Texas GOP Vote

Representative Aaron Peña is currently serving his fourth term in the Texas House of Representatives, and represents District 40 in Hidalgo County, Texas. He presently serves on three house committees: Vice Chairman of Elections; Ways and Means; and Redistricting.

Born in Austin on June 8th, 1959, Peña spent the first few years of his life in a home on the banks of Waller Creek (near what is currently Centennial Park), two blocks from the Capitol. His parents moved from Edinburg to Austin so that his father could attend The University of Texas Law School.

Penna Dexter is a radio commentator and columnist for various Christian conservative outlets. She co-hosts Point of View Radio Talk Show, the program begun 38 years ago by the late Marlin Maddoux. Her weekly commentaries air on the Moody Broadcasting Network and the Bott Radio Network. Penna’s columns appear at Baptist Press and the Christian Post blog page.   Read more »

Dianne Edmondson is the current Chairman of Denton County Republican Party and is seeking reelection.

Republican Leadership:

• Exec. Director of the Republican National Coalition for Life, founded by Phyllis Schlafly, which for the last two decades has ensured that the Republican Party remains the Party of Life. The coalition endorses and sometimes help fund strong pro-life candidates for U.S. Senate and House.
• Dynamic leadership since 2002 as DRP chairman
• National GOP Convention George W. Bush Delegate - 2000
• DCRP Outstanding Volunteer 1999 President - Denton County Council of GOP Organizations

Barry Smitherman is a fourth generation Texan appointed by Governor Rick Perry to the Railroad Commission of Texas on Friday, July 8, 2011. He currently serves on the Department of Energy’s Electricity Advisory Committee (EAC) having first been appointed by Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman and then reappointed by Secretary Steven Chu. Barry is a member of the State Bar of Texas and Vice Chairman of the Governor’s Advisory panel on Federal Environmental regulation. He is also a member of the National Association of Regulatory

Lana Shadwick is running for the 179th Criminal District Court in Harris County.

Lana Shadwick is a life-long Republican and has been active in Harris County with the Harris County Republican party and with Republican groups for almost twenty years. She is a prosecutor serving in the finest state prosecutorial appellate section in our nation – the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. She is responsible for assisting trial prosecutors with legal issues and for being a criminal law scholar.

Merrie Spaeth has a unique background in media, government, politics, business and entertainment. She is a pioneer in communication theory, executive training and coaching. Spaeth is acknowledged as one of the most influential communication counselors in the world.

Merrie has coached thousands of executives who want to become more effective communicators, improve their presentation skills and ultimately expand their leadership capabilities.

Matt Rinaldi is a candidate for Texas House District 115. Matt Rinaldi, the son of an Italian immigrant and public school teacher, has been active in Republican politics for approximately 20 years. As a student at James Madison University, he made national news for his efforts to have the Pledge of Allegiance recited before student government meetings. Matt was the 2010 Republican nominee for Judge of the 191st District Court, and earned approximately 20,000 votes in the HD 115 portion of Dallas County. He currently serves as Vice President of Programs for the Greater Irving Republican Club, is an Associate Member of the Irving Republican Women, and member of the Dallas County Young Republicans. He has been an active participant in both the Dallas and Irving/Coppell Tea Parties since their inception, and served as co-chairman of the Media Committee for the April 2009 Dallas Tax Day Tea Party.

Rinaldi attended James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where he graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Economics. He continued his studies at Boston University School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor, cum laude, in 2001. Upon receiving his law degree, Matt accepted a position as a litigation associate with the Dallas office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, one of the nation's premier law firms that is perhaps best-known for its successful representation of President George W. Bush in the U.S. Supreme Court case of Bush v. Gore, which effectively determined the result of the contested 2000 election.

Matt has provided legal commentary on FoxNews Radio affiliate stations throughout the country. A strong advocate of tort reform, he is currently a commercial litigation attorney with the law firm of Miller, Egan, Molter & Nelson, LLP. He was selected as a Texas Monthly Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2006 and 2007.

As one who believes in giving back to his community, Matt represented under-privileged families in the "Adoption Saturday" project, a program developed to speed the adoption of abused and neglected children in Dallas County.

First elected to the Texas Senate in 2006, Robert Nichols represents 16 counties including the greater part of East Texas and Montgomery County.

Nichols serves as vice chair of the Intergovernmental Relations Committee and sits on the Transportation and Homeland Security, Natural Resources, Health and Human Services, and Nominations Committees. He was also appointed last year to the influential Sunset Advisory Commission.   Read more »

Jason Villalba is a candidate for Texas House. A product of hard work & determination. A fifth-generation Texan, Jason was born in Dallas at Methodist Hospital. As the son of an airline mechanic, from an early age Jason was taught to work hard, study diligently, act with integrity and do what’s right. As a young man, Jason mowed lawns, worked as a checker at Walmart and a stockboy at a local hardware store to help out his folks. The first in his family to graduate from college, Jason worked his way through Baylor University where he studied Economics and Finance, then graduated from the University of Texas School of Law.

A business-minded approach. As a former financial analyst and as a partner at one of Dallas’ most respected law firms, Jason has hands-on experience working with and advising growing businesses and start-ups and dealing with complex financial and corporate transactions. As our State Representative, Jason will put his diverse business and financial experience to work to grow our economy, create high-wage jobs, cut wasteful spending and keep our taxes at current or lower rates.

Dedicated to improving education. As the product of Texas public schools and father of two young girls who will soon attend elementary school in the Dallas ISD, the quality of our public schools is not just a campaign issue to Jason – it’s personal. That’s why as our State Representative, Jason will work tirelessly for meaningful public education reform that broadens charter schools and voucher programs, includes school choice for our parents and requires more accountability from our administrators and teachers. Like you, Jason believes that improving our schools will strengthen our communities, our economy and our future.

Involved in our community. An active member of our community for more than a decade, Jason currently serves on the development committee of the Dallas Zoo and is an active member of the Dallas Children’s Trust. Jason is also an appointee of Dallas City Councilmember Ann Margolin, serving on the city’s Housing Finance Corporation, and Dallas County Commissioner Maurine Dickey, serving on the Citizens Elections Advisory Committee. A proven conservative. Jason is the immediate past Vice-Chair of the Dallas County Republican Party and the current Chairman of the Dallas Chapter of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly. In 2006 and 2010, Jason was named as a delegate to the Republican Party of Texas State Convention. As our State Representative, Jason will strive for conservative, bold, results-driven solutions that keep Texas great and that make life better for all of our families and citizens.

Personal

• Fifth Generation Texan 
• Born in Dallas, Texas 

Education

Jason Villalba

• Baylor University – B.B.A. Finance/Economics 1992 
• University of Texas School of Law – J.D. 1996

Barbara Carrasco is running for the 16th Congressional District of Texas. Barbara is a twenty-one year resident of El Paso and a small business owner. It is because of her many years’ experience in business and her involvement in local politics that Barbara wants to be your advocate in Washington, D.C.

It is a deep love for family that motivates Barbara to become involved in El Paso politics and to really make a difference. She was born and raised in New Mexico