I am making it official. I am running again for the Texas House in District 17, which includes Bastrop, Milam, Caldwell, Burleson, and Lee Counties.
Last time, the race was a 5-way race for an open seat. I have talked to the others who ran and fell short in 2022 and they tell me they do not plan to run again, so the GOP primary race on March 5, 2024 will probably be a 2-way race between the incumbent and me.
WHY I AM RUNNING
Why would I embark once again on a labor-intensive and costly effort to become the champion of the people of HD 17? After all, I just finished my fifth full time session at the Texas legislature pushing for the bills that will protect Texans from the daggers pointed at our heart. And I probably had more impact from the outside this last session than I have ever had before.
My answer is that I do not believe the current Texas House or the current incumbent in HD 17 understands the urgency of the multiple dangers that face Texas at this moment. Everything Texas holds dear is under attack by globalists and Marxists along multiple fronts. At its core, I understand the danger, am more motivated, and better prepared to join the fight than the current occupant of the office.
I understand that war has been declared on Texans and our values. And I am ready to step up to defend us in that war. In other words, I understand what time it is in Texas, and know how much we have to get done to save Texas.
PAXTON IMPEACHMENT WAS CRYSTALIZING EVENT
Given that I had had my best batting average of bill passage this last session than ever before, I had almost decided not to run again as the session started winding down the week before Memorial Day. But then, I heard shocking news. What? What?!? They are going to try to impeach Attorney General Paxton, one of the most effective champions against the war on Texas that we have? The very people engaging in the attacks on Texas are going after Paxton?
Then, my wife Kathie and I went to the Capitol and watched the sham that was the impeachment and watched the HD 17 incumbent look up at how the votes were going before casting his vote to impeach Ken Paxton. Next, my phone started ringing from friends in the district. To a person, they were furious at the impeachment and furious at the incumbent who voted with the Austin swamp for it, asking me to run.
My wife and I did legal research on the law and precedents relating to impeachment. I filed a brief with the Senate, detailing the reasons why the impeachment was illegally done and a violation of the will of the voters and the provision of the Texas Constitution that says “all political power is inherent in the people.”
It is not lost on the conservative voters of Texas that the same forces are using lawfare against Paxton for the same reason they are doing so against Trump – both stand in the way of the Deep State running the lives of Texans. No matter what the Senate does, I think the conservative voters who will vote in the Republican primary in HD 17 next March want a fighter against the swamp, not someone funded by it, beholden to it, and willing to go along with it.
THE PATH TO VICTORY
If you are reading this, you are someone who likely pays attention to what goes on at the Texas Legislature. The problem is that most voters who vote in the Republican primary do not do their homework on the candidates and their approach to the issues before they walk into the voting booth.
The GOP primary voters are conservative. We know this based on how they vote on the issue resolutions placed on the GOP primary ballot in Texas. But too many do not take the effort to find out which of their choices for state rep in the Republican primary will better champion their values. They vote based on name ID. And it takes money to build name ID. Usually – as it was in HD 17 in 2022 -- the special interest money to candidates helps purchase that name ID with repetitive glossy mailers and other advertising.
The key to a grassroots victory over the establishment-controlled candidate in HD 17 is to figure out a way to cost-effectively get the attention of the voters who normally don’t pay attention to state rep races. I have some ideas about how to do that this time. One of them involves using the impeachment vote to differentiate between the incumbent and myself.
But to win, I must have the resources to deliver the message to the low-attention voters of my district. The grassroots did a decent job of funding my campaign last time around. I think we should get more small donations from more people this time around. And even though we had an active volunteer effort last time, I think we will get even more this time, too.
You can help me fight for you by making a donation, today, no matter how small the amount.
WE HAVE A STATE TO SAVE!
Because Texas is under attack, we do indeed have Texas, America, our Constitutions, and liberty to save. I look forward to embarking with you on the mission to save them.
Toward liberty,
Tom Glass