Your feedback ensures we stay focused on the facts that matter to you most—take our survey.
David Simpson (Texas)
David Simpson (b. June 27, 1961) is a former Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives, representing District 7 from 2011 to 2017.
Simpson did not seek re-election to the Texas House of Representatives in 2016. Instead, Simpson was a 2016 Republican candidate for District 1 of the Texas State Senate.
Committee assignments
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Simpson served on the following committees:
| Texas committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Agriculture and Livestock |
| • Criminal Jurisprudence |
2013-2014
In the 2013-2014 legislative session, Simpson served on the following committees:
| Texas committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • County Affairs |
| • Land & Resource Management |
2011-2012
During the 2011-2012 legislative session, Simpson served on the following Texas House of Representatives committees:
| Texas committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Border & Intergovernmental Affairs |
| • Urban Affairs |
Campaign themes
2012
Simpson's website highlighted the following campaign themes:
Ensure election integrity with photo ID
- Excerpt: "Voter registration cards that are issued and controlled by each county’s election officer should eventually include a photograph of the voter and should only be issued upon verification of citizenship and residency. Such rolls should be regularly and systematically purged of voters that have moved outside the precinct or are deceased."
Secure the border
- Excerpt: "I favor efforts to reform the naturalization process that facilitates the acceptance of law-abiding applicants. I also support measures to increase and facilitate the issuance of visas to law-abiding temporary workers. Illegal aliens, however, including temporary workers who out-stay their visas, should be fined and deported."
Enforce the 10th Amendment
- Excerpt: "I will defend State sovereignty and oppose all unfunded mandates and unconstitutional encroachments of the federal government (such as Obamacare, Cap-and-Tax, Gun Control, etc.) upon Texans and the State of Texas."
Protect human life
- Excerpt: "I am opposed to abortion, harvesting of embryonic stem cells and euthanasia. And I will be a staunch defender of traditional East Texas family values."
Protect individual liberty
- Excerpt: "I am opposed to coercive religious service or support. I believe moral rectitude is the most determinative factor on whether a nation, a state, or a community prospers. However, this cannot be forced upon individuals. It comes from within — from a transformed heart and faith."
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
2016
- See also: Texas State Senate elections, 2016
Elections for the Texas State Senate 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.[1] Incumbent Kevin Eltife (R) did not seek re-election.
Bryan Hughes ran unopposed in the Texas State Senate District 1 general election.[2]
| Texas State Senate, District 1 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Bryan Hughes (unopposed) |
100.00% | 245,648 | |
| Total Votes | 245,648 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State | ||||
Bryan Hughes defeated David Simpson in the Texas State Senate, District 1 Republican primary runoff.[3]
| Texas State Senate, District 1 Republican Primary Runoff, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Bryan Hughes |
69.33% | 27,541 | |
| Republican | David Simpson | 30.67% | 12,186 | |
| Total Votes | 39,727 | |||
Bryan Hughes and David Simpson defeated James K. Red Brown and Mike Lee in the Texas State Senate District 1 Republican Primary.[4][3]
| Texas State Senate, District 1 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Bryan Hughes |
48.03% | 64,200 | |
| Republican | David Simpson |
21.24% | 28,395 | |
| Republican | James K. Red Brown | 21.23% | 28,382 | |
| Republican | Mike Lee | 9.49% | 12,683 | |
| Total Votes | 133,660 | |||
Primary
- Main article: Notable Texas primaries, 2016
Simpson and Hughes received the most endorsements of the four candidates.
Simpson was endorsed by State Rep. Jonathan Stickland (R) and Open Carry Texas: Texarkana.[5][6]
Bryan Hughes received key endorsements from Lt. Governor Dan Patrick (R) and the following state conservative groups:[7][8]
- Texans for Fiscal Responsibility
- Texas Right to Life
- Conservative Republicans of Texas
- Grassroots America We the People (GAWTP)
- Young Conservatives of Texas
Hughes and Simpson sparred on illegal immigration. Both candidates claimed to oppose providing public education to those living in the country illegally.
Hughes said Simpson voted in favor of driver’s licenses for illegal residents, a claim Simpson called "false." PolitiFact Texas found that it was "mostly true" that Simpson strongly opposed the driver's licenses. Hughes noted that conservative groups like Young Conservatives of Texas (which endorsed Hughes) and others opposed the amendment for which Simpson voted in the state House.[9][10]
2014
Elections for all 150 seats in the Texas House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on March 4, 2014. Those candidates who did not receive 50 percent or more of the vote in their party primary on March 4 faced an additional May 27 primary runoff. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was December 9, 2013. Incumbent David Simpson was unopposed in the Republican primary and was unchallenged in the general election.[11][12][13]
2012
Simpson ran in the 2012 election for Texas House of Representatives, District 7. Simpson defeated Tommy Merritt in the May 29 primary election and was unchallenged in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[14]
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
David Simpson Incumbent |
61.6% | 10,258 |
| Tommy Merritt | 38.4% | 6,384 |
| Total Votes | 16,642 | |
2010
In the March 2 Republican primary election, Simpson defeated incumbent Tommy Merritt by a margin of 7,891-7,032. Merritt was seeking his eighth term. Simpson defeated Eric Brandt (L) in the general election on November 2, 2010.[14]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 7 2010 General election results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| David Simpson (R)
|
27,069 | 91.27% | ||
| Eric Brandt (L) | 2,589 | 8.72% | ||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
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.
2017
In 2017, the Texas State Legislature was in its 85th legislative session from January 10 through May 29. A special session was held from July 18 to August 15.
- Legislators are scored on their votes for or against the organization's position and principles.
- Legislators are scored based by the organization on their votes on bills relating to "core budget and free enterprise issues."
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental and public health issues.
- Legislators are scored on bills related to LGBT issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on small business issues.
- Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills relating to taxes and property rights.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills supported or opposed by the organization.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to social issues.
- Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills related to businesses, taxpayers, and families.
- 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 votes on conservative issues.
2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2016, the Texas State Legislature did not hold a regular session. |
2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2015, the Texas State Legislature was in its 84th legislative session from January 13 through June 1.
|
2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2014, the Texas State Legislature did not hold a regular session. |
2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2013, the Texas State Legislature was in its 83rd legislative session from January 8 through May 27. Thirty minutes after the regular session ended, Governor Rick Perry called legislators back for a special session starting that evening.[15] Two additional called sessions were held from July 1 through July 30 and July 30 through August 5.[16]
|
2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2012, the Texas State Legislature did not hold a regular session. |
2011
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2011, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2011, the Texas State Legislature was in its 82nd legislative session from January 11 through May 30. A special session was called for May 31 through June 29.[16]
|
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Simpson and his wife, Susan have seven children.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term David + Simpson + Texas + House
- All stories may not be relevant to this legislator due to the nature of the search engine.
See also
- Texas State Legislature
- Texas House of Representatives
- Texas House of Representatives Committees
- Texas Joint Committees
- Texas state legislative districts
- Texas State Senate District 1
- Texas State Senate elections, 2016
External links
- Official campaign website
- Profile from Open States
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- David Simpson on Facebook
- David Simpson on Twitter
- Campaign contributions: 2012, 2010
Footnotes
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Important 2016 Election Dates," accessed December 14, 2015
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2016 General Election," accessed December 2, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Texas Secretary of State, "1992 - Current Election History results," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2016 March Primary Election Candidate Filings by County," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ DavidSimpson.com, "Open Carry Texas: Texarkana Endorses Simpson," January 5, 2016
- ↑ DavidSimpson.com, "Rep. Jonathan Stickland Proudly Endorses David Simpson," September 26, 2015
- ↑ BryanHughes.com, "Endorsements," accessed February 22, 2016
- ↑ DavidSimpson.com, "Endorsements," accessed February 22, 2016
- ↑ The Marshall News Messenger, "Hughes and Simpson clash over immigration issue in senate race," December 3, 2015
- ↑ PolitiFact Texas, "David Simpson mostly right about his staunch opposition to driver's licenses for 'illegal aliens'," December 11, 2015
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "1992 - Current ELECTION HISTORY," accessed December 2, 2014
- ↑ The Libertarian Party of Texas, "2014 Texas Representative Candidate List," accessed July 30, 2014
- ↑ Green Party of Texas, "Greens Release Candidate List," accessed July 30, 2014
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Texas Secretary of State, "1992 - Current Election History," accessed February 17, 2014
- ↑ kten.com, "Texas Lawmakers To Tackle Redistricting In Special Session," May 29, 2013
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Legislative reference Library of Texas, "Texas Legislative Sessions and Years," accessed June 13, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Tommy Merritt (R) |
Texas House of Representatives District 7 2011-2017 |
Succeeded by Jay Dean (R) |
