Sen. Robert Nichols (R–Jacksonville) has once again claimed the title of least “conservative” Republican in the Texas Senate, according to a new ideological ranking published by Rice University’s Baker Institute and featured in The Texas Tribune.
It’s not a fluke. Nichols has consistently held this position in the 2023, 2021, 2019, and 2017 legislative sessions. But in 2025, his ranking is backed by one of the most glaring breaks from conservative priorities yet: his effort to gut a bill banning taxpayer-funded lobbying.
Nichols Led Effort to Weaken SB 19
This session, Senate Bill 19 — authored by Sen. Mayes Middleton (R–Galveston) and supported by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick — was introduced to stop local governments from using taxpayer dollars to fund lobbyists or dues to lobbying associations such as the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB).
Originally, SB 19 would have:
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Banned taxpayer-funded contracts with registered lobbyists
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Blocked funds flowing to nonprofit associations engaged in lobbying
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Closed loopholes designed to circumvent spending restrictions
However, on the Senate floor, Nichols introduced a key amendment that significantly watered down the bill. According to Texas Policy Research, Nichols’ amendment:
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Exempted nonprofit associations (like TASB) from the prohibition
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Allowed taxpayer funds to continue supporting those associations
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Permitted full-time non-registered association staff to lobby lawmakers
The amendment passed 15–13, with Nichols siding with every Senate Democrat and several moderate Republicans. SB 19 ultimately passed—in name only.
Middleton warned:
“Allows them to essentially play a shell game and say they are contract lobbyists or they are employees and then thats fine, they can continue as they are now and get around the bill, and the purpose of the bill.”
He also told The Dallas Express:
“For too long, taxpayers’ and parents’ own tax dollars have been used to lobby against them in Austin.”
Pattern of Betrayal, Not Just Dissent
The 2025 session wasn’t an outlier — it was confirmation. Nichols has built a legislative record that puts him at odds with nearly every major conservative priority in Texas.
He was one of just two Republicans to vote in favor of impeaching Attorney General Ken Paxton, siding with Democrats in a move many grassroots conservatives viewed as a political ambush.
He cast the deciding GOP vote to kill school choice, joining Democrats in opposing Senate Bill 2, the cornerstone of Gov. Greg Abbott’s education agenda.
On issues like ESG investing and state preemption, Nichols has consistently opposed his own party. He voted against efforts to curb left-wing corporate influence and block radical local ordinances—bills that every other Republican senator supported.