A fifth-generation Texan, former Bandera High science teacher and pediatric physical therapist, running to fund our schools, keep rural hospitals open, and make sure no child in the Hill Country goes hungry.
"In the greatest nation on Earth, no one should go hungry."
I was born in the border town of McAllen, Texas, and graduated from its public schools. I am a fifth-generation Texan on my father's side, and my ancestors helped settle Fredericksburg in the early 1840s. My mother's family came to America in 1620 and settled in Texas in 1919.
My mother and siblings have lived in Bandera County since 1987. My siblings graduated from Bandera High School, my children attended Bandera and Medina Valley schools, and my grandchildren attend Bandera schools today.
I taught high school science and physics at Bandera High School, and I have taught at the middle school, high school and college levels. In 1999 I earned my paralegal certification from UTSA, hoping to go into environmental law, and worked in family law for a year. I then became a pediatric physical therapist through UTHealth and earned my doctorate from UTMB–Galveston. As a physical therapist I have worked in homes, schools, hospitals and clinics with adults and children who have disabilities or injuries.
I have seen the struggles families endure. They live in constant fear of changes in the cost and availability of healthcare, and of losing food assistance like SNAP and WIC. Seniors worry about changes to Medicare and Social Security. Public school children with disabilities have lost resources for mental health, food and special education.
As State Representative for District 53, I will work to right these wrongs in Austin and build a new Texas path forward.
What she'll fight for in Austin, drawn from decades of work with Hill Country families. Tap "Read more" on any issue for the details.
Fully fund special education and put counselors and therapists back in our schools.
In 2024, Texas cut $607 million in Medicaid funding from the school program that pays for services for students with disabilities. Texas ranks 47th among the states in per-student spending: $13,189 per student in 2024–25, against a national average of $18,853.
I will work to increase funding for students with disabilities so public schools can hire quality staff and get the equipment students need, and to fund mental health counselors and physical, speech and occupational therapists in our schools.
Sources: Texas Tribune (Oct. 2024); National Education Association, via the Texas State Teachers Association.
Expand Medicaid so small-town clinics and hospitals can stay open.
Texas has lost more rural hospitals than any other state: 24 closed between 2005 and 2022. The decision not to expand Medicaid and falling reimbursement rates from public and private insurance are driving the losses.
I will work to expand Medicaid in rural Texas.
Source: Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts (Oct. 2022).
Protect SNAP, expand WIC to young children and the elderly, and feed every child all summer long.
During the 2025 federal shutdown, many parents could not count on SNAP to feed their children. That same year, Governor Abbott vetoed the $60 million that would have brought the federal SUN Bucks summer food program to Texas children.
I will work to increase SNAP benefits and extend them to hardworking families earning minimum wage, and to expand WIC to children up to age 5 and to the elderly. Seniors on fixed incomes and minimum-wage workers cannot keep up with the price of food. Eating is a human right, not a benefit of opportunity.
Sources: Texas Public Radio and KUT (June 2025).
Real warning systems, and the funding to maintain them.
Texas failed children and families along the Guadalupe River during the July 4th flood by not having the infrastructure and warning systems in place, and by responding slowly.
I will work to increase funding and make sure warning systems and infrastructure are in place and maintained, so everyone who lives in and visits the Texas Hill Country is safe.
Conserve the Medina River and our freshwater for the next generation.
Rural Texas water and natural resources are under pressure as large corporations buy land for AI data centers, which use massive amounts of fresh water for cooling and drive up the cost of our electricity. Depleting local water disrupts and harms our ecosystems. Building the border wall across Big Bend or the Rio Grande Valley would put the native animals of those areas at risk.
I will work to conserve our natural resources along the Medina River, for fishing and for everyone to enjoy now and in the future.
Every woman in rural Texas deserves access to the care she needs, close to home.
As a pediatric therapist, Kathryn knows early help changes lives. She'll work to make mental healthcare available to every child under 18 in District 53, including kids in our smallest towns.
On July 6, 2025, Kathryn helped her husband repair a USGS water gage destroyed by the flood in Hunt, running tools from the truck so he could finish before the next wave of rain.
Kathryn provided physical therapy to patients from 6 weeks to 60 years old at a Catholic mission and orphanage that serves people of all faiths.
She volunteers at the Lakehills Community Center, where people of every faith come together to recreate Old Town Bethlehem. All are welcome.
From the Texas Democratic Convention in Corpus Christi to block walks in Bandera and Kerr counties, Kathryn is meeting voters across all 16 counties.
Bandera, TX. Details coming soon.
Kathryn debates the incumbent. Hosted by Citizens for Change 325, Brady, TX.
Speaking to the Medina Valley Democrats, then block walking in Castroville, Hondo and Devine. Join us!
More events are being added. Check back, or follow Kathryn Hartmann for HD 53 on Facebook.
District 53 runs from Medina County west to the Pecos River. Wherever you live, here's how to make your vote count.
Texas House District 53. County boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau.
Bring an approved photo ID. If you can't get one, ask for a Reasonable Impediment Declaration at the polls.
From Hondo to Fort Stockton, every neighbor you talk to matters. Give what you can, and sign up to help in your town.
Every dollar goes to Kathryn's campaign through ActBlue.
Contributions are not tax deductible. State law requires the campaign to report contributor information to the Texas Ethics Commission.
Block walk, host a meet-and-greet, or help at an event near you. Find an event and sign up on Mobilize, or reach Kathryn directly.
Volunteer on Mobilizekathryn.hartmannhd53@gmail.com
Facebook: Kathryn Hartmann for HD 53