David Dewhurst
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David Dewhurst (born August 18, 1945, in Houston, Texas) is the former Lieutenant Governor of Texas. A Republican, he served in the position since 2003. In that capacity, he also served as President of the Texas State Senate. Dewhurst previously served as Texas Land Commissioner, which is considered a stepping-stone for higher office. He was the first Republican elected to the position since Reconstruction.[1]
Dewhurst unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate in 2012. A month after losing the primary runoff to Ted Cruz, Dewhurst stated that he planned to run for a fourth term as lieutenant governor in 2014.[2] Dewhurst failed to secure the Republican nomination for re-election as lieutenant governor, losing in a runoff to Dan Patrick.
Biography
Dewhurst earned his bachelor's degree and played basketball at the University of Arizona in Tucson.
He was previously an officer in the U.S. Air Force, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the U.S. State Department. In 1981, Dewhurst founded Falcon Seaboard, a Texas-based diversified energy and investments company. He breeds registered Black Angus cattle, is an active team roper, and rides cutting horses in American Quarter Horse Association and National Quarter Horse Association competitions.[3]
Education
- B.A., University of Arizona
Political career
Lieutenant Governor (2003-2015)
Dewhurst was elected Lieutenant Governor in November 2002, when he defeated former Democratic Comptroller John Sharp of Victoria. He succeeded Bill Ratliff. Ratliff did not contest the lieutenant governor's position in the primary, opting instead for re-election to his state senate seat. Dewhurst polled 2,341,875 votes (51.77 percent) to Sharp's 2,082,281 (46.03 percent). (Two minor candidates polled the remaining 2.19 percent.) In that campaign, Dewhurst stressed his interest in public education and opposition to school vouchers.
Dewhurst was easily renominated for Lieutenant Governor of Texas in the Republican primary held on March 7, 2006. He defeated Tom Kelly, the same unknown candidate whom he bested for the nomination in 2002. Dewhurst then overwhelmed Democrat Maria Luisa Alvarado, a veterans issues research analyst and the winner of her April 11 runoff primary, in the November 7 general election. He received 2,512,197 votes (58.2 percent) to Alvarado's 1,616,945 (37.4 percent). Libertarian Judy A. Baker polled another 188,956 votes (4.4 percent).
In 2014, however, Dewhurst did not secure re-nomination for a fourth term as Texas Lieutenant Governor, losing in a runoff to Dan Patrick.
Texas Children First initiative
Dewhurst was known for his "Texas Children First" initiative which focused on cracking down on child sexual predators in Texas and throughout the United States. The initiative includes extending the statute of limitations on child sex crimes and leading the passage of Jessica's Law to help keep Texas children safe. Dewhurst also attempted to pass legislation that would allow for the death penalty to be imposed on second-time violent child predators. This bill generated some controversy as it has been recognized that the death penalty for anything other than murder is unconstitutional. Nobody has been executed in the US for a crime other than murder since 1964.[4]
Weapons training for teachers
On January 11, 2013, Dewhurst called for state-funded firearms training for teachers and administrators. Per his proposal, school districts would nominate who would carry weapons on campus and training would be more extensive than what is required for a concealed handgun license.[5]
2003 Redistricting
In 2003, Dewhurst assisted the Republican leadership, including then U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick, and Governor Rick Perry, in passing a sweeping congressional redistricting bill that increased the number of Republican U.S. House seats in Texas from 15 to 21 in the 2004 elections. Minority Democrats were left with 11 seats. In his capacity as the presiding officer of the Texas Senate, Dewhurst, in the third consecutive special session called by the governor, allowed the suspension of the custom that 2/3 of the body must vote to consider a bill.[6]
Dewhurst's leadership on redistricting brought him into legal conflict with his former land commissioner opponent, Richard Raymond. Raymond was the only elected official to be a plaintiff in the 2006 U.S. Supreme Court review of the constitutionality of the DeLay-Perry-Craddick-Dewhurst redistricting plan. Dewhurst and Raymond have also sparred over education policy.
Texas Land Commissioner (1998-2003)
Dewhurst was elected Texas Land Commissioner in 1998. A self-described "George Bush Republican," he defeated Democratic State Representative Richard Raymond of Benavides for the position. Dewhurst accused Raymond of being a "career politician." Dewhurst received 2,072,604 votes (57.42 percent) to Raymond's 1,438,378 ballots (39.85 percent). A Libertarian polled the remaining 2.72 percent.[7]
Elections
2014
Dewhurst ran for re-election in 2014.[8] In the primary on March 4, Dewhurst came second and faced a runoff with Dan Patrick on May 27, in which he also came second, losing the Republican nomination to Texas State Senator Dan Patrick.
- Primary
| Texas Lieutenant Gubernatorial Republican Primary, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
 Dan Patrick |
41.4% | 552,692 | ||
| David Dewhurst Incumbent |
28.3% | 377,856 | ||
| Todd Staples | 17.8% | 236,949 | ||
| Jerry Patterson | 12.5% | 166,399 | ||
| Total Votes | 1,333,896 | |||
| Election results via Texas Secretary of State. | ||||
- Runoff
| Texas Lieutenant Gubernatorial Republican Runoff, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
| Dan Patrick |
65% | 489,586 | ||
| David Dewhurst Incumbent | 35% | 263,194 | ||
| Total Votes | 752,780 | |||
| Election results via Texas Secretary of State. | ||||
Race background
Primary defeat for Dewhurst
Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst was the only incumbent running for re-election in 2014 while a number of other Republicans vied for his office, including two incumbents in other statewide executive offices.
Dewhurst was previously considered to be a rising star in the Republican Party since the Texas governorship had been a platform for Republican presidential candidates. In his 2012 Senate run, however, he lost the Republican primary to Tea Party-affiliated candidate Ted Cruz.
In the primary, Dewhurst came second to State Senator Dan Patrick. After the primary on March 4, Republican lobbyists pressured the three second-place candidates involved in runoffs to drop out of their respective races and decide the Republican nominations early. Incumbent Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Texas Representative Dan Branch, second-place finishers for lieutenant governor and attorney general respectively, refused to do so and said that they would continue campaigning. The second-place Republican running for comptroller, however, dropped out, reducing the number of Republican runoffs to two.[9]
In the runoff on May 27, Patrick defeated Dewhurst again, securing the Republican nomination. This result meant that there were no incumbent state executives who won re-election in the 2014 elections.
Money in the race
2013
For the reporting period ending June 30, 2013, Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples had $3 million in his campaign fund—the most of the four Republican primary candidates. Sen. Dan Patrick had $2.1 million, and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst had $1.73 million.[10] Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson had $1.3 million cash-on-hand, raising $417,000 in the last two weeks of June.[11]
Endorsements
- Texas Right to Life PAC[12]
- Texas Fraternal Order of Police
- Texas Municipal Police Association
- Department of Public Safety Officers Association Political Action Committee
- Texas State Association of Fire Fighters
- Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas
- Texas Farm Bureau’s political committee[13]
Impeachment of Obama
During an event for the Northeast Tarrant Tea Party on October 14, 2013, Dewhurst called for the impeachment of President Barack Obama. Dewhurst stated the 2014 race “is about protecting you and your freedoms, which are given to you by God, but which are being trampled on by Barack Obama right now. I don’t know about you, but Barack Obama ought to be impeached. Not only for trampling on our liberties, but what he did in Benghazi is just a crime.”[14]
2012
Dewhurst announced on July 19, 2011, that he would be running for the US Senate in 2012, aiming to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Kay Bailey Hutchison. He said his campaign would be "straightforward, unapologetically conservative and as serious as the problems we face."[15]
Dewhurst and Ted Cruz defeated Joe Agris, Curt Cleaver, Glenn Addison, Ben Gambini, Craig James, Tom Leppert, and Lela Pittenger in the Republican primary on May 29, 2012. Dewhurst was then defeated in the July 31st primary runoff election by Cruz.[16][17]
- Primary
- Cruz won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in the primary runoff election on July 31, 2012.[18]
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Ted Cruz |
56.8% | 631,812 |
| David Dewhurst | 43.2% | 480,126 |
| Total Votes | 1,111,938 | |
2010
Dewhurst defeated Linda Chavez-Thompson (D), Herb Gonzales, Jr. (G) and Scott Jameson (L) in the general election on November 2, 2010.[19]
| Lieutenant Governor of Texas, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | David Dewhurst Incumbent |
61.8% | 3,049,109 | |
| Democratic | Linda Chavez-Thompson | 34.8% | 1,719,202 | |
| Libertarian | Scott Jameson | 2.5% | 122,142 | |
| Green | Herb Gonzales, Jr. | 0.9% | 44,903 | |
| Total Votes | 4,935,356 | |||
| Election results via Texas Secretary of State | ||||
2006
Dewhurst was easily renominated for Lieutenant Governor of Texas in the Republican primary held on March 7, 2006. He defeated Tom Kelly, the same unknown candidate whom he bested for the nomination in 2002. Dewhurst then overwhelmed Democrat Maria Luisa Alvarado, a veterans issues research analyst and the winner of her April 11 runoff primary, in the November 7 general election. He received 2,512,197 votes (58.2 percent) to Alvarado's 1,616,945 (37.4 percent). Libertarian Judy A. Baker polled another 188,956 votes (4.4 percent).
| Lieutenant Governor of Texas, 2006 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | David Dewhurst Incumbent |
58.2% | 2,513,530 | |
| Democratic | Maria Luisa Alvarado | 37.4% | 1,617,490 | |
| Libertarian | Judy Baker | 4.4% | 188,206 | |
| Total Votes | 4,319,226 | |||
| Election results via Texas Secretary of State | ||||
2002
Dewhurst was elected Lieutenant Governor in November 2002, when he defeated former Democratic Comptroller John Sharp of Victoria. He succeeded Bill Ratliff. (Ratliff did not contest the lieutenant governor's position in the primary, opting instead for re-election to his state senate seat.) Dewhurst polled 2,341,875 votes (51.77 percent) to Sharp's 2,082,281 (46.03 percent). (Two minor candidates polled the remaining 2.19 percent.) In that campaign, Dewhurst stressed his interest in public education and opposition to school vouchers.
| Lieutenant Governor of Texas, 2002 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | David Dewhurst |
51.8% | 2,341,875 | |
| Democratic | John Sharp | 46% | 2,082,281 | |
| Libertarian | Mark David Gessner | 1.2% | 54,885 | |
| Green | Nathalie Paravicini | 1% | 44,386 | |
| Total Votes | 4,523,427 | |||
| Election results via Texas Secretary of State | ||||
1998
Dewhurst was elected Texas Land Commissioner in 1998. A self-described "George Bush Republican," he defeated Democratic State Representative Richard Raymond of Benavides for the position. Dewhurst accused Raymond of being a "career politician." Dewhurst received 2,072,604 votes (57.42 percent) to Raymond's 1,438,378 ballots (39.85 percent). A Libertarian polled the remaining 2.72 percent.
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.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Dewhurst lives in Houston with his wife, Tricia, and their young daughter Carolyn.[1]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "David + Dewhurst + Texas + Lieutenant + Governor"
See also
External links
- Official Website of the Lieutenant Governor of Texas
- David Dewhurst campaign website
- Dewhurst Committee Webpage
- David Dewhurst on Facebook
- David Dewhurst on YouTube
- David Dewhurst on Flickr
- David Dewhurst on Twitter
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions: 2012, 2010, 2008, 2006, 2004, 2002, 1998
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Texas, " About David," accessed June 10, 2013
- ↑ Texas Tribune, "Dewhurst Plans to Run for Re-election," August 28, 2012
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst's Biography," accessed October 30, 2013
- ↑ [1] (dead link)
- ↑ KSLA, "Texas Lt. Gov.: Fund weapons training for teachers," January 11, 2013
- ↑ FairVote, "Texas 2003 Redistricting," accessed October 10, 2013
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "A Conversation with Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst," October 30, 2013
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "Dewhurst plans to run for re-election," August 28, 2012
- ↑ Texas Tribune, "Lobbyist: Efforts Afoot to Get Candidates to Drop Out," March 10, 2014
- ↑ The Statesman, "Staples tops money race for lieutenant governor," July 15, 2013
- ↑ WFAA, "Campaign finance reports show cash on hand for Davis, Patterson," July 15, 2013
- ↑ Texas Right to Life, "Texas Right to Life begins 2014 endorsement process," November 4, 2013
- ↑ Statesman, "David Dewhurst picks up police groups’ endorsement," December 11, 2013
- ↑ National Post, "‘Obama ought to be impeached’ over health care law: Lieutenant Governor of Texas," October 16, 2013
- ↑ Austin American-Statesman, "Dewhurst announces Senate bid," July 19, 2011
- ↑ Texas GOP - candidate list
- ↑ Associated Press Election results
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Race Summary Report-2012 Republican Party Primary Runoff," accessed August 30, 2012
- ↑ Texas Gubernatorial Election Results
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Bill Ratliff (R) |
Lieutenant Governor of Texas 2003 - 2015 |
Succeeded by Dan Patrick (R) |
