Melanie Black

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

Melanie Black

Libertarian Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

Personal

Birthplace

Carthage, Mo.

Religion

Christian

Profession

Registered nurse

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Personal Twitter

Melanie Black (Libertarian Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas' 6th Congressional District. She lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

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

Elections

2020

See also: Texas' 6th Congressional District election, 2020

Texas' 6th Congressional District election, 2020 (March 3 Democratic primary)

Texas' 6th Congressional District election, 2020 (March 3 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Texas District 6

Incumbent Ronald Wright defeated Stephen Daniel and Melanie Black in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 6 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ronald Wright (R)	52.8	179,507
		Stephen Daniel (D)	44.0	149,530
		Melanie Black (L)	3.2	10,955

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 339,992
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Chad Snider (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 6

Stephen Daniel advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 6 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Stephen Daniel	100.0	47,996

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 47,996
= 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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Imran Khan (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 6

Incumbent Ronald Wright advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 6 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ronald Wright	100.0	55,759

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 55,759
= 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.

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 6

Melanie Black advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 6 on March 21, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Melanie Black (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= 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 themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

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

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a 57 year old woman, running for office as a Libertarian. I have worked in healthcare for 30 years and am a wife, mother, and grandmother. The idea of spreading the message of liberty and small government is very important to me; for myself, my family, and future generations.

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?

• Health Care needs reform that's meaningful and will provide care to as many people as possible. Freeing up the insurance marketplace and moving to a model where insurance is not tied to employment would be a good start.
• the Tax code is unwieldy and cumbersome. Reform the US Tax Code. Income Taxes should be abolished.
• Social Security is a failing system. We need to get government out of managing peoples' retirements funds or establish a voluntary system if people wish to participate in SS.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Overreach of government power in general. The government has for too long counted on the taxpayers to be their never ending source of funds to fund seemingly endless overseas wars and reckless spending. They tax our incomes, our properties, the products we buy, our profits. They take money for insurance (Medicare) and Social Security, then threaten to cut the programs that people have been forced to pay into for years. The propose new programs at the cost of trillions while ignoring the existing debt.
Government at all levels needs to be brought to heel and limited wherever feasible.

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

There are many; My grandfather, the son of an immigrant who had started his own margarine business. He passed years ago, after he sold his business, but he remains of the people I admire most in the world. A Christian who walked the walk, honest, moral, ethical.. as well as humorous, loving, and kind.

My grandmother, his wife and helpmeet. A very independent woman in her own right; great sense of humor, clever, a great example of a wife, mother, and grandmother.
My mother, the first liberated career woman I ever knew and the one who told me I could be anything I wanted to be.
Sarah Breedlove; the first African American Millionaire; a self made entrepreneur at a time in history when black people faced huge obstacles to acceptance and success.
Harry Browne, who's book Why Government Doesn't Work led me into a completely different way to look at government.

Too many others to list.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Why Government Doesn't Work, Don't Hurt People and Don't Take Their Stuff, Give Me a Break

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

Honesty about what can and can't be done. I can't stress this enough.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Ability to see things from another person's perspective even if I disagree.

I can empathize with people.

My desire to be ethical and moral in my daily life.

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

Honesty and follow through. Mean what you say and say what you mean. If something isn't possible or you make a mistake, own up to it.

What legacy would you like to leave?

A smaller, more fiscally responsible government.
I may not be able to do it alone, but would hope to encourage others to follow that path.

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

July 20, 1969, the first Moon Landing. I was seven. There were other historical events, but this is the first one I can remember paying much attention to on TV.

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

A carhop at the Sonic

What is your favorite book? Why?

Too many to list!
Princess Bride, The Time is Noon, This Proud Heart, True Grit, many others.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

I'd like a fictional character to be me. LOL

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

Scarborough Fair

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Time management and procrastination.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

The numbers of people who represent different sections of different states. The power to initiate bills, impeach federal officials, and elect the President in the unlikely event of a tie.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

Certainly experience in any field of endeavor is an advantage; but to represent the people well, we need legislators from all walks of life. Experience comes by doing.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Our rising National debt. Everyone talks about it, no one seems to be talking about how to curb it.

If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Ethics, Oversight and Reform

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

yes

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I'm in agreement with them.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Ron Paul

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

Without giving too much detail, my line of work brings me in contact with many people who struggle with medical issues and lack of coverage due to job loss, ending of enrollment periods, or penalties. This is a source of frustration when trying to help people get the follow up they need.

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

What's on the ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

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External links

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Footnotes

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Texas' current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

John Cornyn (R)

Ted Cruz (R)

Representatives

District 1

Nathaniel Moran (R)

District 2

Daniel Crenshaw (R)

District 3

Keith Self (R)

District 4

Pat Fallon (R)

District 5

Lance Gooden (R)

District 6

Jake Ellzey (R)

District 7

Lizzie Fletcher (D)

District 8

Morgan Luttrell (R)

District 9

Al Green (D)

District 10

Michael McCaul (R)

District 11

August Pfluger (R)

District 12

Craig Goldman (R)

District 13

Ronny Jackson (R)

District 14

Randy Weber (R)

District 15

Monica De La Cruz (R)

District 16

Veronica Escobar (D)

District 17

Pete Sessions (R)

District 18

Vacant

District 19

Jodey Arrington (R)

District 20

Joaquin Castro (D)

District 21

Chip Roy (R)

District 22

Troy Nehls (R)

District 23

Tony Gonzales (R)

District 24

Beth Van Duyne (R)

District 25

Roger Williams (R)

District 26

Brandon Gill (R)

District 27

Michael Cloud (R)

District 28

Henry Cuellar (D)

District 29

Sylvia Garcia (D)

District 30

Jasmine Crockett (D)

District 31

John Carter (R)

District 32

Julie Johnson (D)

District 33

Marc Veasey (D)

District 34

Vicente Gonzalez (D)

District 35

Greg Casar (D)

District 36

Brian Babin (R)

District 37

Lloyd Doggett (D)

District 38

Wesley Hunt (R)

Republican Party (27)

Democratic Party (12)

Vacancies (1)