Charles F. Howard

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Charlie Howard
Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 26th district
In office 1995-present
Preceded by	Jim Tallas
Succeeded by	Incumbent

Born	May 30, 1942
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Jo Howard
Profession	Real Estate Development

Charles F. Howard, also known as Charlie Howard, is a Republican politician and has been a member of the Texas House of Representatives since 1995 representing the 26th District, which covers northern Fort Bend County, including Sugar Land, western portions of Missouri City and Stafford, and the city of Meadows Place.

Before entering politics, Charlie Howard was involved in the Sugar Land community, at one time serving as President of the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce, which is highly influential in Fort Bend County and also of which he is a life member. He is also a founding director of the Fort Bend Economic Development Council and has served as President of The C. Howard Company, which specializes in real estate development. Prior experience included serving as Executive Vice President and Operating Officer of Sugarland Properties, which developed the First Colony master-planned community that now comprises most of the southern and southeastern areas of both Sugar Land and State House District 26.

[edit] Political career

In 1994, Charlie Howard ran in the Republican primary for District 26 in the Texas House of Representatives against incumbent Republican Jim Tallas, who succeeded Tom DeLay in 1984 after DeLay ran successfully for Congress. Howard made an issue of Tallas' resistance to term limits, which was exhibited when the latter, as chair of a subcommittee, struck down a measure calling for term limits in the Texas Legislature. [1] Using this issue as the centerpiece of his campaign, Howard defeated Tallas with 71 percent of the vote in the primary, which was considered the real contest in the heavily Republican district. In fact, Howard has faced a Democratic challenger only once, in 2000, winning with 70% of the vote, and has, with the exception of 1996 (when he faced only a token third party candidate), won without opposition in other previous general election cycles.

Having developed a very conservative voting record in the Texas Legislature, Howard has received awards from various conservative groups, including the Christian Coalition, the Eagle Forum, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Family Association, and Concerned Women of America. He has also been recognized by various publications, including the Houston Chronicle for his efforts in securing funds for the expansion of U.S. Highway 59, which is located along the future Interstate 69 corridor, and by the Republican Party of Texas for Howard's strong recognition of the party's values.

In 1997 and again in 1999, in its annual ranking of the Best and Worst Legislators, Texas Monthly named Charlie Howard one of the "Worst Legislators", ranking seventh worst in 1997 and fourth worst in 1999. [2]