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Paul Workman
Paul Workman (Republican Party) was a member of the Texas House of Representatives, representing District 47. Workman assumed office in 2011. Workman left office on January 8, 2019.
Workman (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the Texas House of Representatives to represent District 47. Workman lost in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Workman ran in one of 48 contested Texas state legislative Republican primaries in 2018. To read more about the conflict between Republican factions in the primaries, including who the factions were, which races were competitive and who key influencers lined up behind, click here. Workman was endorsed by Gov. Greg Abbott (R) in his primary.
Biography
Workman earned a B.S. in building construction from Texas A&M University, which he received in 1973. He was also an adjutant with the Second Brigade from the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets. When he served in the state House, Workman was the secretary and founder of Workman Commercial Construction Services. He served as a captain, company commander, and engineer officer in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1973 to 1983.
Committee assignments
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Texas committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Business & Industry |
| • Natural Resources |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Workman served on the following committees:
| Texas committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Insurance |
| • Natural Resources |
2013-2014
In the 2013-2014 legislative session, Workman served on the following committees:
| Texas committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Business & Industry |
| • Economic & Small Business Development |
2011-2012
Workman served on the following Texas House of Representatives committees:
| Texas committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Business & Industry |
| • Corrections |
| • Rules & Resolutions |
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 Texas House of Representatives District 47
Vikki Goodwin defeated incumbent Paul Workman in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 47 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Vikki Goodwin (D) | 52.4 | 55,307 |
 | Paul Workman (R) | 47.6 | 50,244 | |
| Total votes: 105,551 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary runoff election
Democratic primary runoff for Texas House of Representatives District 47
Vikki Goodwin defeated Elaina Fowler in the Democratic primary runoff for Texas House of Representatives District 47 on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Vikki Goodwin | 58.0 | 4,638 |
| Elaina Fowler | 42.0 | 3,359 | ||
| Total votes: 7,997 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 47
Vikki Goodwin and Elaina Fowler advanced to a runoff. They defeated Sheri Soltes, Candace Aylor, and Will Simpson in the Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 47 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Vikki Goodwin | 33.6 | 5,347 |
| ✔ | Elaina Fowler | 29.2 | 4,651 | |
 | Sheri Soltes | 23.7 | 3,774 | |
 | Candace Aylor | 7.4 | 1,177 | |
| Will Simpson | 6.1 | 970 | ||
| Total votes: 15,919 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 47
Incumbent Paul Workman defeated Jay Wiley and Patty Vredevelt in the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 47 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Paul Workman | 59.5 | 9,079 |
 | Jay Wiley | 31.2 | 4,767 | |
 | Patty Vredevelt | 9.3 | 1,420 | |
| Total votes: 15,266 | |||
| = 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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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?
| Jay Wiley and Patty Vredevelt challenged state Rep. Paul Workman in his primary with the assistance of conservative groups. All candidates in this race signed the form committing to vote for the Republican caucus' choice for speaker on the House floor. On February 12, Workman released a TV ad that featured Gov. Greg Abbott and discussed his support for banning sanctuary jurisdictions. Click here to see the video. Endorsements for Wiley
Endorsements for Workman
|
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 Paul Workman defeated Ana Jordan and Scott McKinlay in the Texas House of Representatives District 47 general election.[3]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 47 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Paul Workman Incumbent |
53.58% | 54,785 | |
| Democratic | Ana Jordan | 41.69% | 42,635 | |
| Libertarian | Scott McKinlay | 4.73% | 4,838 | |
| Total Votes | 102,258 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State | ||||
Ana Jordan ran unopposed in the Texas House of Representatives District 47 Democratic Primary.[4][5]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 47 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Ana Jordan (unopposed) | |
Incumbent Paul Workman defeated Jay Wiley in the Texas House of Representatives District 47 Republican Primary.[4][5]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 47 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Paul Workman Incumbent |
60.57% | 16,112 | |
| Republican | Jay Wiley | 39.43% | 10,488 | |
| Total Votes | 26,600 | |||
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 Paul Workman was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Workman defeated Scott McKinlay (L) in the general election.[6][7][8]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Paul Workman Incumbent |
73% | 37,455 | |
| Libertarian | Scott McKinlay | 27% | 13,822 | |
| Total Votes | 51,277 | |||
2012
Workman won re-election in the 2012 election for Texas House of Representatives, District 47. Workman defeated Ryan Downtown in the May 29 Republican primary election and won re-election in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[9]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Paul Workman Incumbent |
58.1% | 49,220 | |
| Democratic | Chris Frandsen | 36.9% | 31,294 | |
| Libertarian | Nick Tanner | 5% | 4,216 | |
| Total Votes | 84,730 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Paul Workman Incumbent |
66.9% | 9,652 |
| Ryan Downtown | 33.1% | 4,786 |
| Total Votes | 14,438 | |
2010
Workman won election to the Texas House of Representatives District 47 seat. He defeated Holly Turner in the March 2 Republican primary and defeated incumbent Democratic Valinda Bolton in the November 2 general election.[9]
Campaign themes
2014
Workman's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[10]
Constitutional Freedoms
- Excerpt: "I will defend our Constitutional freedoms against those who believe the Constitution is a “living” document and are slowly eroding our freedoms guaranteed by that Constitution. For a hundred years all three branches of the Federal government are complicit in the theft of states’ rights and individual freedoms. We cannot allow this to go on and the state legislature has a significant role to play in making sure it stops."
Education
- Excerpt: "Education, like water, elicits great passion…and well it should. Providing the best possible education for our children and young adults is critical to developing a skilled workforce for the future, and ensuring Texas is a state of opportunity for generations to come."
Fiscal Discipline
- Excerpt: "One of my chief goals upon entering the legislature was to protect the tax-paying citizens of Texas. Although we must have compassion for those less fortunate, we must not forget the taxpayer who must pay for the services required to help those people who are in need of help."
Healthcare
- Excerpt: "I am opposed to federally run healthcare, known as “Obamacare.” This program alone will add an additional unfunded mandate on the state of Texas of $27 billion over ten years."
Immigration & The Border
- Excerpt: "The border must be secured immediately to stop the flow of crime and drugs into our communities by cutting off smuggling routes for narco-traffickers, international gangs and human traffickers. Texas must invest in more manpower, more equipment and strategic technology to create virtual fencing to support our law enforcement along the border."
2012
Workman's website highlighted the following campaign themes:
Property Taxes
- Support property tax system, and appraisal appeals, reform.
- Opposes high property taxes.
Transportation
- Opposes diversion of transportation highway funds to other "pet projects."
- Opposes any raise in gas taxes.
Jobs and small business
- Supports expanded tax incentives for communities with high unemployment.
- Supports lowering taxes.
- Supports lessening regulation.
- Supports legislation against lawsuit abuse.
Natural resources
- Believes economic expansion and natural preservation can be achieved simultaneously.
Secure border
- Supports Texan action in lieu of federal failure.
- Supports more manpower, equipment and technology, including a virtual fencing.
Education
- Supports higher spending on education.
- Supports right to home-school.
Constitutional liberties
- Opposes philosophy of the "living document."
- Supports strong 10th Amendment rights.
- Supports strong 2nd Amendment rights.
Voter identification
- Supports photo ID legislation.
Abortion
- Supports parental consent and notification laws.
- Opposes partial birth abortion.
- Opposes any government funding of abortion.
Fiscal discipline
- Opposes any tax increases.
- Supports a complete review of all agency spending.
- Supports spending cuts.
Health care
- Opposes recent federal health care reform.
- Supports market-based solutions.
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.
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]. |
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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.
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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.[11] Two additional called sessions were held from July 1 through July 30 and July 30 through August 5.[12]
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2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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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]. |
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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.[12]
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Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Workman and his wife, Sherry, have one son and one daughter. When he served in the state House, they lived in Hill County, and both of his children worked in the family business as president and chief financial officer, respectively. Workman and his wife attended Pedernales River Fellowship.
Community service and involvement
Workman began serving as a member of the Rotary Club of Austin in 1976, serving as its president in 1998. He also served as national director of the Associated General Contractors of America, as a board member and former president of CompGroup AGC, and as a board member of Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse-Central Texas. He served as the Chairman of the Associated General Contractors (AGC) - Texas Building Branch in 2008. He also founded AGC's Community Mentor-Protégé Initiative and served as a board member of the Real Estate Council of Austin.
See also
- State legislative elections, 2018
- Texas House of Representatives elections, 2018
- State legislative special elections, 2018
- Texas House of Representatives
- Texas State Legislature
- Texas House of Representatives Committees
- Texas Joint Committees
- Texas state legislative districts
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Texas Legislature website
- Official campaign website
- Profile from Open States
- Official Facebook Page
- Candidate Twitter Page
- Texas House GOP YouTube Channel
- Official Campaign Contributions
- Campaign contributions: 2012, 2010
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Community Impact Newspaper, Vote '10 Q&A (Archive)
- Texas Tribune Profile
Footnotes
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedNFIB - ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Important 2016 Election Dates," accessed December 14, 2015
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2016 General Election," accessed December 2, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Texas Secretary of State, "2016 March Primary Election Candidate Filings by County," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 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
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Texas Secretary of State, "1992 - Current Election History," accessed February 17, 2014
- ↑ Workman for Texas, "Issues," accessed May 24, 2014
- ↑ kten.com, "Texas Lawmakers To Tackle Redistricting In Special Session," May 29, 2013
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Legislative reference Library of Texas, "Texas Legislative Sessions and Years," accessed June 13, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Valinda Bolton (D) |
Texas House of Representatives District 47 2011-2019 |
Succeeded by Vikki Goodwin (D) |
