Ralph Sheffield
Ralph Sheffield is a former Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives, representing District 55 from 2010 to 2015.
Biography
Sheffield is a graduate of Richfield High School. He is the Owner of Las Casas Restaurant and All Occasion Catering, and the President/Chief Executive Officer of Sheffield Incorporated.
He is a member of a number of organizations, including the Association of the United States Army, Belton Chamber of Commerce, First United Methodist Church of Temple, Harker Heights Chamber of Commerce, Killeen Chamber of Commerce, National Federation of Independent Business, SPJST, Temple Area Home Builders Association, Texas Association of Business, and Texas Farm Bureau.[1]
Committee assignments
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Sheffield served on the following committees:
| Texas committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Defense & Veterans' Affairs, Vice chair |
| • Energy Resources |
2011-2012
During the 2011-2012 legislative session, Sheffield served on the following Texas House of Representatives committees:
| Texas committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Defense & Veterans' Affairs |
| • Energy Resources |
| • Rules & Resolutions |
2009-2010
During the 2009-2010 legislative session, Sheffield served on the following Texas House of Representatives committees:
| Texas committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Corrections |
| • County Affairs |
| • Rules & Resolutions |
Issues
Sponsored legislation
- HB 575 - Relating to a prohibition on the disclosure and use of certain information recorded or collected by a transponder used to electronically assess or collect a toll.
- HB 576 - Relating to the electronic distribution of information to legislators by state agencies.
- HB 577 - Relating to requiring public institutions of higher education to notify the federal Student Exchange and Visitor Information System (SEVIS) regarding the withdrawal or nonattendance of certain foreign students.[2]
Elections
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. Molly White defeated incumbent Ralph Sheffield in the Republican primary and was unchallenged in the general election.[3][4][5]
2012
Sheffield ran in the 2012 election for Texas House of Representatives, District 55. Sheffield defeated John Alaniz in the May 29 Republican primary election and was unchallenged in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[6]
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
 Ralph Sheffield Incumbent |
57.4% | 6,400 |
| John Alaniz | 42.6% | 4,752 |
| Total Votes | 11,152 | |
2010
Sheffield won re-election in District 55. He faced no opposition in the March 2 Republican primary and defeated Libertarian Penny Hendrix in the November 2 general election.[6]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 55 2010 General election results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Ralph Sheffield (R)
|
24,041 | 81.10% | ||
| Penny Hendrix (L) | 5,600 | 18.89% | ||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Sheffield won election to the Texas House of Representatives from Texas' 55th District, defeating Sam Murphey (D) and Chris Lane (L). Sheffield received 30,189 votes in the election while Murphey received 24,290 votes, and Lane received 1,509 votes.[6] Sheffield raised $656,610 for his campaign; Murphey raised $396,936.[7]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 55 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Ralph Sheffield (R)
|
30,189 | 53.92% | ||
| Sam Murphey (D) | 24,290 | 43.38% | ||
| Chris Lane (L) | 1,509 | 2.69% | ||
Campaign themes
2012
Sheffield's website highlighted the following campaign themes:
- Good Schools - "Ralph will make it a priority in the Legislature to fight for smaller classroom sizes, greater accountability for your tax dollars in our schools systems, and teacher pay raises to attract and reward talented teachers."
- Low Taxes - "Ralph will make it a priority in the Legislature to reduce the amount a homestead appraisal can increase per year to 3% or 5% and institute reforms that will make appraisal districts more accountable to the people. He believes city and county governments need to start being honest with their constituents and raise tax rates if they believe new revenues are needed instead of hiding behind stealth tax hikes like appraisal creep."
- Private Property Rights and the Trans-Texas Corridor - "Ralph has always opposed the Trans-Texas Corridor and will stand with Bell County farmers and ranchers against any illegitimate land grab."
- A Secure Border - "Ralph will fight for more support for border sheriffs, more resources and technology for our law enforcement and will take the political courage needed to confront this issue to Austin."
- Election Integrity - "When illegitimate votes are cast, legitimate votes are nullified, stripping our cherished rights of their value. Ralph will work to secure the integrity of our elections by requiring photo identification to vote."
- Open and Honest Government -"Ralph believes that government can only maintain the public trust when it operates in the sunlight. He believes taxpayers should have greater access to information about the activities of their government. If a governmental entity spends tax money, taxpayers should have an absolute right to scrutinize every penny. Ralph will work hard to open up the government’s books for all citizens to audit."
2008
Sheffield's answers to the Texas State Legislative Election 2008 Political Courage Test are available. The test informs voters how a candidate would vote on the issues if elected.
When asked his legislative priorities, he replied:
"The key issues of my campaign are providing tax relief, securing our border, defending private property rights, and ensuring our children have the best schools. I believe Bell County and Texas can be an even more attractive place for businesses to relocate, for families to raise their children, and for veterans to make their home after they retire. I'm running for State Representative because I love Bell County, believe in the people of Bell County, and believe in public service. I have always believed in giving back and serving my community."[8]
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.
2014
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]. |
|---|
|
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.[9] Two additional called sessions were held from July 1 through July 30 and July 30 through August 5.[10]
|
2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
|---|
|
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.[10]
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Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Ralph + Sheffield + Texas + House"
See also
- Texas State Legislature
- Texas House of Representatives
- Texas House of Representatives Committees
- Texas Joint Committees
- Texas state legislative districts
External links
- Ralph Sheffield's campaign website
- Profile from Open States
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign Contributions: 2012, 2010, 2008
- Texas State Directory profile
- Texas Political Almanac HD 55 page
- Texas Tribune profile & bio
- State Surge profile
- Vote-TX.org profile
- Texas Conservative Coalition profile
- Ralph Sheffield on Facebook
- Report Card from Texans for Fiscal Responsibility
Footnotes
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Biography," accessed May 24, 2014
- ↑ Texas Legislature, "Bills Authored/Joint Authored by Rep. Sheffield," accessed May 24, 2014
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Texas Secretary of State, "1992 - Current Election History," accessed February 17, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money, "2008 Candidate funds," accessed May 24, 2014
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Rep. Sheffield Issue Positions," accessed May 24, 2014
- ↑ kten.com, "Texas Lawmakers To Tackle Redistricting In Special Session," May 29, 2013
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Legislative reference Library of Texas, "Texas Legislative Sessions and Years," accessed June 13, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by ' |
Texas House District 55 2009–2015 |
Succeeded by Molly White (R) |
