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Wayne Christian
| Wayne Christian | ||
 | ||
| Texas State House, District 9 | ||
| Former Officeholder | ||
| In office | ||
| 1997 - 2013 | ||
| Party | Republican | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | November 2, 2010 | |
| First elected | 1996 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | Stephen F. Austin University (1973) | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | September 26, 1950 | |
| Place of birth | Center, TX | |
| Profession | Business owner | |
| Religion | Southern Baptist | |
| Websites | ||
| Campaign website | ||
 | ||
Contents |
First elected to the House in 1996, Christian is a prominent conservative in Texas politics and is president of the Texas Conservative Coalition[1]. He is vice chairman of the House Committee on Financial Institutions and is a member of the Calendars Committee, the Human Services Committee and the House Rural Caucus.[2]
Biography
Christian owns an investment company and is a registered representative of Sun America Securities Inc. of Center, Texas. The representative was born in Center, raised in nearby Tenaha, Texas, and now lives in Center.[3]
He is a 1973 graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, where he received a bachelor's degree in business and minored in marketing. The university is in Christian's state House district, and Christian's official online biography highlights his getting a bill passed to allow the university to renovate its student center.[4]
Committee assignments
2011-2012
Wayne Christian serves on the following Texas House of Representatives committees:
2009-2010
- Business & Industry Committee, Texas House
- Criminal Jurisprudence Committee, Texas House (Vice Chair)
Issues
Sponsored legislation
- HB 425 - Relating to a prohibition against changing the name of certain public institutions of higher education that are named after state historical figures.
- HB 830 - Relating to drug testing of certain persons seeking or receiving financial assistance benefits.
- HB 1320 - Relating to creating an offense for engaging in certain conduct relating to cockfighting and to the criminal and civil consequences of committing that offense.
- HB 1400 - Relating to the creation of a public integrity unit in the office of the attorney general to prosecute offenses against public administration, including ethics offenses, and offenses involving insurance fraud.[5]
Campaign themes
Christian's website highlights the following campaign themes:[6]
Job Creation: Low Taxes and Commonsense Regulation
- Excerpt:"I have consistently fought for lower taxes on the individual and on job producing industries most important to East Texas, such as energy and agriculture."
Fighting for the Right to Life
- Excerpt:"I am unabashed in my stance for life and will continue to work hard to make sure that we limit the heinous practice of abortion as much as we can in our state, and I pledge to continue to seek and take away any tax dollars going towards or supporting abortion in our state."
Honoring the 2nd Amendment and Gun Rights
- Excerpt:"I have always and will continue to oppose any measure introduced in the Texas House which would restrict our Constitutional right to bear arms, and I will fully support legislation aimed at empowering law-abiding Texans to own, use, and enjoy firearms."
Protecting Private Property Rights
- Excerpt:"I have introduced legislation several times to end property taxes and find a more equitable solution to school finance. I do not believe that property owners should shoulder the tax burden for our schools alone"
Standing Against Illegal Immigration
- Excerpt:"I have coauthored legislation to make English the official language of our state, mandate the verification of an arrested person’s immigration status before they are released, require state agencies to study and report the effect of illegal immigration on their annual costs, issue driver’s licenses only to people who are lawfully allowed to work in this country, and repeal “in-state” tuition rates at our colleges and universities for illegal immigrants."
Elections
2012
Christian ran in the 2012 election for Texas House of Representatives, District 9. Christian was defeated by Chris Paddie in the May 29 primary election.[7][8][9]
| Texas House of Representatives District 9 Republican Primary, 2012 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Chris Paddie |
52.2% | 9,335 |
| Wayne Christian Incumbent | 47.8% | 8,558 |
| Total Votes | 17,893 | |
2010
Christian won re-election to the 9th District seat in 2010. He had no opposition in the March 2nd primary. He defeated Democrat Kenneth Franks in the general election on November 2, 2010.[10]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 9 2010 General election results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Wayne Christian (R)
|
23,754 | 72.15% | ||
| Kenneth Franks (D) | 9,169 | 27.84% | ||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Christian won re-election to the Texas House of Representatives from Texas's 9th District, defeating Kenneth Franks (D) and Joe Allport (L).[11]
Christian raised $193,267 for his campaign; Franks raised $4,355.[12]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 9 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Wayne Christian (R)
|
32,704 | 62.75% | ||
| Kenneth Franks (D) | 18,448 | 35.39% | ||
| Joe Allport (L) | 961 | 1.84% | ||
2006
On November 4, 2006, Christian won election to the Texas House of Representatives, District 9, unopposed.[13]
Christian raised $548,734 for his campaign.[14]
| Texas State House of Representatives, District 9 (2006) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Wayne Christian (R)
|
20,838 | |||
2004
In 2004, Christian ran for the Republican nomination to represent District 1 in the United States House of Representatives. He lost the March 3 primary election to Louis Gohmert.
2002
On November 4, 2002, Christian won re-election to the Texas House of Representatives from Texas's 9th District, defeating Robin Moore (D).[15]
Christian raised $232,533 for his campaign; Moore raised $272,578.[16]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 9 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Wayne Christian (R)
|
17,823 | |||
| Robin Moore (D) | 14,651 | |||
2000
On November 4, 2000, Christian won re-election to the Texas House of Representatives from Texas's 9th District, defeating Joseph Evans (D).[17]
Christian raised $287,502 for his campaign; Evans raised $179,073.[18]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 9 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Wayne Christian (R)
|
24,625 | |||
| Joe Evans (D) | 19,817 | |||
1998
On November 4, 1998, Christian won re-election to the Texas House of Representatives from Texas's 9th District, defeating Colin Strother (D).[19]
Christian raised $312,349 for his campaign; Strother raised $62,422.[20]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 9 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Wayne Christian (R)
|
16,646 | |||
| Colin Strother (D) | 12,781 | |||
1996
On November 4, 1996, Christian won election to the Texas House of Representatives from Texas's 9th District, defeating Judy McDonald (D).[21]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 9 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Wayne Christian (R)
|
20,979 | |||
| Judy McDonald (D) | 20,549 | |||
Campaign donors
2010
Christian raised a total of $150,907 in 2010. Below are Christian's top 5 campaign contributors in the 2010 election:[22]
His top five contributors in 2010 are:
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Choctaw Nation Of Oklahoma | $7,500 |
| Texas Optometric Association | $7,500 |
| Perry, Bob J | $5,000 |
| Energy Future Holdings Corp | $3,000 |
| 4 donors gave equivalent amounts: | $2,500 |
2008
In the 2008 election, Christian raised a total of $193,267.[23]
His five largest contributors in 2008 were:
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| AT&T | $9,048 |
| Texas Optometric Association | $8,000 |
| Perry, Bob J | $7,500 |
| Time Warner | $6,000 |
| Golden, Dixon | $5,200 |
2006
In the 2006 election, Christian raised a total of $548,734. [24]
His five largest contributors in 2006 were:
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Texas Republican Legislative Campaign CMTE | $10,000 |
| Texas Club For Growth | $8,000 |
| Leininger, James R | $5,500 |
| Perry, Bob J | $5,500 |
| Texans for Lawsuit Reform | $5,000 |
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a google news search for the term Wayne + Christian + Texas + House
- All stories may not be relevant to this legislator due to the nature of the search engine.
Wayne Christian News Feed
- Ross Miller - Paducah Sun
- Wild chase leads Wiggins to KU - Topeka Capital Journal
- 'Doesn't get much worse': 6 dead, 16 tornadoes wreak havoc in North Texas - Dallas Morning News
- Dedication services slated - Wayne Independent
- Deadly Twisters Strike Texas - KMJ 580 AM and KMJ 105.9 FM - KMJ Now
- Facebook comments: Christmas legislation - Austin American-Statesman
- State Treasurer Keeps Returning Money - KTTS
- Death notices for May 14 Including Tulsa and northeastern Oklahoma. - Tulsa World
- The TV Column: New shows for Fall 2013 - Washington Post
- Tycoon uses Southern Indiana retreat for fundraiser - Indianapolis Star
Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found
Controversies
Christian was one of several Texas lawmakers named in the 2005 indictment of Tom Delay, then U.S. House majority leader, in the case that would eventually lead Delay to leave Congress. The indictment alleged no wrongdoing on Christian's part, but said he was one of several legislators to receive money in the 2002 election cycle from the Texas Association of Businesses, whom authorities alleged had illegally funneled corporate money to Republican candidates.[25]
Christian also has ties to John Colyandro, who was indicted along with Delay and who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge in the case in 2008. Colyandro is executive director of the Texas Conservative Coalition. Colyandro also is a former officer of Delay's now-defunct Americans for a Republican Majority, a political action committee that gave $2,500 to Christian's campaigns.[26]
Christian sponsored a bill in the Texas House in 2009 that would have stripped the authority of the Travis County, Texas, district attorney to prosecute public corruption cases throughout Texas -- a move that would have prevented the Austin-based DA from prosecuting politicians outside Austin, including Delay. The bill died.[27]
Christian also received some criticism in 2009 after the Houston Chronicle reported that he had helped craft an amendment allowing him to rebuild his vacation home on Bolivar Peninsula, near Galveston, after it was demolished by Hurricane Ike. The reconstruction would otherwise have been prevented by state law banning construction on Texas beaches. [28]
In an interview with the newspaper, Christian defended the move and denied it was a conflict of interest, saying, "If I were to pass a law that affected only Wayne Christian, that would be a conflict." The amendment in question, which affects only properties on the Bolivar Peninsula and was co-authored with state Rep. Mike Hamilton, will also help at least 12 of his neighbors rebuild their homes, Christian said.[29]
Scorecards
Empower Texans Fiscal Responsibility Index
Empower Texans produces the Fiscal Responsibility Index as "a measurement of how lawmakers perform on size and role of government issues." The index uses "exemplar votes on core budget and free enterprise issues that demonstrate legislators' governing philosophy."[30] Legislators are graded along a standard grading scale, receiving grades A through F based on their performance during the legislative session.
2011
Wayne Christian received a grade of A+ on the 2011 Fiscal Responsibility Index.
- 2011 Taxpayer Champion. Christian was named a "2011 Taxpayer Champion," which is "the top award presented by Texans for Fiscal Responsibility to legislators based on their rating on the most recent Fiscal Responsibility Index."[31]
Personal
Christian is married to the former Lisa Lemoine of Shelbyville, Texas; they wed in 1975. They have three daughters, Liza, Lindsey and Lauren.[32]
A Southern Baptist, he is a member of the Christian Coalition, Promise Keepers and Gideons International.[33]
External links
- Wayne Christian campaign website
- Texas House of Representatives - Rep. Christian
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Official Campaign Contributions
- Follow The Money - Campaign Contributions: 2010 2008, 2006, 1998
- Freedom Speaks profile
- Texas State Directory profile
- Texas Political Almanac HD 9 page
- Texas Tribune profile & bio
- Vote-TX.org profile
- State Surge profile
- Texas Conservative Coalition profile
- Facebook profile
- Wayne Christian on Twitter
References
- ↑ Texas House of Representatives Web site, Member Wayne Christian, June 13, 2009
- ↑ Texas House of Representatives Web site, Member Wayne Christian, June 13, 2009
- ↑ Texas House of Representatives Web site, Member Wayne Christian, June 13, 2009
- ↑ Texas House of Representatives Web site, Member Wayne Christian, June 13, 2009
- ↑ Texas Legislature - Bills Authored/Joint Authored by Rep. Christian
- ↑ texansforwaynechristian.com - Issues
- ↑ Texas GOP list of candidates for 2012 Elections
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State Election History
- ↑ Office of the (Texas) Secretary of State, "Race Summary Report," accessed July 12, 2012
- ↑ Official Texas Election Results
- ↑ 2008 Election Results, Texas House of Representatives
- ↑ District 9 Texas House candidate funds, 2008
- ↑ 2006 Election Results, Texas House of Representatives
- ↑ 2006 Texas Election Fundraising, Candidates
- ↑ 2002 Election Results, Texas House of Representatives
- ↑ District 9 Texas House candidate funds, 2000
- ↑ 2000 Election Results, Texas House of Representatives
- ↑ District 9 Texas House candidate funds, 2000
- ↑ 1998 Election Results, Texas House of Representatives
- ↑ District 9 Texas House candidate funds, 1998
- ↑ 1996 Election Results, Texas House of Representatives
- ↑ Follow the Money - 2010 Campaign contributions
- ↑ Follow the Money - 2008 Campaign contributions
- ↑ Follow the Money - 2006 Campaign contributions
- ↑ GOP lawmakers aim to weaken Travis County DA's office, Texas Watchdog, April 27, 2009
- ↑ GOP lawmakers aim to weaken Travis County DA's office, Texas Watchdog, April 27, 2009
- ↑ GOP lawmakers aim to weaken Travis County DA's office, Texas Watchdog, April 27, 2009
- ↑ "Battle for a beach", Houston Chronicle, June 3, 2009
- ↑ "Battle for a beach", Houston Chronicle, June 3, 2009
- ↑ Empower Texans, "Fiscal Responsibility Index"
- ↑ Empower Texans, "2011 Taxpayer Champions
- ↑ Texas House of Representatives Web site, Member Wayne Christian, June 13, 2009
- ↑ Texas House of Representatives Web site, Member Wayne Christian, June 13, 2009
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by ' |
Texas House District 9 1997–2013 |
Succeeded by Chris Paddie (R) |
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