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Craig Estes

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Craig Estes
Image of Craig Estes

Republican Party

Prior offices
Texas State Senate District 30
Elections and appointments
Last election

March 6, 2018

Education

Bachelor's

Oral Roberts University, 1977

Personal
Profession
Chairman
Contact

Campaign Facebook

Personal website

Craig Estes (Republican Party) was a member of the Texas State Senate, representing District 30. Estes assumed office in 2001. Estes left office on January 8, 2019.

Estes (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the Texas State Senate to represent District 30. Estes lost in the Republican primary on March 6, 2018.

Estes ran in one of 48 contested Republican state legislative 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.

Biography

Estes graduated from Wichita Falls High School and later graduated from Oral Roberts University with a B.S. in business administration. In 1993, Estes graduated from the Harvard Business School Owner President Manager program.

When he served in the state Senate, Estes' professional experience included working as chairman of the Board of Estes, Inc, and president of the Texas Agricultural Chemicals Association.[1]

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 & Commerce
• Natural Resources and Economic Development, Chair
• Nominations
• State Affairs

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Estes served on the following committees:

2013-2014

In the 2013-2014 legislative session, Estes served on the following committees:

2011-2012

In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Estes served on the following Texas Senate committees:

2009-2010

In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Estes served on the following Texas Senate committees:

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

See also: Texas State Senate elections, 2018

General election

General election for Texas State Senate District 30

Pat Fallon defeated Kevin Lopez in the general election for Texas State Senate District 30 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Pat Fallon
Pat Fallon (R)
 
73.9
 
234,374
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Kevin Lopez (D)
 
26.1
 
82,669

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

Total votes: 317,043
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas State Senate District 30

Kevin Lopez advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas State Senate District 30 on March 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Kevin Lopez
 
100.0
 
15,760

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

Total votes: 15,760
Candidate Connection = 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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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas State Senate District 30

Pat Fallon defeated incumbent Craig Estes and Craig Carter in the Republican primary for Texas State Senate District 30 on March 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Pat Fallon
Pat Fallon
 
62.0
 
53,796
Image of Craig Estes
Craig Estes
 
22.6
 
19,614
Image of Craig Carter
Craig Carter
 
15.4
 
13,346

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 86,756
Candidate Connection = 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
See also: Factions in Texas state legislative Republican primaries, 2018 and Texas state legislative Republican primaries, 2018

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
See also: Texas state legislative Republican primaries, 2018/Races to watch

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?

The Dallas Morning News identified this Republican primary as potentially competitive. It featured a matchup between incumbent Craig Estes and state Rep. Pat Fallon. According to the Dallas Morning News, Fallon has emphasized Estes' ties to establishment Republicans and his long tenure in office, while Estes has emphasized his ties to the district.[2] According to Time Record News, Fallon loaned himself $1.8 million for the campaign.[3]

After Lieutenant Gov. Dan Patrick (R) spent $17,000 on polling for Fallon's campaign, Estes said in a televised debate, "The donation in kind from Dan Patrick amounts to nothing more than a bribe to hire a yes man in the Texas Senate, a puppet. The people of Senate District 30 are outraged over this, they do not want this, they do not deserve this and they will not have this." Fallon said that he had not known that Patrick had commissioned the poll for him and that he would be a "fierce advocate for one person: the constituent and the taxpayer." A spokesman for Patrick said that the lieutenant governor "dismissed Senator Estes's ridiculous personal attack." Estes had earlier endorsed Patrick for reelection.[4]

On February 21, Estes' campaign released an ad that showed a figure resembling Fallon, who is Catholic, attending a confession with a Catholic priest. The ad used the confessional setting to criticize Fallon for his attendance record at the state legislature and some of the statements he had made about Estes. State Rep. Drew Springer (R), who had not endorsed either candidate, said that the "ad released by Senator Craig Estes mocking the Catholic faith and the practice of confession was over the line," and said that Estes should "take his fight outside of the Church, take down the ad and apologize."[5] Estes said that the ad was produced by a Catholic and that it was intended to be light-hearted. He also said, "I think some of the outrages may be manufactured." Fallon said, " I haven't spoken to anyone who found the ad within the bounds. It's just outside the bounds, but we've been dealing with this man for 17 years."[6]

Lieutenant Gov. Patrick endorsed Fallon on February 26. He cited Estes' ad featuring a Catholic priest (he said he was "stunned to see the recent attack by the incumbent senator — Craig Estes — mocking Pat’s religious faith.") and Estes' abstention from a 2015 vote to change the threshold of senators needed to consider a bill from two-thirds to a simple majority. Estes was the only Republican senator to not support the rules change.[7]

Endorsements and support for Fallon

  • Empower Texans
  • Texas Right to Life
  • Young Conservatives of Texas
  • Lieutenant Gov. Dan Patrick (R) endorsed Fallon on February 26. He earlier spent $17,000 on polling for Fallon, indicating that he supported Fallon over incumbent Estes.[8]
  • Attorney General Ken Paxton (R)[9]
  • U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)[10]
  • State Rep. Phil King (R)[11]
  • State Rep. Drew Springer (R)[12]

Endorsements for Estes

  • Texas Medical Association
  • Texas Association of Business
  • Texas Association of Manufacturers
  • Dallas Morning News[13]
  • Texas Association of Realtors
  • National Federation of Independent Business[14]
Debates

Feb. 15 Texas Tribune split interview

"Split Decision 2018 - Texas Sen. Craig Estes and primary challenger Pat Fallon face off," released February 15, 2018
Campaign advertisements

Pat Fallon - support

"Pat Fallon Took Action," released October 27, 2017
"I recommend Pat Fallon for the Texas Senate," released February 25, 2018

Pat Fallon - oppose

"Mexico Pat: Missing votes since 2013," released January 17, 2018
"Pat Fallon: Only Rugs Lie Better," released February 8, 2018
"Confessions of Lying Politicians," released February 21, 2018
"How sanctuary cities actually work," released February 26, 2018

Craig Estes - oppose

"Two More Years," released December 9, 2017
"Change," released November 22, 2017
Campaign finance
See also: Texas state legislative Republican primaries, 2018/Campaign finance


2014

See also: Texas State Senate elections, 2014

Elections for 15 of the 31 seats in the Texas State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on March 4, 2014. 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 Craig Estes was unopposed in the Republican primary. Estes defeated Cory Lane (L) in the general election.[15][16][17]

Texas State Senate, District 30 General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngCraig Estes Incumbent 86.7% 140,240
     Libertarian Cory Lane 13.3% 21,599
Total Votes 161,839

2012

See also: Texas State Senate elections, 2012

Estes won re-election in the 2012 election for Texas State Senate, District 30. Estes defeated Jim Herblin in the May 29 primary election and defeated Richard Forsythe (L) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[18]

Texas State Senate, District 30, General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngCraig Estes Incumbent 86.1% 217,877
     Libertarian Richard Forsythe 13.9% 35,127
Total Votes 253,004
Texas State Senate District 30 Republican Primary, 2012
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngCraig Estes Incumbent 65.3% 42,464
Jim Herblin 34.7% 22,599
Total Votes 65,063

2008

On Nov. 4, 2008, Estes won re-election to the 30th District Seat in the Texas State Senate.[18]

Estes raised $692,589 for his campaign.[19]

Texas State Senate, District 30 (2008)
Candidates Votes Percent
Green check mark transparent.png Craig Estes (R) 221,470 100%

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.

Craig Estes campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2018Texas State Senate District 30Lost primary$1,473,234 N/A**
2014Texas State Senate, District 30Won $589,706 N/A**
2012Texas State Senate, District 30Won $807,200 N/A**
2008Texas State Senate, District 30Won $692,589 N/A**
2004Texas State Senate, District 30Won $631,698 N/A**
2002Texas State Senate, District 30Won $1,468,138 N/A**
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Texas

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


2016


2015


2014


2013


2012


2011

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
When he served in the state Senate, Estes and his wife, Jennifer, had three children: Abby, Andrew, and Mark.

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Biography," accessed May 24, 2014
  2. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named GROMER
  3. ↑ Time Record News, "Nocona entrepreneur vying for Estes' Senate seat," January 10, 2018
  4. ↑ Texas Tribune, "The Blast," February 12, 2018
  5. ↑ Texas Tribune, "The Blast," February 22, 2018
  6. ↑ Texomas, "New political ad draws criticism from colleague, opponent," February 22, 2018
  7. ↑ Texas Tribune, "The Blast," February 26, 2018
  8. ↑ Texas Tribune, "Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick spends $5.1M on TV ads in January, $17K on polling for Sen. Estes opponent," February 7, 2018
  9. ↑ Facebook, "Fallon for Texas," February 9, 2018
  10. ↑ Texas Tribune, "The Blast," February 23, 2018
  11. ↑ Texas Tribune, "The Blast," February 27, 2018
  12. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Blastm1
  13. ↑ Dallas Morning News, "We recommend Craig Estes in the Republican primary for state Senate District 30," February 7, 2018
  14. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named NFIB
  15. ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "1992 - Current ELECTION HISTORY," accessed December 2, 2014
  16. ↑ Green Party of Texas, "Greens Release Candidate List," accessed July 26, 2014
  17. ↑ The Libertarian Party of Texas, "2014 Texas Senate Candidates List," accessed July 26, 2014
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Texas Secretary of State, "1992 - Current Election History," accessed February 17, 2014
  19. ↑ Follow the Money, "2008 Candidate funds," accessed May 24, 2014
  20. ↑ kten.com, "Texas Lawmakers To Tackle Redistricting In Special Session," May 29, 2013
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Legislative reference Library of Texas, "Texas Legislative Sessions and Years," accessed June 13, 2014
Political offices
Preceded by
Tom Haywood 		Texas Senate - District 30
2001-2019 		Succeeded by
Pat Fallon (R)


Current members of the Texas State Senate
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Bob Hall (R)
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District 10
Phil King (R)
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District 31
Republican Party (19)
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