Shadi Zitoon

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

Shadi Zitoon

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

University of Texas at Arlington, 2005-08

Personal

Birthplace

Fort Worth, Texas

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

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Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Shadi Zitoon (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Texas State Senate to represent District 12. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

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

Biography

Shadi Zitoon was born in Fort Worth, Texas. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2005.

Elections

2020

See also: Texas State Senate elections, 2020

General election

General election for Texas State Senate District 12

Incumbent Jane Nelson defeated Shadi Zitoon in the general election for Texas State Senate District 12 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jane Nelson (R)	62.3	293,399
		Shadi Zitoon (D)	37.7	177,610

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 471,009
= 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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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas State Senate District 12

Shadi Zitoon defeated Randy Daniels in the Democratic primary for Texas State Senate District 12 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Shadi Zitoon	57.5	32,831
	Submit photo	Randy Daniels	42.5	24,291

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 57,122
= 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 State Senate District 12

Incumbent Jane Nelson advanced from the Republican primary for Texas State Senate District 12 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jane Nelson	100.0	63,061

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 63,061
= 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

Shadi Zitoon completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Zitoon'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'm a born and raised Texan. I graduated from Keller High School, before going on to The University of Texas at Arlington where I graduated with a degree in Computer Science and Engineering. I'm a working-class family man. In my day job, I am a Quality Analyst, which is a fancy way of saying problem-solver. I am running to represent all the people of Texas and the issues that are facing us.

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?

• A Voice for All
• Increase Access and Lower the Cost of Healthcare
• Improve Education

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Education is definitely an area of passion. When I was growing up it was not a question of am going to college, but what I was going to study. It always seemed that it was a natural extension to continue on and acquire the skills needed to have a good career.

Healthcare is another issue. I have faced the hard reality of the deficiencies of our healthcare system. People are not getting the care they need and are dying because they are afraid of hospital bills. Those who do get care are hit with hospital bills so large they have no choice other than bankruptcy. We can do better!

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

Trust and true understanding of the many major issues are probably 2 of the most important characteristics. One thing that sets me apart from other candidates, is that I have researched these issues personally and have a thorough understanding. This is what is needed to make real change, and it is one of the reasons I am so passionate about making changes to many areas of Texas legislation.

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

I would take seriously the duty to make the lives of all of my constituents better. I will represent what is best for the people, not what is best for big business. People must be able to trust their elected officials, and that starts with putting constituents first.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like people to remember me for making the world a better place. If I can make a difference in the life of even just one person, I would be happy, but if I could make a difference in the lives of all the people in District 12, I would be over the moon.

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

The first political event that I remember was George H.W. Bush attacking Iraq. We had just finished a baptism when we heard the news. I didn't really understand the significance at the time, but we now can see that was close to the beginning of our current wars in the Middle East.

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

Eye of the Tiger by Survivor

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

While it doesn't hurt to have political experience, it can sometimes be overrated. We need the voices in office that are championing the ideas that protect our youth, that protect the future of everyone. Sometimes too much experience in politics causes a person to lose sight of what things are like in the real world. This is why we need working-class people in all levels of government.

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

Our state and our country have the same major issue over the next decade, and that is division. This was seen in the last election, that turned Texas purple. I will work hard to unite our citizens, despite any political leanings. I will try my best with my inclusive policies to make sure that no voter feels unheard.

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

Relationships with other legislators will be required to help propel any legislation. Having the trust and respect of other members in the Senate could be the deciding factor for new urgently needed legislation. However, there must be a balance to ensure there are no conflicts of interest.

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

While there are many committees that are interesting to me, Education and Health and Human Services are the committees in areas I am most passionate about. I also have an interest in the Criminal Justice and Transportation committees.

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

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Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the Texas State Senate

Leadership

Senators

District 1

Bryan Hughes (R)

District 2

Bob Hall (R)

District 3

Robert Nichols (R)

District 4

Brandon Creighton (R)

District 5

Charles Schwertner (R)

District 6

Carol Alvarado (D)

District 7

Paul Bettencourt (R)

District 8

Angela Paxton (R)

District 9

Vacant

District 10

Phil King (R)

District 11

Mayes Middleton (R)

District 12

Tan Parker (R)

District 13

Borris Miles (D)

District 14

Sarah Eckhardt (D)

District 15

Molly Cook (D)

District 16

Nathan Johnson (D)

District 17

Joan Huffman (R)

District 18

Lois Kolkhorst (R)

District 19

Roland Gutierrez (D)

District 20

Juan Hinojosa (D)

District 21

Judith Zaffirini (D)

District 22

Brian Birdwell (R)

District 23

Royce West (D)

District 24

Peter Flores (R)

District 25

Donna Campbell (R)

District 26

José Menéndez (D)

District 27

Adam Hinojosa (R)

District 28

Charles Perry (R)

District 29

César Blanco (D)

District 30

Brent Hagenbuch (R)

District 31

Kevin Sparks (R)

Republican Party (19)

Democratic Party (11)

Vacancies (1)