Regina Vanburg

Regina Vanburg earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas, Austin in 2006, a graduate degree from St. Edward's University in 2011, and a Ph.D. from Our Lady of the Lake University in 2016. Her career experience includes working as a psychologist.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I’m Dr. Regina Vanburg — a daughter of Texas 21. I grew up in Bandera and was educated here from elementary school through high school. I spent my childhood kayaking our green-water rivers, cruising the backroads, and dancing in Hill Country dance halls. I know our hills, our rivers, and our people — rural and urban — because this place is home.

I’m also the daughter of an immigrant and both of my parents are veterans who later continued their service in the federal government. In my family, service wasn’t optional — it was expected — and I carried that forward. I earned a double major in Government and History from UT Austin, an M.A. from St. Edward’s, and a Psy.D. from Our Lady of the Lake University. I am a VA-trained trauma psychologist. I served veterans at the Audie Murphy VA hospital and in the Kerrville outpatient clinic, and now I work at Lackland Air Force Base, supporting recruit well-being in Military City, USA.

Because I was raised, educated, trained, and continue to serve here, I know Texas 21 is really a nine-county neighborhood with shared values. We are the Texas Hill Country. We love our land, we know water is life, we show up for our neighbors, and we expect honesty from our leaders. The July 4th flood in Kerr County was a painful reminder of how connected we are — and how costly government inaction can be.

I’m not a career politician. I’m a public servant and a Hill Country daughter, running to make sure every voice in Texas 21 is heard in Washington.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

"It’s we the people, not we the poor.”

Working families are doing everything right and still falling behind. Wages stagnate while billionaires pay lower effective tax rates than teachers and nurses. I’ll close loopholes, make billionaires pay their fair share, co-sponsor Right to Repair and other pro-consumer protections, and champion measures that rein in corporate power. I’ll invest in education, healthcare, and infrastructure, so our economy works for all of us — not just 1% of us. We are not commodities to make tech bros richer — we are Texans, and Corporate America needs a reminder."Our water, our homes, our power — not for sale."

Big corporations and Big Tech are buying land, water rights, housing, and power — often in secret deals. Essentials aren’t profit centers. I’ll use federal muscle to back local watchdogs — river authorities, groundwater districts, housing advocates, and community leaders — so they have the resources to defend public assets. I’ll hold utilities accountable when they protect shareholders over ratepayers and make the use of NDAs to hide deals that harm public resources prosecutable."Your vote is the power they fear — so vote like it."

Everything we care about in this country depends on free and fair elections. Drawing unfair maps, restricting access to the polls, and coming after our vote all mean one thing: they are afraid of the power of the American electorate at the ballot box — the power of your vote. And they should be. When people don’t vote, corporations and extremists win every time. When people show up, we get a government controlled by the people — not the corporations. I’ll defend access to the ballot, end gerrymandering, stop mid-decade power grabs, and fight to repeal Citizens United.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I’m most excited about strengthening our democracy — protecting the vote and making sure it actually counts. A landmark Princeton–Northwestern study found that average Americans have “near-zero” independent influence on federal policy, while wealthy elites and corporate interests have enormous sway. That should alarm all of us. To change it, we must defend free and fair elections and invest in real civics education — so every American understands their rights, their power, and how to use both. A government of, by, and for the people should answer to the people — not just the powerful.

Campaign website

Vanburg's campaign website stated the following:

What I stand for

Progressive principles. Practical solutions. People, not politics.

Democracy That Works

When they make it harder for people to vote, they are choosing who counts. I believe no one should fear their government. I believe in due process, in participation, and in a system that lifts people up instead of shutting them out. Because when democracy works, people thrive. When it doesn’t, only the powerful win.

Why this matters: Democracy only works when government power is constrained, rights are consistently enforced, and no agency is allowed to operate beyond meaningful oversight.

Voting Rights and Election Access

I support bold federal action to guarantee access to the ballot and end partisan manipulation of elections. That includes independent redistricting, bans on mid-decade redistricting, and strong national standards for early voting, vote by mail, and voter registration. Voting access should never depend on your zip code, your work schedule, or which party controls the statehouse.

Money Out of Politics and Repealing Citizens United

I will do everything humanly possible to repeal Citizens United and overturn the idea that corporations have unlimited political speech. Until that decision is overturned, I support strict campaign finance limits, full transparency, and public financing of elections to reduce the influence of wealth and corporate power. Democracy should represent people, not donors.

Digital Rights, Doxxing, and Artificial Intelligence

People should not fear being harassed, stalked, or doxxed for doing their jobs or speaking out. I support making doxxing a federal crime and establishing strong national standards for data privacy and online safety. We also need federal guardrails on artificial intelligence, including limits on facial recognition, restrictions on biometric surveillance, and clear rules governing how personal data is collected and used. States should be free to enact stronger protections if their communities demand them.

Due Process and Limits on Federal Power

No one should fear their government. Democracy requires real checks and balances and meaningful limits on executive power. When any president circumvents Congress, they are circumventing the people. I oppose qualified immunity for presidents and federal law enforcement agencies. No one should be above the law.

Immigration Reform as a Democratic Issue

Immigration policy is not just about borders. It is about due process, equal protection under the law, and whether the government can deprive people of liberty without accountability. I support comprehensive immigration reform that repeals the three and ten year bars, broadens pathways to citizenship, expands opportunities to naturalize, keeps families together, and guarantees full due process in immigration proceedings.

ICE Accountability and Democratic Norms

An agency with the power to detain, deport, and use force must be held to the highest democratic standards. I support immediate congressional oversight, strict limits on funding through the appropriations process, an end to private detention contracts, and removal of qualified immunity for ICE agents. Long term, I will work to dismantle enforcement models like ICE that operate without transparency or accountability and replace them with systems rooted in due process and human rights. I also support local ordinances that allow communities and businesses to limit cooperation with ICE when civil rights are at stake.

An Everyone Economy

The purpose of your time here on earth is not to make someone else rich. If you work full-time, you should be able to pay your bills, go to the doctor, and enjoy time off with your family and friends. The economy does not just happen. It is built by policy. Right now, it is rigged and not in our favor.

Why this matters: Economic freedom means you can say no to exploitation, get care when you need it, and build a life without constant fear of financial collapse.

Raise Wages and Respect Work

I support Rep. Al Green’s Raise the Wage Act to increase the federal minimum wage and make sure work pays. No one working full time should live in poverty.

Taxing Wealth Instead of Work

Working people should not shoulder the entire burden while extreme wealth and corporate power avoid accountability. I support closing loopholes, taxing wealth fairly, and ensuring corporations pay what they owe so public dollars go toward people, not just profits.

Healthcare as a Public Good, Medicare for All

I support a modern, phased-in Medicare for All system that guarantees comprehensive care without premiums or surprise bills. This approach lowers costs immediately, eliminates medical debt, and frees workers from job lock while building toward universal coverage.

K-12, College for All, and Student Debt Relief

Public education should be a public investment. I support tuition-free public college, strong funding for higher education, and major student debt relief so people can build lives, not just service loans.I oppose national voucher programs that drain public dollars from public schools to subsidize private interests.

Labor Rights, the Gig Economy, and Job Mobility

Working people deserve rights, dignity, and economic security no matter how they earn a living. I support strong labor standards, the right to organize, and collective bargaining for all workers, including those in the gig economy. Unions are essential to a healthy democracy and a fair economy, and I will always stand with labor.

Portable benefits mean healthcare, retirement savings, and paid leave follow people from job to job instead of being controlled by a single employer. I will enforce labor laws, crack down on worker misclassification, and strengthen collective bargaining so working people have real power on the job.

No Subsidies for Bad Actors

Public money should not reward corporations that bust unions, pollute communities, or exploit workers. I oppose subsidies and tax breaks for bad actors and support accountability tied to public investment.

Take Back Texas

Texas is not broken. It is being sabotaged. Our grid failed and people died. Our prisons are run for profit. Powerful interests redraw our districts and strip Texans of their rights. It is time to remind government who it serves.

Why this matters: Taking back Texas means safety, dignity, and real control over the basics of life, not corruption, neglect, and sabotage.

Grid Failure and Infrastructure Accountability

I will fight for federal oversight and investment so Texas families are never again left freezing or without power because of deregulation and neglect. We can modernize infrastructure using technologies like GIS and radar-based systems to detect leaks, reduce waste, and improve efficiency.

Water, Land, Utilities, and Texas Resources

In TX-21, water is the fight. I support protecting water rights, regulating irresponsible development, and ensuring Texas land, utilities, and natural resources serve Texans, not speculators.

Data Centers, NDAs, and Public Assets

Corporations like Meta, Amazon, and Google are building massive data centers while using non-disclosure agreements to avoid public scrutiny, bypass regulation, and shift infrastructure and utility costs onto local taxpayers. I will introduce and support legislation banning NDAs involving public assets, public utilities, or public funds. Texans deserve a seat at the table when their land, water, power, and tax base are on the line.

Housing and Corporate Accountability

I support caps on corporate homeownership to stop Wall Street firms from buying up housing stock, driving up prices, and hollowing out communities.

Climate, Energy, and Land Stewardship

I support an all-of-the-above energy strategy that creates jobs, diversifies our energy portfolio, strengthens reliability, and respects Texas communities. We can protect our land, grow our economy, and honor Texas because we love her.

Local Control, Fair Representation, and Broadband

Texans deserve fair maps, real local control, and representation that reflects communities, not national partisan strategy. I also support universal broadband so rural and small-town Texans are not locked out of education, healthcare, and economic opportunity.

People Over Politics

Government should exist to serve people, not to score political points or impose ideology on deeply personal decisions. Too often, politicians use fear, division, and control to distract from their own failures. I believe in putting people first. That means trusting individuals, respecting professional expertise, and refusing to let politicians insert themselves where they do not belong. When we center dignity, care, and common sense, policy works better for everyone.

Reproductive Rights and Medical Discretion

I am a healthcare provider, and I believe deeply that medical decisions belong between patients and their providers. There is no justification for the government to insert itself into exam rooms, treatment plans, or deeply personal healthcare choices.

Reproductive healthcare is healthcare. That includes access to contraception, abortion, fertility care, and pregnancy-related services. Politicians are not doctors, and laws written for political gain put lives at risk. I will fight to protect reproductive freedom, medical privacy, and the professional discretion of healthcare providers so patients can receive evidence-based care without fear, delay, or political interference.

Common-Sense Gun Policy and Responsible Ownership

Texans believe in personal responsibility. Rights come with obligations, and government should focus on solutions that actually work. That means pursuing common-sense gun safety measures that are broadly supported by gun owners and non-gun owners alike and that respect constitutional rights while reducing preventable harm.

Examples of common-sense reforms include background checks on all firearm purchases, keeping guns out of the hands of individuals subject to domestic violence restraining orders, and allowing courts, with strong due process protections, to temporarily restrict access to firearms when there is clear evidence of an immediate danger. These measures do not punish responsible gun owners. They reflect the values most Texans already live by.

Veterans and Federal Employees

Federal employees, active-duty service members, and veterans are all servants of our nation. They invest their lives in keeping this country running and secure, and they are the backbone of our government and public institutions. They deserve respect, stability, and support, not to be used as pawns in political maneuvering.

That is why I support advanced appropriations to protect veterans’ care from government shutdowns, expanded Veterans Affairs services and staffing, and fair treatment for the federal workforce. Public service is honorable work, and we should treat those who serve with the dignity they have earned.

Housing First

Housing is a human need. I support a Housing First approach that treats stable housing as the foundation for health, employment, and community safety.

A Green New Deal Economy

I support the Green New Deal as an economic and environmental framework that creates good-paying jobs, lowers energy costs, modernizes infrastructure, and confronts climate risk while strengthening domestic industry.

Ending Prison Profiteering

I oppose for-profit prisons and will work to end federal contracts that incentivize incarceration over rehabilitation and human dignity.

Foreign Policy

Israel and Gaza

No nation has the right to commit human rights abuses. While Israel has the right to defend itself, I will not support United States funding or military assistance used to violate international or human rights law. The path forward requires ending collective punishment, allowing Palestinians to govern themselves, and holding violent extremists on all sides accountable.

Ukraine and Russia

I support Ukraine’s right to self-determination and policies that defend sovereignty, uphold international law, and deter authoritarian aggression, with strong oversight and accountability for United States involvement.

Venezuela

I oppose authoritarianism and corruption while rejecting blanket sanctions that harm civilians. United States policy should prioritize humanitarian relief, democratic participation, and regional stability.

Greenland and Arctic Security

Greenland is strategically important due to climate change, emerging shipping routes, and resource competition. I support diplomacy, indigenous sovereignty, environmental protection, and peaceful cooperation with our NATO allies in the Arctic rather than militarization for profit.

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—Regina Vanburg's campaign website (2026)[2]