Brandon Creighton

Brandon Creighton
Member of the Texas Senate
from the 4th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
August 2014
Preceded by Tommy Williams
Member of the Texas House of Representatives
from the 16th district
In office
January 2007 – August 2014
Preceded by Ruben Hope
Succeeded by Will Metcalf
Personal details
Born August 5, 1970
Montgomery County
Texas, USA
Nationality American
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Fawn Creighton
Children Two children
Residence Conroe, Montgomery County, Texas
Alma mater University of Texas at Austin

Oklahoma City University School of Law

Occupation Attorney
Religion Southern Baptist

Charles Brandon Creighton (born August 5, 1970)[1] is an American attorney and politician from Conroe, Texas, who is a Republican member of the Texas Senate from District 4, and a former member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 16, based entirely in suburban Montgomery County, near Houston in the southeastern portion of the state.

In his last term in the chamber, Creighton was the House Majority Leader under Speaker Joe Straus.[2]

Creighton won the August 5, 2014, special election runoff for the District 4 seat in the Texas Senate, 67.37 to 32.62 percent, over fellow Republican Steve Toth of The Woodlands,[3][4] who gave up his House seat after one term to run for the Senate. Toth will be succeeded in the House by another Republican, Mark Keough, also of The Woodlands.

Background

Creighton holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a Juris Doctor from Oklahoma City University School of Law in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.[1]

Creighton is vice president and general counsel of the Signorelli Company, a home and office building development firm in Conroe.[5] He is also a rancher.[2] He was formerly employed in the state attorney's general offices in both Oklahoma City and Austin, Texas and as a member of the staff of the Texas State Senate. He is a current member of the Conroe Noon Lions International. He was formerly affiliated with Rotary International. He is a long-term member of the First Baptist Church of Conroe. He and his wife, Fawn, reside in Conroe and have two children.[1][2]

Political career

Creighton was an unsuccessful candidate for the Texas House in 2002, but he lost his party's nomination to the incumbent, Ruben Hope, 6,126 (55.6 percent) to 4,884 (44.4 percent).[6] In the 2006 Republican primary, Hope declined to seek re-nomination. Creighton hence won the nomination with 56.6 percent of the vote over two intraparty rivals, Dale Inman and Vicky Rudy.[7] In the 2006 general election, Creighton defeated the Democrat Pat Poland, 23,945 (75 percent) to 7,963 (25 percent).[8] Since his first election in 2006, Creighton has faced no further primary or general election opponents.[5]

Representative Creighton served on three House committees: Insurance, International Trade & Intergovernmental Affairs, and Redistricting.[1]

In the 2013 legislative session, Creighton supported the ban on abortion after twenty weeks of gestation; the bill passed the House, 96-49. He voted for companion legislation to increase medical and licensing requirements of abortion providers. Texas Right to Life rated him 116 percent in 2013 and 100 percent in 2011.[9]

Creighton voted against a taxpayer-funded breakfast program for public schools; the measure nevertheless passed the House, 73-58. He supported legislation to provide marshals for school security. He opposed the bill requiring the immunization of minors without parental consent, a measure which the House nevertheless approved, 71-61. He co-sponsored the law to extend the franchise tax exemption to certain businesses. Creighton voted against the measure to prohibit texting while driving. He voted to require testing for narcotics of those receiving unemployment compensation. He voted against an "equal pay for women" measure, which passed the House, 78-61. He voted to forbid the state from enforcing federal regulations of firearms and in support of another law allowing college and university officials to carry concealed weapons in the name of campus security. He voted for the redistricting bills for the state House, the Texas Senate, and the United States House of Representatives.[10]

In 2013, Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle Forum, managed in Texas by Cathie Adams, a former state chairman of the Texas Republican Party, rated Creighton 95 percent. The Young Conservatives of Texas ranked him 80 percent. The interest group, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, founded by Michael Quinn Sullivan, rated him 84 percent in 2013 but 100 percent in 2011. The Texas Association of Business gave him a cumulative score of 89 percent. He ranked 59 percent from the Texas League of Conservation Voters and 33 percent from the Sierra Club. The National Rifle Association ranked him 92 percent.[11]

Elections of 2014

Creighton did not seek a fifth term in House District 16 in the Republican primary held on March 4, 2014. Instead he ran for the District 4 seat in the Texas Senate, vacated in the fall of 2013 by the resignation of Republican Tommy Williams of The Woodlands, who accepted a position with Texas A&M University in College Station.[12] Creighton had announced that he would seek the position of Texas Agriculture Commissioner to succeed Todd Staples, who ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor. Instead Creighton quickly left that race to run instead in the special election for the unexpired portion of Williams' term as well as the regular election for the Senate seat.[13] The Republican nominee for Creighton's old seat is Will Metcalf, who defeated Ted Seago in the Republican runoff election on May 27, 2014.[14]

Creighton faced opposition for the Senate vacancy from neighboring District 15 Representative Steve Toth of The Woodlands, who left the House after one term, and entrepreneur Richard "Gordy" Bunch, a native of San Diego, California, who serves on The Woodlands township council.[2]

In the May 10, 2014, special election Creighton came in first place with 45 percent of the vote.[15] Creighton received 45.2 percent, Toth 23.7 percent, Bunch 21.8 percent, and Michael Galloway 9.3 percent.[15] Creighton and Toth faced other in a runoff election on August 5, 2014.[15]

Creighton won the August 5, 2014 special election runoff.[4] Rice University political science professor Mark Jones said both Creighton and Toth “are significantly more conservative than Williams.”[16]

2014 Special Election
Republican special election results, May 10, 2014[15][17]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Brandon Creighton 13,705 45.18
Republican Steve Toth 7,193 23.71
Republican Gordy Bunch 6,612 21.80
Republican Michael Galloway 2,818 9.29
Total votes 30,328 100

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Brandon Creighton's Biography". votesmart.org. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Chris Contelesse, "Gordy Bunch, Steve Toth, Brandon Creighton vie for state Senate", October 24, 2013". yourhoustonnews.com. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  3. ↑ Okun, Eli; John Reynolds (August 5, 2014). "Creighton Easily Wins Special State Senate Race". Texas Tribune. Retrieved August 5, 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Creighton win District 4 State Senate runoff election with commanding lead, WoodslandsOnline, August 5, 2014.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Brandon Creighton District 16 (R-Conroe)". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  6. ↑ "2002 Republican primary election returns (House District 16)". elections.sos.state.tx.us. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  7. ↑ "2006 Republican primary election returns (House District 16)". elections.sos.state.tx.us. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  8. ↑ "2006 General election returns (House District 16)". elections.sos.state.tx.us. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Texas Right To Life Scorecard". texasrighttolife.com. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Brandon Creighton's Voting Records". votesmart.org. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Brandon Creighton's Ratings and Endorsements". votesmart.org. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Allen Reed, Texas Sen. Tommy Williams to leave Senate; may take job at Texas A&M University System, October 4, 2013". Bryan-College Station Eagle. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Shake-up in race for Texas Ag Commissioner". The Houston Chronicle. October 17, 2013. Retrieved November 24, 2013.
  14. ↑ Scott, Brandon. Metcalf takes resounding victory over Seago, Conroe Courier, May 27, 2014.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Ramsey, Ross. Updated: Special Election to Fill Empty Senate Seat, Texas Tribune, May 10, 2014.
  16. ↑ Tim Eaton (August 5, 2014). "Brandon Creighton to represent Houston area in state Senate". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  17. ↑ Special Election Results, Secretary of State of Texas, May 10, 2014.

External links

Texas House of Representatives
Preceded by
Ruben Hope		 Texas State Representative from District 16 (Conroe in Montgomery County)
2007–2014 		Succeeded by
Will Metcalf
Texas Senate
Preceded by
Tommy Williams		 Texas State Senator from District 4
2014– 		Succeeded by
Incumbent