Brian Chaput
Brian Chaput (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Texas State Senate to represent District 8. Chaput lost in the Democratic primary on March 6, 2018.
Biography
Chaput graduated from Plano Senior High School in 1991. He received his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Washington University in St. Louis in 1995 and his master's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Texas at Dallas in 1999. He began working as a product development and engineering manager in 1995. He has been affiliated with the Plano Chamber of Commerce, the Plano Heritage Commission, the Plano Masonic Lodge, the North Texas Masonic Historical Museum and Library, and the Scottish Rite Mason.[1]
Elections
2018
- See also: Texas State Senate elections, 2018
General election
General election for Texas State Senate District 8
Angela Paxton defeated Mark Phariss in the general election for Texas State Senate District 8 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Angela Paxton (R) | 51.2 | 169,995 |
 | Mark Phariss (D)  | 48.8 | 162,157 | |
| Total votes: 332,152 | |||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Texas State Senate District 8
Mark Phariss defeated Brian Chaput in the Democratic primary for Texas State Senate District 8 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mark Phariss | 50.9 | 16,689 |
 | Brian Chaput | 49.1 | 16,094 | |
| Total votes: 32,783 | |||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Texas State Senate District 8
Angela Paxton defeated Phillip Huffines in the Republican primary for Texas State Senate District 8 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Angela Paxton | 54.4 | 32,653 |
 | Phillip Huffines | 45.6 | 27,421 | |
| Total votes: 60,074 | |||
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Campaign themes
2018
Chaput provided the following description of his political philosophy to Ballotpedia:
| “ | I’ve lived in this district since I was 8 years old. My parents moved to Plano because they saw promise in its great public schools, strong job opportunities, and community-minded citizens.
I am the beneficiary of that promise — I graduated from Plano Senior High School, and I work for a great company right here in the area. Today, my wife Rachel and I send our two young children to our district’s public schools. But over the last year, as I’ve listened to friends, neighbors, and co-workers express their frustration and dissatisfaction with the rhetoric and partisan polarization they see in the Texas Senate — and across the nation — I realized that our representatives no longer speak for the real constituents of our district. I see our legislators openly ignoring the pleas of the people they are supposed to represent. I see them treating fellow legislators not as fellow Texans working toward a solution for all our citizens, but as political enemies they can treat without respect or civility. I see partisan point-scoring when what we need is practical problem solving. The dysfunction in Austin threatens the promise of our district, and our great state of Texas. That’s why I decided to run for this seat: to bring the voice of real people from this district to Austin — real people who want legislators to work together to solve the complex problems we face today in Texas, not impose extreme ideologies on our state. Once I made the decision to run, I made it my mission to listen: to understand the issues that affect you, and what changes you want to see. I’ve spent months listening to everyone I can from all over this area — parents, educators, business leaders, small-business owners, students, and more — hearing their complaints, their frustrations, and most importantly, their ideas for what we need to do better. My legislative priorities are rooted in those conversations, and are the priorities of the people I hope to represent. Because we don’t need more of the same in Austin. |
” |
| —Brian Chaput, 2018 | ||
He added:
| “ | To know more about me, I have a bunch of facts and a list of things I’ve done below.
But frist, I want to tell you how I think about solving problems, because I believe that will give you a much better sense of how I would approach the job of being your State Senator. I’m an engineer. Engineering is fundamentally about finding the best way to get from point A to point B, considering the constraints you have to deal with. As an engineer, you’re trained to break down problems — to examine them from all sides, to consider all options, and to think creatively and realistically to come up with the best possible solution. My area of specialization is product development — which means I’m creating products that must solve a specific engineering problem and meet a quality standard, and also have to hit a cost and time-to-market target. As an engineer, you’re constantly balancing competing interests, constantly working within the constraints that the real world throws at you. To make the best decisions and the right trade-offs, you need to see the constraints of the whole project so that you can find the opportunities for success. Dealing with those kinds of challenges every day, you learn to question assumptions. Oh, you say we can’t do it that way? Tell me why. Sure, something may sound certain on the surface. But I've learned to not take everything at face value. You’ve got to really look beneath the surface, look for the motivations, and ask tough questions if you want to get to the best solution. Unfortunately, I don’t see enough of that in our politics. For example, it’s too easy to say, “This will be good for education.” But will it really help public education? Or is that the statement just to cover up an attack on our public schools? We need to ask more questions to understand what our politicians really want to achieve in the legislation they promote. That’s why I’ve been talking to so many educators — because I’m an engineer, not an educator. I know that if I want to really understand education issues, I need to talk to the experts, the people who are already on the front line, and understand what they know. Because if I can understand the issues from the way they see it, then I can look at root-level problems that are causing those issues and figure out a way to fix them. I’ve talked to a lot of educators who said, “I just wish the state legislators understood this issue.” If legislators don’t understand, it’s because they haven’t taken enough time — or had enough humility — to talk to educators, to listen, and to understand. To me, legislators need to understand the concerns of our educators who work on these issues every day, and vote for legislation that helps educators do their job. My engineering mindset is, if we’ve got a problem, there’s got to be a way to fix it. And if I want to help solve a problem, I have to investigate. I have to dig below the surface. I'm not going to take things at face value. I'm going to sit down with the people who have first-hand experience with the issues, I’m going to ask them questions, and I'm going to be patient and listen until I know the causes to their problems. If you think we need more of that kind of problem-solving mindset in Austin, and less ideological grandstanding, then I would appreciate your vote. Of course, I’m not just an engineer. I’m a husband, a father to two wonderful children, a son, and a neighbor. I graduated from Plano Senior High School, and I attended Washington University in St. Louis, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. After college, I returned home to work in the telecommunications industry, initially as a manufacturing engineer, and to continue my studies at The University of Texas at Dallas, where I received a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. I’ve been employed as an engineer and product development manager since 1994. The company I work for is a global contract manufacturer and I am part of that diverse global technical community. Locally, I’ve been actively involved through leadership and organizations in the community for over 25 years. My community involvement includes: City of Plano Heritage Commission Chair, 2009-2010 Commissioner, 2006-2010 Parent-Teacher Association, Plano ISD 2013-Present Plano Masonic Lodge, AF&AM Master, 2014-2015 Member, 2003-Present Youth Sports Coach, Boys Soccer & Girls Softball 2014- Present Dallas Scottish Rite Member, 2004-Present Soccer Player and Distance Runner 1996-Present North Texas Masonic Historical Museum & Library Officer and Board Member, 2004-Present[1][2] |
” |
| —Brian Chaput, 2018 | ||
See also
- State legislative elections, 2018
- Texas State Senate elections, 2018
- State legislative special elections, 2018
- Texas State Senate
- Texas State Legislature
External links
Footnotes
