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Kevin Roberts (Texas)
Kevin Roberts is a former Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives, representing District 126. He was first elected to the chamber in 2016, and he served until January 2019.
Roberts was a Republican candidate for Texas' 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House. Roberts lost the primary runoff on May 22, 2018, after advancing from the primary on March 6, 2018.
Read more about the Republican primary runoff Roberts ran in by clicking here.[1]
A businessman who served as executive director and chief operating officer of the Lanier Law Firm, Roberts was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 2016. At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, Roberts served on the House Appropriations Committee and House County Affairs Committee.[2]
In his November 2017 announcement speech, Roberts referred to his experience in the state legislature: "I have a proven record of delivering conservative results that seek to make our government more effective, while limiting its powers to intervene in our lives."[3] On his campaign website, Roberts described his candidacy as an effort to "ensure we have a voice in Congress who understands the Texas model of success: fewer regulations and taxes coupled with pro-growth policies are necessary to create more freedom, opportunity, and prosperity for our families and small businesses." The website identified three of Roberts' most important national issues as healthcare, military preparedness, and national security.[4] On January 15, 2018, the Texas Tribune reported that the response to Hurricane Harvey was Roberts' signature issue.[5]
Roberts received endorsements from Conservative Republicans of Texas PAC President Steven Hotze, Link Letter host Terry Lowry, and Texas Conservative Review publisher Gary Polland.[6] He was also backed by the National Rifle Association.
Biography
Roberts earned a bachelor's degree from Texas Tech University. When he served in the state House, Roberts' professional experience included serving as executive director and chief operating officer of the Lanier Law Firm. Roberts served as a deacon at Champion Forest Baptist Church.[7]
Committee assignments
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Texas committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Appropriations |
| • County Affairs |
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
2018
General election
General election for U.S. House Texas District 2
Daniel Crenshaw defeated Todd Litton, Patrick Gunnels, and Scott Cubbler in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 2 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Daniel Crenshaw (R) | 52.8 | 139,188 |
 | Todd Litton (D) | 45.6 | 119,992 | |
 | Patrick Gunnels (L) | 0.9 | 2,373 | |
 | Scott Cubbler (Independent) | 0.7 | 1,839 | |
| Total votes: 263,392 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary runoff election
Republican primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 2
Daniel Crenshaw defeated Kevin Roberts in the Republican primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 2 on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Daniel Crenshaw | 69.5 | 19,430 |
 | Kevin Roberts | 30.5 | 8,523 | |
| Total votes: 27,953 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 2
Todd Litton defeated J. Darnell Jones, Silky Malik, H. P. Parvizian, and Ali Khorasani in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 2 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Todd Litton | 52.8 | 15,113 |
 | J. Darnell Jones | 22.1 | 6,308 | |
 | Silky Malik | 9.7 | 2,770 | |
 | H. P. Parvizian | 7.9 | 2,259 | |
 | Ali Khorasani | 7.5 | 2,148 | |
| Total votes: 28,598 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 2
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 2 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kevin Roberts | 33.0 | 15,273 |
| ✔ | | Daniel Crenshaw | 27.4 | 12,679 |
 | Kathaleen Wall | 27.1 | 12,524 | |
 | Rick Walker | 7.2 | 3,320 | |
| Jonny Havens | 2.0 | 936 | ||
 | Justin Lurie | 0.9 | 425 | |
 | Jon Spiers | 0.9 | 418 | |
| David Balat | 0.8 | 348 | ||
| Malcolm Whittaker | 0.7 | 322 | ||
| Total votes: 46,245 | |||
| = 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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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.[8] Incumbent Patricia Harless (R) did not seek re-election.
Kevin Roberts defeated Joy Dawson-Thomas and Eric Moquin in the Texas House of Representatives District 126 general election.[9]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 126 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Kevin Roberts |
58.00% | 35,528 | |
| Democratic | Joy Dawson-Thomas | 39.17% | 23,991 | |
| Libertarian | Eric Moquin | 2.83% | 1,735 | |
| Total Votes | 61,254 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State | ||||
Joy Dawson-Thomas defeated Cris Hernandez in the Texas House of Representatives District 126 Democratic Primary.[10][11]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 126 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Joy Dawson-Thomas |
60.74% | 3,366 | |
| Democratic | Cris Hernandez | 39.26% | 2,176 | |
| Total Votes | 5,542 | |||
Kevin Roberts ran unopposed in the Texas House of Representatives District 126 Republican Primary.[10][11]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 126 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Kevin Roberts (unopposed) | |
Campaign themes
2018
Roberts' campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Kevin delivered conservative reforms allowing the Texas economy to flourish Eliminate one regulation for every new one issued – SIGNED INTO LAW by Gov. Abbott. Reduced regulations on small businesses and local communities. Passed a BALANCED BUDGET with no tax increases. As OUR NEW VOICE in Congress, Kevin will fight for these priorities to limit the federal government and empower growth for our nation Get rid of the “Deep State” in Washington by ending unneeded agencies and removing thousands of bureaucrats. Continue to remove job-killing, Obama-era, regulations and programs, like Obamacare and the CFPB. Eliminate the Department of Education. Pass conservative reform that REQUIRES Congressional approval for any costly new regulation – the REINS Act reasserts the power of the Legislative Branch to check the power of the Executive. “I have successfully fought for and helped deliver the Texas-model of growth and opportunity. We need lower taxes, fewer regulations, and a more limited role of the federal government so we can truly liberate our economy and expand opportunities for our hard-working families.”
Kevin put Texans first, securing policies that protect our communities and enforce our laws Banned Sanctuary Cities whose policies put our families in danger and encourage illegal immigration. Passed funding for more DPS patrols to catch illegal immigrants, drug smugglers, and bust up criminal alien gangs. As OUR NEW VOICE in Congress, Kevin will fight for these priorities to protect our nation and secure our borders Pass a federal ban on Sanctuary Cities and enact “Kate’s Law” to deliver harsh punishment to criminals who illegally enter the U.S. multiple times. End the VISA lottery, chain migration, and support President Trump’s travel restrictions from dangerous countries. Strengthen our border security with walls, thousands of more border agents, and equipment to detect and apprehend those crossing illegally. No citizenship for DACA individuals as this would only ENCOURAGE more illegal immigration. “If you can’t secure your borders, you can’t protect your people. Whether it is terrorists or criminal alien gangs that traffic drugs, smuggle humans, launder money, poison our children, and bring their violence to our communities – we need the federal government to understand that border security is a critical national security priority.”
Kevin is working to ensure Texans get the help they need and to prevent this devastation from happening again Pass legislation to build a third reservoir for flood control and to protect our neighborhoods Coordinating with state and federal officials to help our families get the support they need Supporting Judge Ed Emmett’s flood mitigation plan Supporting the Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce’s Plea for Three initiatives As YOUR VOICE in Congress, Kevin will lead the effort to help our families recover and build the infrastructure we need to prevent massive flood damage in the future Work with President Trump to deliver the major infrastructure projects necessary to support the families of America’s fourth largest city. Relentlessly demand action, funding, and support from federal and state agencies. “Our families need support NOW! Our communities are strong, resilient, and undeterred in our efforts to recover but we deserve to see action and progress that has been promised. I will fight every day to make sure we receive the help we need to recover and build the infrastructure we need to prevent this kind of tragedy from ever happening again.”
Kevin recognizes the dangers facing our nation and will fight to revitalize our military and care for our veterans The War on Terror continues to this day. Our nation faces ever more sophisticated threats from hostile regimes, radical Islamic jihadists, and foreign dictators who would like nothing more than the destruction of our nation. The brave men and women who have selflessly put themselves in harm’s way to preserve our freedoms deserve to have our grateful nation deliver the care they have earned in service to America. As YOUR VOICE in Congress, Kevin will stand for policies that help us achieve Peace Through Strength and take care of the heroes who have served in defense of our nation. Reinvest in more military personnel, training, advanced equipment, and modernize our weapons platforms to meet the emerging threats of our time. Develop next generation missile defense technology to stop rogue regimes like North Korea. Scrap Obama’s Iran nuclear deal that is only leading to nuclear weapons in the hands of Islamic radicals. Demand sanctions on Russia, China, Iran, North Korea and any businesses that help them foster terrorism and hostile actions against free people. Preserve aspects of the VA System that are delivering quality and advanced care for our veterans while allowing veterans the flexibility to receive medical treatment and therapy outside of the VA system when care is unavailable or delayed.
In Texas, Kevin is preserving our 2nd Amendment rights Slashed the License to Carry Fee from $140 to $40 As OUR NEW VOICE in Congress, Kevin will fight for these priorities to preserve the 2nd Amendment Reciprocity across state lines to protect License to Carry holders from prosecution. Fully enforce federal gun crimes so criminals are taken off the streets. Stop liberal attempts to infringe on law-abiding gun ownership.
PROTECTING THE UNBORN 100% Pro-Life Record Kevin fought for the most innocent Texans by passing pro-life reforms Defunded Planned Parenthood in TX Banned partial-birth abortions in TX Stopped the gruesome practice of selling fetal tissue and organs As OUR NEW VOICE in Congress, Kevin will fight for these priorities to protect our unborn children End federal taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers. Pass the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act to ban abortions after 20 weeks. “I believe life begins at conception, every life has a soul, and we must protect these gifts from God. I proudly stood for pro-Life protections during this past legislative session when I helped pass new restrictions and bans on abortions in TX. I’m the only candidate who has this kind of proven commitment to protecting the lives of our unborn.” [12] |
” |
| —Kevin Roberts' campaign website (2018)[13] | ||
Jan. 15 Texas Tribune article
On January 15, 2018, the Texas Tribune reported that the response to Hurricane Harvey, a storm that caused $125 billion in property damage in the Houston area in August 2017, was a key issue in Texas' 2nd Congressional District Republican primary. It said the following about Roberts:
| “ |
Republican Kevin Roberts, a first-term state representative, is running in the crowded GOP primary. To differentiate himself, he is using his perch to speak with fluency about state and government bureaucracies on the issue of flooding. “I’m going to be on FEMA’s doorstep everyday” if he wins his race, he told the Tribune. “We’re going to do checks on constituents in Congressional District 2, who are still waiting for them to act and to push the paperwork through.”[12] |
” |
| —Texas Tribune, [14] | ||
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.
2018
In 2018, the Texas State Legislature did not hold a regular session.
2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
|---|
|
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.
|
See also
- Texas' 2nd Congressional District election, 2018
- Texas House of Representatives
- Texas House of Representatives District 126
- Texas House of Representatives elections, 2016
- Texas State Legislature
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Texas House of Representatives
- Campaign website
- Campaign Facebook page
- Campaign Twitter page
Footnotes
- ↑ Twitter, "Abby Lingston," November 8, 2017
- ↑ Texas House of Representatives, "Texas House Member - Kevin Roberts," accessed December 14, 2017
- ↑ Community Impact Newspaper, "State Rep. Kevin Roberts announces candidacy for U.S. Congress," November 8, 2017
- ↑ Kevin Roberts for Congress, "Home," accessed December 14, 2017
- ↑ Texas Tribune, "Political fallout of Hurricane Harvey could begin this year in Houston," January 15, 2018
- ↑ Texas Insider, "Kevin Roberts Secures Three Key Endorsements in Campaign to Represent the 2nd Congressional District," December 7, 2017
- ↑ Kevin Roberts, "Meet Kevin," accessed January 26, 2018
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Important 2016 Election Dates," accessed December 14, 2015
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2016 General Election," accessed December 2, 2016
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Texas Secretary of State, "2016 March Primary Election Candidate Filings by County," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Texas Secretary of State, "1992 - Current Election History results," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Kevin Roberts' campaign website, “Issues,” accessed February 1, 2018
- ↑ Texas Tribune, "Political fallout of Hurricane Harvey could begin this year in Houston," January 15, 2018
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Patricia Harless (R) |
Texas House District 126 2017-2019 |
Succeeded by E. Sam Harless (R) |
