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David Watts (Texas)
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David Watts (b. Mobile, AL) was a 2016 Republican candidate for District 7 of the Texas House of Representatives.
Watts was a Republican candidate for Texas Land Commissioner in the 2014 elections.[1]
Biography
Watts has been a businessman for over 20 years, focusing on organizational efficiency and restructuring to help businesses serve clients. He has worked as a project manager.
Watts is an FAA licensed commercial pilot and has served in the Civil Air Patrol. He has also worked as a preacher and teacher, and in 2012 published his first novel, Hope in Hungnam.[2]
Education
- Bachelor's of Science, Political Science, University of Louisville
Campaign themes
2016
Watts' campaign website highlighted the following issues:
| “ |
Abortion: Abortion is the murder of unborn human life. There is no moral argument for murdering innocent unborn life. The Texas Legislature must continue to work to reduce and eliminate abortion, until such time that we have a Supreme Court that will overturn Roe v. Wade. Illegal Immigration: We must secure our southern border against illegal crossings. Since the Federal government won't do it, Texas must continue to deploy forces to the border in order to curtail illegal immigration. Beyond border enforcement, we must end the benefits that draw illegal immigrants across our border. We must end in-state tuition for illegal immigrants. We must directly confront Plyler v. Doe (the 1982 Supreme Court decision which mandates a tax-payer funded K-12 education for illegal immigrant children) and mount a legal challenge to this irresponsible Supreme Court decision. 2nd Amendment: Texas should pass legislation respecting the principle of constitutional carry, insofar as law-abiding Texans should be permitted to carry firearms openly or concealed without registration, fingerprinting, or mandatory training requirements. Education: Regardless of which method of education parents choose, Texas deserves a world-class public education system. Teachers and administrators make it clear: we need DC out of our education system. But they also make this clear: we need Austin to get out of our education decisions as well. Each school district in Texas has a vested interest in delivering a high quality education. State education requirements should be as minimal as practically possible, so that local districts and local parents are empowered to make the right decisions for their unique requirements and students. The Role of Government: With government's expansion and regulation of virtually every facet of our lives, we find our rights continually eroded. It is time for the Texas Legislature to aggressively restrain the role of government.[3] |
” |
| —David Watts[4] | ||
Elections
2016
Elections for the Texas House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on March 1, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was December 14, 2015.[5] Incumbent David Simpson (R) did not seek re-election.
Jay Dean ran unopposed in the Texas House of Representatives District 7 general election.[6]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 7 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Jay Dean (unopposed) |
100.00% | 45,026 | |
| Total Votes | 45,026 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State | ||||
Jay Dean defeated David Watts in the Texas House of Representatives District 7 Republican Primary.[7][8]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 7 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Jay Dean |
57.98% | 14,607 | |
| Republican | David Watts | 42.02% | 10,588 | |
| Total Votes | 25,195 | |||
2014
Watts ran for election to the position of Texas Land Commissioner. Watts lost the Republican nomination in the primary on March 4, 2014.[1]
- Primary
| Texas Lands Commissioner Republican Primary, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
| George P. Bush |
73% | 937,987 | ||
| David Watts | 27% | 346,949 | ||
| Total Votes | 1,284,936 | |||
| Election results via Texas Secretary of State. | ||||
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.
Endorsements
2016
In 2016, Watts' endorsements included the following:[9]
|
|
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms David Watts Texas House. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Texas Land Commissioner
- State executive official elections, 2014
- Texas down ballot state executive elections, 2014
- Texas House of Representatives
- Texas House of Representatives District 7
- Texas House of Representatives elections, 2016
- Texas State Legislature
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 KFYO, "Texas Land Commissioner Candidate David Watts Says Land Commissioner Needs An Executive, Not A Politician [AUDIO," July 25, 2013]
- ↑ Watts for Texas, "Meet David," accessed December 11, 2013
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Watts for Texas, "Issues," accessed February 23, 2016
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Important 2016 Election Dates," accessed December 14, 2015
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2016 General Election," accessed December 2, 2016
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2016 March Primary Election Candidate Filings by County," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "1992 - Current Election History results," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ Watts for Texas, "Endorsements," accessed February 23, 2016
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