R. Edwin Adams - Ballotpedia

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R. Edwin Adams (Libertarian Party) ran for election to the Texas House of Representatives to represent District 8. He lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Adams completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Adams earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 1990. His career experience includes working as an operator and process technician at Pactiv. He has also worked as a public school teacher and field engineer. He served in the U.S. Army from 1986 to 1991.^[1]^[2]

Adams has been affiliated with the following organizations:^[1]

IEEE
Junior Chamber of Commerce
Texas Youth Commission

Elections

2022

See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Texas House of Representatives District 8

Incumbent Cody Harris defeated R. Edwin Adams in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 8 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cody Harris (R)	88.0	46,456
	Submit photo	R. Edwin Adams (L)	12.0	6,350

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 52,806
= 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 8

Incumbent Cody Harris advanced from the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 8 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cody Harris	100.0	20,433

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 20,433
= 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 Texas House of Representatives District 8

R. Edwin Adams advanced from the Libertarian convention for Texas House of Representatives District 8 on March 19, 2022.

		Candidate
✔	Submit photo	R. Edwin Adams (L)

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

2020

See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Texas House of Representatives District 8

Incumbent Cody Harris defeated R. Edwin Adams in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 8 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cody Harris (R)	85.9	50,433
	Submit photo	R. Edwin Adams (L)	14.1	8,271

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 58,704
= 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 8

Incumbent Cody Harris advanced from the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 8 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cody Harris	100.0	21,410

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 21,410
= 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 Texas House of Representatives District 8

R. Edwin Adams advanced from the Libertarian convention for Texas House of Representatives District 8 on March 21, 2020.

		Candidate
✔	Submit photo	R. Edwin Adams (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 finance

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

R. Edwin Adams completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Adams' 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.

Hello, I am Ed Adams and I am running for Texas House, District 8 representative. I have been married to Robin since 1993 and we have 4 sons: Andrew, Brian, William, and David. I have been a resident of Navarro County, TX since 1997. I am currently employed at CertainTeed in Ennis as an electronic technician.

I am running for this seat for the second time against incumbent, Cody Harris. Apparently, Mr. Harris doesn't like competition since he sought to kick me off the ballot both times; both times, he has failed to do so. The Democratic Party has failed to nominate a candidate for this district in both elections. So, to have a choice and to make Mr. Harris run, I am running.

I am a Libertarian. This means I will seek to limit government as much as possible. First and foremost, this means balancing the state budget, something the Republican controlled state government has consistently failed to do. It also means reducing or eliminating barriers to freedom and free commerce. It means not caving in to special interests groups seeking state protection and freebies like the high speed rail line from Houston to Dallas.

I consider my opponent to be a very good Republican. This doesn't translate to very good representative of our district nor even a very good conservative. In a recent constitution amendment, he championed counties running up debt because he couldn't fight cities like Dallas and Houston to return funds gathered by the state to come back to our district.

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?

I will work with any other representative, Republican or Democrat, who is for reducing government oppression, regulation, taxes, etc.
I will attempt to cut back on the oppressive anti-abortion bill, designed to endanger lives and promote criminal activity.
I will keep in mind the district I represent and consult back to my constituents on any bill.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

The out of control lack of oversight of government. Government is to serve us, not the other way around. It serves us best by protecting our rights and freedom; not making rules on controversial subjects just because of partisan politics.

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

Robert Kennedy's assassination; 6.

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

My first job was as a paperboy. I got it at age 13 and held it through high school.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes. As stated previously, refusal would accomplish nothing.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

Independent council with all viewpoints represented, not just Republicans and Democrats. The council's decision should be final.

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

Budget

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

No.

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

Only in specific circumstances as Texas' legislature is not always in session. Everything should ultimately be approved by the legislature, even if it means discontinuing a program started by the governor with emergency powers.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Yes, but my principals can not be compromised. Unfortunately, few Libertarians are likely to win and therefore, I will need to work with statists of the R and D variety. Stubborn refusal to work with them will accomplish nothing.

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.

Note: Adams submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on October 2, 2022.

October 1 submission

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am R Edwin Adams running for state house, District 8. I have been married since 1993 and have 4 grown sons. I have been a resident in Navarro County. TX since 1997.

I have been a Libertarian since 1980 but from 1988 until 2017, I voted Republican in the incorrect assumption that I was wasting my vote as a Libertarian. I now believe voting for the lesser evil choice between Republicans and Democrats is the true waste as it will accomplish nothing.

I am running to give voters a choice. In a heavily Republican district, the Democrats chose not to have a candidate. My opponent sought to have me removed from the ballot in 2020 and 2022, however he failed.

My thinking is clear on government at all levels. The less government, the better. Sometimes that puts in accord with Republican voters and sometimes with Democrat voters, but almost never with their representatives.

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?

I will not be constrained by partisan politics. Instead, I will work for Texas and this district as I have no other alliances.
I will work to reduce taxes, especially sales and property taxes. These unfairly hurt the poor.
I will seek to reduce the abortion prohibition. I do not personally believe abortion is a good birth control plan but the effects of prohibition are worse.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Any law which restricts freedom, regardless whether it is considered a left issue or right. It is not the government's right or responsibility to tell the citizens how to live. It should only uphold our rights and provide rules to promote commerce.

Democrats complain when Republicans make laws to make them conform to Republican values and vice-versa. Libertarians believe both are right to complain and efforts to change the way people act should be done in the private sector, not by government force.

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.

Note: Adams submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on October 1, 2022.

2020

R. Edwin Adams completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Adams' 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 was born in Wilmington, Delaware but moved in my early childhood to Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Utah before returning to Wilmington where I graduated from High School. I joined the US Army Reserve as a combat engineer and became a platoon sergeant before my term of enlistment ended. This allowed me to afford to pay for college on my own. I am a 1990 graduate of University of Southwestern Louisiana (now University of Louisiana, Lafayette) with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. I moved to Corsicana in 1997 and have lived in Navarro County ever since. I am married with 4 grown sons, 3 are employed locally, one is still in college. I currently work at Pactiv. Although I have always leaned toward the Libertarian Party, I typically voted Republican because I thought it made my vote count. I became increasingly frustrated with Republicans not following through on their campaign promises of smaller government, less taxes, and fiscal responsibility, even when they control of both houses of the Legislature and Executive (this is at both the state and federal level). My relationship with the Republicans ended after the general election in 2016. I have been active in the Libertarian Party ever since and was nominated to be a delegate at the state convention in 2018 and 2020.

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?

Fiscal Responsibility
Lower all taxes
Decriminalize Marijuana

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I believe in the Libertarian message of reduced government and increased freedom. As a first step, decriminalizing marijuana would reduce crime by taking a cash stream away from criminals, allow legitimate businesses to sell it, free police resources to combat crimes that have a victim, and reduce the prison population putting more citizens back into the workforce. Personally, I have never used marijuana nor do I ever intend to, so it is not to legalize my own personal consumption. I do feel that it is a waste of police resources to combat a vice that is so widely used; it certainly hasn't stopped it's use. By keeping it illegal, we are maintaining a healthy cash stream to criminals which could instead go to legitimate businesses. Think of how the prohibition of alcohol created criminals and since it has been legal now for decades those criminals who relied on it have vanished as well.

Also, fiscal responsibility. Since Republicans have had control of both houses and the governors office, the state debt has slowly but steadily risen. Republicans claim to be the party of fiscal responsibility yet they cannot balance the budget. My opponent proudly proclaims he is fighting for a property tax decrease; I'm all for that since Texas has the 5th highest property taxes in the country. What he doesn't explain is that although Republicans are cutting property taxes, their plan increases sales taxes with an overall increase in revenue. In my book, I call that a tax increase.

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

John Adams. Our second president was instrumental in establishing our nation as a Democratic Republic. He pushed for independence from England being the foremost advocate of the Declaration of Independence. He was also fair minded and helped establish the presumption of innocence in our legal system.

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

I have noticed many feature films that have a surprising Libertarian message. The Matrix, Invincible, and The Lord of the Rings all have undertones of Libertarianism, but favorite has got to be The People vs Larry Flint. The triumph of free speech that harms none but may be distasteful over moral imperialism is very close to the key feature of Libertarians. I remember when that case was presented in the US Supreme court and could not believe that it even had to; of course Larry Flint had the right to do what he was doing. That it even had to go to the Supreme Court was unfortunate and it was a blessing that Larry Flint had the money to fight for every American's rights.

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

Humility. It is easy for a politician to look upon himself or herself as a leader and therefore superior to the people. We are public servants.

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

Integrity. I would be elected to this office for having core beliefs and the people who elected me expect me to follow those.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to leave the legacy that anyone can and should become part of politics and government. Too few get involved because they find the process too intimidating, complicated, and humbling. This has enabled those would rule us to infest the seats of government. We are a free country and that requires the citizens to be fully engaged in the process of government lest we become an enslaved people.

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

I remember Neil Armstrong landing on the moon in July of 1969. Being 7 at the time, I remember how it seemed like an eternity before the lunar module landed.

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

My first job was as a paperboy for the (Wilmington, DE) Morning News. I did this for four years.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by JRR Tolkien. It is a triumph of good over evil story when good has so much struggle that the outcome seems impossible. It is also a recreation in another media of the passion play of Christ.

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

Batman. He is extremely intelligent, athletic, and heroic. But unlike other super heroes, Batman is very human.

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

Wouldn't it be Nice by the Beach Boys

Every state besides Nebraska has two legislative chambers. What do you consider the most important differences between the legislative chambers in your state?

The Senate has fewer members so each member represents a greater number of people. Tax bills must originate in the House.

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

No. Previous experience promotes the idea of "we have always done it this way before". Government is about the people and isolating oneself among legislators removes a person from the people into a special world of legislators. Some of the greatest legislators were men and women who had never been part of the legislative process so their vision of right and wrong was not clouded by legalize, instead it was guided by real world experience.

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

Texas' challenges are similar to the rest of the country's. The greatest challenge is protection from government over reach. The current Covid-19 crisis has brought this to a head. It is not government's authority to shut down businesses, isolate people, and regulate interaction; yet they have and without challenge. This is just the latest in an ever growing push for governments at all levels to decide for us what we are and are not allowed to do. When these governments were set up, we told them what they were allowed to do. That power has shifted.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?

The legislature, as the representative of the people, should be in control of the laws and how they are to prosecuted. The governor is merely the executor of those laws. We tend to think of the governor as superior to the legislature but it should be the other way around and the as the people's representative (the governor is but one man), it is imperative to reestablish our authority.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Absolutely. As a member of the legislature, one man or woman cannot legislate alone.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

Redistricting should involve the least amount of gerrymandering. As much as possible, districts should be chosen to follow geographical and current political boundaries, not wander all over the map.

If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the legislature, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?

Realistically, this is not a pertinent question for a Libertarian. If elected, I would be automatically promoted to my party's legislative leadership, possibly as our sole member.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

I would like to be an example for other liberty minded legislators to follow more so than interested in becoming a career politician.

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

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Footnotes

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 22, 2020.
↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 2, 2022

Current members of the Texas House of Representatives

Leadership

Speaker of the House:Dustin Burrows

Representatives

District 1

Gary VanDeaver (R)

District 2

Brent Money (R)

District 3

Cecil Bell (R)

District 4

Keith Bell (R)

District 5

Cole Hefner (R)

District 6

Daniel Alders (R)

District 7

Jay Dean (R)

District 8

Cody Harris (R)

District 9

Trent Ashby (R)

District 10

Brian Harrison (R)

District 11

Joanne Shofner (R)

District 12

Trey Wharton (R)

District 13

Angelia Orr (R)

District 14

Paul Dyson (R)

District 15

Steve Toth (R)

District 16

Will Metcalf (R)

District 17

Stan Gerdes (R)

District 18

Janis Holt (R)

District 19

Ellen Troxclair (R)

District 20

Terry Wilson (R)

District 21

Dade Phelan (R)

District 22

Christian Manuel (D)

District 23

Terri Leo-Wilson (R)

District 24

Greg Bonnen (R)

District 25

Cody Vasut (R)

District 26

Matt Morgan (R)

District 27

Ron Reynolds (D)

District 28

Gary Gates (R)

District 29

Jeffrey Barry (R)

District 30

A.J. Louderback (R)

District 31

Ryan Guillen (R)

District 32

Todd Hunter (R)

District 33

Katrina Pierson (R)

District 34

Denise Villalobos (R)

District 35

Oscar Longoria (D)

District 36

Sergio Munoz (D)

District 37

Janie Lopez (R)

District 38

Erin Gamez (D)

District 39

Armando Martinez (D)

District 40

Terry Canales (D)

District 41

Robert Guerra (D)

District 42

Richard Raymond (D)

District 43

J.M. Lozano (R)

District 44

Alan Schoolcraft (R)

District 45

Erin Zwiener (D)

District 46

Sheryl Cole (D)

District 47

Vikki Goodwin (D)

District 48

Donna Howard (D)

District 49

Gina Hinojosa (D)

District 50

James Talarico (D)

District 51

Maria Luisa Flores (D)

District 52

Caroline Harris (R)

District 53

Wesley Virdell (R)

District 54

Brad Buckley (R)

District 55

Hillary Hickland (R)

District 56

Pat Curry (R)

District 57

Richard Hayes (R)

District 58

Helen Kerwin (R)

District 59

Shelby Slawson (R)

District 60

Mike Olcott (R)

District 61

Keresa Richardson (R)

District 62

Shelley Luther (R)

District 63

Ben Bumgarner (R)

District 64

Andy Hopper (R)

District 65

Mitch Little (R)

District 66

Matt Shaheen (R)

District 67

Jeff Leach (R)

District 68

David Spiller (R)

District 69

James Frank (R)

District 70

Mihaela Plesa (D)

District 71

Stan Lambert (R)

District 72

Drew Darby (R)

District 73

Carrie Isaac (R)

District 74

Eddie Morales (D)

District 75

Mary Gonzalez (D)

District 76

Suleman Lalani (D)

District 77

Vincent Perez (D)

District 78

Joseph Moody (D)

District 79

Claudia Ordaz (D)

District 80

Don McLaughlin (R)

District 81

Brooks Landgraf (R)

District 82

Tom Craddick (R)

District 83

Dustin Burrows (R)

District 84

Carl Tepper (R)

District 85

Stan Kitzman (R)

District 86

John Smithee (R)

District 87

Caroline Fairly (R)

District 88

Ken King (R)

District 89

Candy Noble (R)

District 90

Ramon Romero (D)

District 91

David Lowe (R)

District 92

Salman Bhojani (D)

District 93

Nate Schatzline (R)

District 94

Tony Tinderholt (R)

District 95

Nicole Collier (D)

District 96

David Cook (R)

District 97

John McQueeney (R)

District 98

Giovanni Capriglione (R)

District 99

Charlie Geren (R)

District 100

Venton Jones (D)

District 101

Chris Turner (D)

District 102

Ana-Maria Ramos (D)

District 103

Rafael Anchia (D)

District 104

Jessica Gonzalez (D)

District 105

Terry Meza (D)

District 106

Jared Patterson (R)

District 107

Linda Garcia (D)

District 108

Morgan Meyer (R)

District 109

Aicha Davis (D)

District 110

Toni Rose (D)

District 111

Yvonne Davis (D)

District 112

Angie Button (R)

District 113

Rhetta Bowers (D)

District 114

John Bryant (D)

District 115

Cassandra Garcia Hernandez (D)

District 116

Trey Fischer (D)

District 117

Philip Cortez (D)

District 118

John Lujan (R)

District 119

Elizabeth Campos (D)

District 120

Barbara Gervin-Hawkins (D)

District 121

Marc LaHood (R)

District 122

Mark Dorazio (R)

District 123

Diego Bernal (D)

District 124

Josey Garcia (D)

District 125

Ray Lopez (D)

District 126

Sam Harless (R)

District 127

Charles Cunningham (R)

District 128

Briscoe Cain (R)

District 129

Dennis Paul (R)

District 130

Tom Oliverson (R)

District 131

Alma Allen (D)

District 132

Mike Schofield (R)

District 133

Mano Deayala (R)

District 134

Ann Johnson (D)

District 135

Jon Rosenthal (D)

District 136

John Bucy (D)

District 137

Gene Wu (D)

District 138

Lacey Hull (R)

District 139

Charlene Ward Johnson (D)

District 140

Armando Walle (D)

District 141

Senfronia Thompson (D)

District 142

Harold Dutton (D)

District 143

Ana Hernandez (D)

District 144

Mary Perez (D)

District 145

Christina Morales (D)

District 146

Lauren Simmons (D)

District 147

Jolanda Jones (D)

District 148

Penny Shaw (D)

District 149

Hubert Vo (D)

District 150

Valoree Swanson (R)

Republican Party (88)

Democratic Party (62)

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