Lawmakers Sign Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying Pledge
A bevy of lawmakers and candidates lent their names to a pledge to ban taxpayer-funded lobbying during the next legislative session, slotted to begin in January of 2021.
The pledgees say that they “strongly oppose any governmental jurisdiction from hiring contract lobbyists, directly or indirectly, to lobby the Texas Legislature or another governmental jurisdiction.”
First shared by Plano City Councilman Shelby Williams, 50 officials or candidates have signed in total thus far.
Texas State Representatives:
- Cole Hefner — House District 5
- Matt Schaefer — House District 6
- Cody Harris — House District 8
- Ben Leman — House District 13
- Steve Toth — House District 15
- Will Metcalf — House District 16
- James White — House District 19
- Dade Phelan — House District 21
- Mayes Middleton — House District 23
- Greg Bonnen — House District 24
- Ed Thompson — House District 29
- J.M. Lozano — House District 43
- Andrew Murr — House District 53
- DeWayne Burns — House District 58
- Mike Lang — House District 60
- Reggie Smith — House District 62
- Matt Shaheen — House District 66
- Jeff Leach — House District 67
- James Frank — House District 69
- Scott Sanford — House District 70
- Kyle Biedermann — House District 73
- Brooks Landgraf — House District 81
- Tom Craddick — House District 82
- Dustin Burrows — House District 83
- Candy Noble — House District 89
- Stephanie Klick — House District 91
- Matt Krause — House District 93
- Tony Tinderholt — House District 94
- Bill Zedler — House District 96
- Craig Goldman — House District 97
- Giovanni Capriglione — House District 98
- Jared Patterson — House District 106
- Briscoe Cain — House District 128
- Dennis Paul — House District 129
- Tom Oliverson — House District 130
- Jim Murphy — House District 133
- Valoree Swanson — House District 150
Texas House Candidates:
- Bryan Slaton — Candidate for House District 2
- Jake Ellzey — Candidate for House District 10
- Cody Vasut — Candidate for House District 25
- Jacey Jetton — Candidate for House District 26
- Shelby Slawson — Candidate for House District 59
- Jeff Cason — Candidate for House District 92
- Marian Knowlton — Candidate for House District 98
Running for higher office:
- Pat Fallon — Senate District 30, Candidate for U.S. House, CD 4
- Drew Springer — House District 68, Candidate for Senate District 30
Local officials:
- Shelby Williams — Plano City Council, Place 5
- Muni Janagarajan — Candidate for Frisco ISD, Place 4
- Ti O’Daniel — Candidate for La Porte City Council, At Large—B
- Jason Corley — Lubbock County Commissioner, Precinct 2
New Political Rankings Released for Texas Legislative Districts
The Texan’s Daniel Friend compiled data to form new Texas Partisan Index rankings — analyzing the political leanings of each Texas legislative district based on 2016 and 2018 statewide election results.
Modeled after Cook Political Report’s Partisan Voting Index, rankings for both the Texas House and the Texas Senate districts were released, and include interactive maps detailing the electoral makeup of the state, a look at how the districts rank from most Republican to most Democratic, and detailed analysis of how the state’s politics have shifted.
This Week’s Campaign Ads
In Texas’ 21st Congressional District, Democrat challenger Wendy Davis and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee launched attack ads against Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX-21), while Rep. Colin Allred (R-TX-32) offered a contrast ad against Republican challenger Genevieve Collins.
The open seats of Texas’ 22nd, 23rd, and 24th Congressional Districts, with Republican PACs launching attack ads against the three Democrats, the pro-choice organization Emily’s List launched two advertisements in Spanish supporting Democrat Gina Ortiz Jones, Democrat Sri Preston Kulkarni launched an ad featuring his mother, and Republican Beth Van Duyne contrasted her position on energy jobs with her opponent.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) released a new campaign ad, while his Democratic opponent, MJ Hegar, released two — one in English and one in Spanish.
On the state side, the Judicial Fairness PAC released an ad supporting Republican Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht and other GOP justices, while Rep. Jeff Leach (R-Plano) launched one ad emphasizing his efforts on criminal justice reform and another attacking his Democratic opponent as anti-police.
For too long North Texans have struggled under the high cost of prescription drugs, and that’s why I led the charge in Congress to pass sweeping legislation that would lower costs. One in four Americans ration their insulin, and in the richest most powerful nation on earth this is unacceptable. I took on the special interests and voted to end price gouging and negotiate lower costs, and I will keep fighting every day in Congress until North Texans get relief.Join us: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/lifesaving
Posted by Colin Allred on Thursday, October 1, 2020
https://youtu.be/BSOkcwdF4tw
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McKenzie DiLullo
McKenzie DiLullo serves as Senior Editor at The Texan. Previously, she worked as a Capitol Director during the 85th legislative session before moving to Fort Worth to manage Senator Konni Burton’s campaign. In her free time, you might find her enjoying dog memes, staring at mountains, or proctoring personality tests.
