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Bryan Slaton
Bryan Slaton (Republican Party) was a member of the Texas House of Representatives, representing District 2. He assumed office on January 12, 2021. He left office on May 8, 2023, following a report released by the House General Investigative Committee finding that Slaton engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with a staff member.[1]
Slaton ran in one of 48 contested Texas state legislative Republican primaries in 2018. To read more about the conflict between Republican factions in the primaries, including who the factions were, which races were competitive and who key influencers lined up behind, click here.
Slaton was a 2016 Republican candidate for District 2 of the Texas House of Representatives. He was defeated by incumbent Dan Flynn in the primary election on March 1, 2016.
Biography
Bryan Slaton was born in Mineola, Texas. He earned bachelor's degrees in youth ministry and speech communication from Ouachita Baptist University, a bachelor's degree in business administration accounting from the University of North Texas, and a master's in divinity degree in biblical languages from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Slaton’s career experience includes working as a youth and family minister and as a manager at Slaton Financial Services.[2][3]
Committee assignments
Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.
2021-2022
Slaton was assigned to the following committees:
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2022
See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
The general election was canceled. Incumbent Bryan Slaton won election in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 2.
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 2
Incumbent Bryan Slaton defeated Clyde Bostick in the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 2 on March 1, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Bryan Slaton | 82.4 | 16,609 |
| Clyde Bostick | 17.6 | 3,555 | ||
| Total votes: 20,164 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Campaign finance
2020
See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
General election for Texas House of Representatives District 2
Bryan Slaton defeated Bill Brannon in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 2 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Bryan Slaton (R) | 81.3 | 63,074 |
| Bill Brannon (D) | 18.7 | 14,514 | ||
| Total votes: 77,588 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary runoff election
Republican primary runoff for Texas House of Representatives District 2
Bryan Slaton defeated incumbent Dan Flynn in the Republican primary runoff for Texas House of Representatives District 2 on July 14, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Bryan Slaton | 61.1 | 9,772 |
 | Dan Flynn | 38.9 | 6,229 | |
| Total votes: 16,001 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 2
Bill Brannon advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 2 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Bill Brannon | 100.0 | 4,408 | |
| Total votes: 4,408 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 2
Incumbent Dan Flynn and Bryan Slaton advanced to a runoff. They defeated Dwayne Collins in the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 2 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Dan Flynn | 44.8 | 12,246 |
| ✔ | | Bryan Slaton | 36.1 | 9,889 |
 | Dwayne Collins | 19.1 | 5,223 | |
| Total votes: 27,358 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Campaign finance
2018
General election
General election for Texas House of Representatives District 2
Incumbent Dan Flynn defeated Bill Brannon in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 2 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Dan Flynn (R) | 80.0 | 45,843 |
| Bill Brannon (D) | 20.0 | 11,432 | ||
| Total votes: 57,275 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 2
Bill Brannon advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 2 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Bill Brannon | 100.0 | 2,178 | |
| Total votes: 2,178 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 2
Incumbent Dan Flynn defeated Bryan Slaton in the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 2 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Dan Flynn | 51.7 | 11,803 |
| Bryan Slaton | 48.3 | 11,013 | |
| Total votes: 22,816 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Overview of 2018 Republican primaries
The 2018 Texas state legislative Republican primaries featured conflict between two factions. One group was opposed to House Speaker Joe Straus (R) and his preferred policies on issues like education financing and property taxes. The anti-Straus wing included members of the Texas Freedom Caucus and organizations such as Empower Texans and Texas Right to Life. The other group was supportive of Straus and his policy priorities. The pro-Straus wing included incumbent legislators allied with Straus and organizations such as the Associated Republicans of Texas and the Texas Association of Business. To learn more about these factions and the conflict between them, visit our page on factional conflict among Texas Republicans.
The primaries occurred on March 6, 2018, with runoffs on May 22, 2018. There were 48 contested state legislative Republican primaries, outnumbering contested primaries in 2016 (43) and 2014 (44). To see our full coverage of the state legislative Republican primaries, including who key influencers were backing and what the primaries meant for the 2019 House speaker's race, visit our primary coverage page.
The charts below outline the March 6 primary races for the state Senate and the state House. They show how the factions performed on election night.
| Texas Senate Republicans | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Before March 6 primaries | After March 6 primaries | |
| Pro-Straus | 2 | 1 | |
| Anti-Straus | 1 | 3 | |
| Unknown | 3 | 3 | |
| Open seats | 1 | - | |
| Runoffs | - | - | |
| Too close to call | - | - | |
| Total | 7 | 7 | |
| Texas House Republicans | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Before March 6 primaries | After March 6 primaries | |
| Pro-Straus | 20 | 20 | |
| Anti-Straus | 4 | 9 | |
| Unknown | 2 | 5 | |
| Open seats | 15 | - | |
| Runoffs | - | 7 | |
| Too close to call | - | - | |
| Total | 41 | 41 | |
Primary we watched
This primary was one of 48 we tracked for the March 6 elections.
Did the incumbent file to run for re-election?
| Yes. |
What made this a race to watch?
| The Dallas Morning News identified this Republican primary as potentially competitive. According to the Dallas Morning News, conservative groups targeted incumbent Dan Flynn, an ally of Speaker Joe Straus who won his 2016 primary by a two-point margin.[4] Bryan Slaton filed to challenge Flynn in 2018. All candidates in this race signed the form committing to vote for the Republican caucus' choice for speaker on the House floor. Endorsements for Slaton
Endorsements for Flynn
|
Campaign finance
2016
Elections for the Texas House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on March 1, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was December 14, 2015.[7]
Incumbent Dan Flynn ran unopposed in the Texas House of Representatives District 2 general election.[8]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 2 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Dan Flynn Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 54,605 | |
| Total Votes | 54,605 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State | ||||
Incumbent Dan Flynn defeated Bryan Slaton in the Texas House of Representatives District 2 Republican Primary.[9][10]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 2 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Dan Flynn Incumbent |
50.99% | 14,918 | |
| Republican | Bryan Slaton | 49.01% | 14,337 | |
| Total Votes | 29,255 | |||
Primary
Flynn has received the endorsements of the following state professional groups:[11]
- Texas Farm Bureau Ag Fund
- Texas State Association of Fire Fighters
- National Rifle Association
- Texas State Rifle Association
- Texas State Teachers Association
Meanwhile, Slaton has received the endorsements of the following state conservative groups:[12][13]
- Texans for Fiscal Responsibility
- Texas Right to Life
- Empower Texans
- Concerned Women for America
- Texas Home School Coalition
- Grassroots America We the People (GAWTP)
Flynn and Slaton have sparred over who is more conservative on the issues. Flynn has touted his work on increasing border security to help stop illegal immigration and helping fund highway projects in District 2. Slaton has indicated that Flynn's voting record has become less conservative over time. "He’s been there quite a long time, and the longer you stay there, the more likely your voting record is to change," said Slaton.[13]
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Bryan Slaton did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Bryan Slaton did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2016
Slaton's campaign website highlighted the following issues:
| “ |
Immigration and Border Security: Immigration and Border Security – First, we must have border enforcement. If we can’t stop the inflow of illegal immigration, no other policy or law will protect us and our economy. I am for legal immigration and against taxpayer subsidies to illegal immigrants. Education: We must have an educated society. It is important to teach critical thinking and not teach to tests. We must not only ensure all children have a basic education, but we must also make higher education more affordable for those that choose to earn degrees. Along with academic education, vocational education must also be emphasized. Budget and the Economy: We must convert our bureaucracies to zero based budgeting and increase transparency. Capitalism and the free market are essential to helping Texans pursue life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. No other system in history has brought more people out of poverty. Family Values: The family unit is essential to a healthy culture and society. Parents must be able to raise their children as they see fit. The job of parenting is entrusted to the parents, not the government. Texans should have the religious freedom and economic opportunity to shape their children into productive citizens. We must protect the institution of marriage in our state and protect the religious liberty of all Texans. Second Amendment: We have seen more restrictions and regulations on our gun rights. This trend must stop. The anti-gun groups will not be satisfied until they disarm us and our law enforcement. I will fight to keep what we have and push to advance our gun rights where they need to be. COME AND TAKE IT.[14] |
” |
| —Bryan Slaton[15] | ||
Noteworthy events
Resignation following sexual misconduct allegations (2023)
This article contains a developing news story. Ballotpedia staff are checking for updates regularly. To inform us of new developments, email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.
On May 8, 2023, Slaton resigned from the Texas House of Representatives following a report released by the House General Investigative Committee finding that Slaton engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with a staff member.[16] According to The Texas Tribune, Slaton did not address the allegations made against him in his resignation letter to Gov. Greg Abbott (R).[17]
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Texas scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2023
In 2023, the Texas State Legislature was in session from January 10 to May 29.
- Legislators are scored based by the organization on their votes on bills relating to "core budget and free enterprise issues."
- Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills relating to taxes and property rights.
- Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on social issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Legislators are scored on their adherence to the limited government principles of the U.S. Constitution.
2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2022, the Texas State Legislature was not in session. |
2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2021, the Texas State Legislature was in session from January 12 to May 31.
|
See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ USA Today, "Texas Rep. Bryan Slaton resigns after giving alcohol to, having sex with 19-year-old aide," accessed May 8, 2023
- ↑ Bryan Slaton for Texas House, "About Bryan," accessed January 23, 2018
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Bryan Slaton," accessed January 24, 2018
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedGROMER - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedBlastf16 - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedNFIB - ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Important 2016 Election Dates," accessed December 14, 2015
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2016 General Election," accessed December 2, 2016
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2016 March Primary Election Candidate Filings by County," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "1992 - Current Election History results," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ Dan Flynn, "Endorsements," January 14, 2016
- ↑ Bryan Slaton, "Endorsements," accessed February 22, 2016
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Texas Tribune, "Rep. Dan Flynn Faces Challenger From the Right," February 18, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Bryan Slaton for Texas House, "Issues," accessed February 22, 2016
- ↑ USA Today, "Texas Rep. Bryan Slaton resigns after giving alcohol to, having sex with 19-year-old aide," accessed May 8, 2023
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "State Rep. Bryan Slaton resigns ahead of expulsion vote over inappropriate relationship with aide," May 8, 2023
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Dan Flynn (R) |
Texas House of Representatives District 2 2021-2023 |
Succeeded by Jill Dutton (R) |
