Cody Nickson, Big Brother 19, Exclusively Talks Running For State Office

We first met Cody and his wife Jessica while they were competing on the reality show Big Brother. The couple met, fell in love, married, and are now parents. They also went on to win The Amazing Race 30.

Cody Nickson

Recently, Nickson said that he is entering the political field. He wishes to represent Texans in the Texas House of Representatives. We reached out to him to ask a few questions about his desire to serve Texans on the state level.

Why did you decide to run for office?

Property owners shouldn’t be penalized simply for owning rather than renting. They also shouldn’t be taxed more for investing in and improving their homes, but that’s exactly what happens when property values rise and taxes go up with them. My neighbor, a retired veteran with his home fully paid off, still has to keep working just to afford the property taxes, because his retirement income doesn’t cover them.

Worse, property taxes are unpredictable and unstable. This entire system, built and maintained by local governments across the country, is treated like the norm, but it doesn’t have to be, and it certainly shouldn’t be. That’s why I’m running, and my top priority is making the homestead exemption 100%. I believe no Texan should be paying thousands, or even tens of thousands, a year in property taxes to live in the home they own. If it’s your primary residence, I want to eliminate that burden.

Are you running under an established party or as an independent?

I’m running for Texas HD 106. So, State Rep, not at the national level. I don’t have any interest in ever running nationally. I want to improve the life of Texans, and that is my focus. I’ll be running as a Republican.

Cody Nickson Supports Wife

It is a given that Jessica will be supporting you in your run for Public Office. This is clear by the love you have had for each other since you met. Will she be joining you on the campaign trail? Will she be campaigning by herself on your behalf?

My wife is pregnant again. She supports me in this, but I just want her to relax and not worry about political campaigning. I’m sure she’ll be my most vocal supporter, though, as she always is.

How would you help bridge the seemingly divided US if elected?

I don’t seek to be in a position to bridge anything except to bring Texas citizens back to the money they give every year for property taxes.

Your stand on Homeowners. Is this for Homeowners who have their home paid off, or include those with a mortgage? If the property taxes are used for municipal services, i.e., garbage removal, road repair, or snow removal, if needed, where will these monies come from?

The government never has a revenue problem; it has a spending problem. While property taxes may be the largest single revenue source on paper, the reality is that roughly 75% of local government funding comes from other sources. Cities are not solely dependent on property taxes to function.

Take Frisco, Texas, as an example. If you removed all property tax revenue from the city’s 2024 budget, it would still bring in over $565 million. That’s an enormous amount of money, more than enough to cover essential services. If someone believes otherwise, they should explain how half a billion dollars isn’t sufficient to fund core city functions.

 Nickson Explains His Position On Women’s Rights

Would you support women’s rights over their bodies or believe it should be State legislated?

Those who argue that abortion should be legal avoid answering a simple but critical question: When does life begin? Without a clear answer, it’s impossible to justify the claim that a baby in the womb is not a living human being. Until that question is answered, we must rely on what both biology and the Bible affirm, that life begins at conception. And since life begins at conception, we have a moral obligation to protect it, including and especially the lives of unborn children.

How would you go about removing power from the HOA?

Ask almost anyone how they feel about their HOA, and you’ll rarely hear something positive. The frustration almost always comes down to the same thing: overreaching rules about what a homeowner can do with their property.

HOAs may have started with good intentions, to keep neighborhoods clean and orderly, but like many regulatory bodies, they’ve grown too powerful over time. What was meant to protect communities has turned into micromanagement of homeowners.

That’s why I would draft and introduce legislation to limit the authority of HOAs, especially when it comes to home improvements. I’m not saying they shouldn’t be able to step in when someone neglects their property entirely, like trashing a front yard. But if a homeowner wants to invest in and improve their home, no one else should get to decide whether it’s “approved” or not. That kind of control has gone too far.

Nickson Campaigns On  Road Toll Caps

8.a) What percentage of road tolls would you cap?

b) What percentage of the cap would go for actual road repair and not administration costs?
c) If the allocated funds for 1 year were not all used, where would the surplus go?

Toll roads should only charge for ongoing maintenance once they’re paid off; that’s it. Period. What started as a way to fund infrastructure has turned into a permanent cost for drivers. For many Texans, tolls have become so routine they’re now a part of the monthly budget, like insurance or groceries. That’s not okay. We need to bring toll roads back to their original purpose: a temporary funding tool, not a lifelong burden on working families.

On removing tax on food, will this include processed or pre-packaged food?

Governments like to impose more taxes when certain taxes are taken away. I want to be proactive in making sure necessities are never taxed.

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