Jeff Ridgeway

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Jeff Ridgeway

Independent

Elections and appointments

Last election

July 14, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

Wake Forest University, 1993

Medical

Medical College of Georgia, 1997

Personal

Birthplace

Huntsville, Ala.

Profession

Physician

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Jeff Ridgeway (independent) ran in a special election to the Texas State Senate to represent District 14. He lost in the special general election on July 14, 2020.

Ridgeway completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Jeff Ridgeway was born in Huntsville, Alabama. He obtained a bachelor's degree from Wake Forest University in January 1993 and a graduate degree from the Medical College of Georgia in January 1997. He is a practicing physician with board certification in obstetrics and gynecology and maternal-fetal medicine. Ridgeway is affiliated with the Texas Medical Association and Travis County Medical Society.

Elections

2020

See also: Texas state legislative special elections, 2020

General election

Special general election for Texas State Senate District 14

The following candidates ran in the special general election for Texas State Senate District 14 on July 14, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sarah Eckhardt (D)	49.7	60,531
		Eddie Rodriguez (D)	33.9	41,202
		Donald Zimmerman (R)	12.9	15,753
	Submit photo	Waller Thomas Burns II (R)	1.2	1,464
		Jeff Ridgeway (Independent)	1.2	1,410
		Pat Dixon (L)	1.1	1,323

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 121,683
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Jeff Ridgeway completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ridgeway's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I have been a practicing Maternal-Fetal Medicine physician in Austin for 14 years. Right now there is a need for medical knowledge at in government, so I am running for the special election for state senate district 14 in Texas.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• An Independent Voice for Texas
• We need to reopen our economy safely so that all Texans can get back to normal.
• Our representatives should work for their constituents rather than for party agendas.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

My main focus is going to be dealing with our current public heath crisis and reopening our economy. I also will be focusing on creating more opportunities for independent candidates such as myself to get on ballots in the future.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My mother ad father. They have an amazing marriage and both worked very hard their whole lives to ensure that I had the opportunities that I have had.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty and humility.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To represent the interests of their district, and not the agenda of their political party.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The OPEC oil crisis of the 1970s. I remember waiting in gas lines with my father.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked at Haagen-Dazs in the mall for 2 years in high school. After that I worked at IBM and my family's shoe business in the summers during college.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Anything from "Pitch Perfect". My daughter is obsessed with that movie.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

IT can be beneficial, but it can also be problematic. Legislators tend to live in a bubble and often lose touch with people who aren't in government.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2020 Elections

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Government

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External links

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Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the Texas State Senate

Leadership

Senators

District 1

Bryan Hughes (R)

District 2

Bob Hall (R)

District 3

Robert Nichols (R)

District 4

Brandon Creighton (R)

District 5

Charles Schwertner (R)

District 6

Carol Alvarado (D)

District 7

Paul Bettencourt (R)

District 8

Angela Paxton (R)

District 9

Vacant

District 10

Phil King (R)

District 11

Mayes Middleton (R)

District 12

Tan Parker (R)

District 13

Borris Miles (D)

District 14

Sarah Eckhardt (D)

District 15

Molly Cook (D)

District 16

Nathan Johnson (D)

District 17

Joan Huffman (R)

District 18

Lois Kolkhorst (R)

District 19

Roland Gutierrez (D)

District 20

Juan Hinojosa (D)

District 21

Judith Zaffirini (D)

District 22

Brian Birdwell (R)

District 23

Royce West (D)

District 24

Peter Flores (R)

District 25

Donna Campbell (R)

District 26

José Menéndez (D)

District 27

Adam Hinojosa (R)

District 28

Charles Perry (R)

District 29

César Blanco (D)

District 30

Brent Hagenbuch (R)

District 31

Kevin Sparks (R)

Republican Party (19)

Democratic Party (11)

Vacancies (1)