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Matt Schaefer
Matt Schaefer (Republican Party) was a member of the Texas House of Representatives, representing District 6. He assumed office in 2013. He left office on January 14, 2025.
Schaefer (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the Texas House of Representatives to represent District 6. He won in the general election on November 8, 2022.
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.
2023-2024
Schaefer was assigned to the following committees:
2021-2022
Schaefer was assigned to the following committees:
2019-2020
Schaefer was assigned to the following committees:
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Texas committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Corrections |
| • Homeland Security & Public Safety |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Schaefer served on the following committees:
| Texas committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Defense & Veterans' Affairs |
| • Urban Affairs |
2013-2014
In the 2013-2014 legislative session, Schaefer served on the following committees:
| Texas committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Criminal Jurisprudence |
| • Defense & Veterans' 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
2024
Matt Schaefer did not file to run for re-election.
2022
See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for Texas House of Representatives District 6
Incumbent Matt Schaefer defeated Cody Grace in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 6 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Matt Schaefer (R) | 73.3 | 43,841 |
 | Cody Grace (D)  | 26.7 | 15,975 | |
| Total votes: 59,816 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 6
Cody Grace advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 6 on March 1, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Cody Grace | 100.0 | 4,284 |
| Total votes: 4,284 | |||
| = 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 6
Incumbent Matt Schaefer defeated Charles Turner in the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 6 on March 1, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Matt Schaefer | 88.9 | 17,994 |
| Charles Turner | 11.1 | 2,251 | ||
| Total votes: 20,245 | |||
| = 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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Campaign finance
2020
See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
General election for Texas House of Representatives District 6
Incumbent Matt Schaefer defeated Julie Gobble in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 6 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Matt Schaefer (R) | 68.2 | 50,143 |
 | Julie Gobble (D) | 31.8 | 23,426 | |
| Total votes: 73,569 | |||
| = 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 6
Julie Gobble advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 6 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Julie Gobble | 100.0 | 8,394 |
| Total votes: 8,394 | |||
| = 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 6
Incumbent Matt Schaefer advanced from the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 6 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Matt Schaefer | 100.0 | 19,277 |
| Total votes: 19,277 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Campaign finance
2018
General election
General election for Texas House of Representatives District 6
Incumbent Matt Schaefer defeated Neal Katz in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 6 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Matt Schaefer (R) | 75.6 | 37,172 |
 | Neal Katz (Independent) | 24.4 | 11,995 | |
| Total votes: 49,167 | |||
| = 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
No Democratic candidates ran in the primary.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Yolanda Prince (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 6
Incumbent Matt Schaefer defeated Ted Kamel in the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 6 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Matt Schaefer | 73.3 | 12,017 |
| Ted Kamel | 26.7 | 4,382 | ||
| Total votes: 16,399 | |||
| = 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?
| Ted Kamel challenged state Rep. and Freedom Caucus member Matt Schaefer in his primary. All candidates in this race signed the form committing to vote for the Republican caucus' choice for speaker on the House floor. Endorsements for Schaefer
Endorsements for Kamel
|
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.[2]
Incumbent Matt Schaefer ran unopposed in the Texas House of Representatives District 6 general election.[3]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 6 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Matt Schaefer Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 46,382 | |
| Total Votes | 46,382 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State | ||||
Incumbent Matt Schaefer ran unopposed in the Texas House of Representatives District 6 Republican Primary.[4][5]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 6 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Matt Schaefer Incumbent (unopposed) | |
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 Matt Schaefer defeated Skip Ogle in the Republican primary. Schaefer defeated Joel Gardner (L) in the general election.[6][7][8]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Matt Schaefer Incumbent |
87.8% | 26,684 | |
| Libertarian | Joel Gardner | 12.2% | 3,695 | |
| Total Votes | 30,379 | |||
2012
Schaefer ran in the 2012 election for Texas House of Representatives, District 6. Schaefer defeated incumbent Leo Berman in the May 29 primary election and defeated Charles Parkes, III in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[9]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Matt Schaefer |
88.8% | 42,499 | |
| Libertarian | Charles Parkes III | 11.2% | 5,380 | |
| Total Votes | 47,879 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Matt Schaefer |
57.7% | 11,158 |
| Leo Berman Incumbent | 42.3% | 8,186 |
| Total Votes | 19,344 | |
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Matt Schaefer did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Matt Schaefer did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2012
Schaefer's website highlighted the following campaign themes:
Taxpayer Money & Common Sense
- Excerpt: "We should never forget that the money in Austin doesn’t belong to Austin, and taxpayers want good value for their dollars. I oppose tax increases because Austin has a spending problem, not a revenue problem."
Education Excellence and Efficiency
- Excerpt: "We must adequately fund our schools and colleges to ensure the foundation of our economy, but we must also recognize that taxpayers deserve efficiency for the dollars they provide. Education spending should be tied to accountability and high-standards. At the same time, we need to give educators the flexibility to implement those standards and ensure student achievement."
Life; Protecting the Unborn
- Excerpt: "I will do everything a State Representative can do to protect life. From the elderly person facing sickness to the unborn baby, we must defend the dignity of each person. Texas must always be a state where every God-given life has the highest value in law."
Opposing Same-Sex Marriage
- Excerpt: "Marriage was established by God for one man and one woman. The institution of marriage has proven itself throughout history to be the best way to build a family. I will oppose any effort to erode traditional marriage."
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.
2024
In 2024, the Texas State Legislature was not in session.
2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the Texas State Legislature was in session from January 10 to May 29.
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2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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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]. |
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In 2021, the Texas State Legislature was in session from January 12 to May 31.
|
2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the Texas State Legislature was not in session. |
2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the Texas State Legislature was in its 86th legislative session from January 8 through May 27.
|
2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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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]. |
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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.
|
2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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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]. |
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In 2015, the Texas State Legislature was in its 84th legislative session from January 13 through June 1.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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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]. |
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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.[10] Two additional called sessions were held from July 1 through July 30 and July 30 through August 5.[11]
|
See also
2022 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Texas House of Representatives District 6 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedBlastm6 - ↑ 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
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Legislative reference Library of Texas, "Texas Legislative Sessions and Years," accessed June 13, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Texas House of Representatives District 6 2013-2025 |
Succeeded by Daniel Alders (R) |
