Pete McRae’s
Rising LoneStars®
Executive Editor: Simon Nichols
Rising LoneStars® is committed to tracking Texas’ rising up-and-coming local government leaders and providing quality information, such as campaign finance documentation, salaries, and more.
About Rising Lonestars®
This site aggregates local city and county officials’ contact and election information in Texas’ major counties for political and policy professionals interested in the impacts of local government. Additionally, we collect news items that allow us to identify a non-partisan list of local government officials who take a consistent leadership role in public policy development. These are the Rising Lonestars®, or the “ones to watch,” from across the diverse state of Texas.
County Officials

Our team compiles data on the county elected officials of the 35 largest counties in Texas.
City Council Members

Access our database to find up-to-date information on city council members for over 200 of Texas’ largest cities.
School Boards

View contact and election information for school board officials from every ISD within Texas’ 34 largest counties.
Local News
Below is a constantly updating feed of local Texas news stories
- John Whitmire elected Houston’s next mayor – NPRon December 10, 2023 at 7:50 am
Texas State Senator John Whitmire defeated Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee to win election as the 63rd mayor of Houston.
- ‘We don’t bully people’: John Whitmire takes shot at Sheila Jackson Lee – Chronon December 10, 2023 at 7:30 am
In his victory speech after a landslide win in the Houston mayoral runoff, Mayor-Elect State Sen. John Whitmire snubbed his opponent, …
- John Whitmire defeats Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee in Houston mayor’s race | The Hillon December 10, 2023 at 6:24 am
Texas state Sen. John Whitmire, a Democrat, was projected to win the Houston mayoral race, beating out a fellow Democrat in a runoff to represent …

Get In Touch
E-mail: simonmunroenichols@gmail.com
Suggestions
Rising LoneStars invites suggestions of local elected officials for future Top Ten lists. For all suggestions please fill out the form below.