Stuart Spitzer

Stuart Keith Spitzer (born 1967) is a general surgeon from Kaufman, Texas, who is a former Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 4, which encompasses Kaufman County and part of Spitzer's native Henderson County east of Dallas.

Background

Spitzer was born and reared in Athens in Henderson County in East Texas, where his parents still reside. Spitzer recalls as a youth having mowed baseball fields in the day and umpiring softball games at night. He helped a grandfather to plow cotton fields and hunted and fished on a family ranch in Central Texas. "From this upbringing, I learned respect for God, the outdoors, others, and a hard day's work," he said.^[1]

Spitzer graduated from Athens High School and Trinity Valley Community College in Athens. He then obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from Southern Baptist-affiliated Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and his M.D. degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas.

Political life

In 2012, Spitzer ran for the House but lost the party nomination to the then incumbent Lance Gooden. Spitzer polled 5,545 votes (46.5 percent) to Gooden's 6,385 votes (53.5 percent).^[2] Gooden was then unopposed in the November 6, 2012 general election for his second term.

In his second bid for the office on March 4, 2014, Spitzer unseated Gooden in the Republican primary. Spitzer polled 8,421 votes (51 percent) to Gooden's 8,079 (49 percent).^[3] Speaker Joe Straus of San Antonio made a campaign stop for Gooden's behalf in Forney in Kaufman County, a month before the primary election. Accompanying Straus to Forney was State Senator Bob Deuell, a pediatrician from Greenville in Hunt County.^[4] A few weeks later Duell was himself unseated in the May 27 runoff election by the Tea Party movement choice, Bob Hall of Van Zandt County.

Spitzer lost a rematch with Lance Gooden in the Republican primary held on March 1, 2016.^[5] Gooden polled 14,500 votes (51.8 percent) to Spitzer's 13,502 (48.2 percent).^[6]

Spitzer has promoted abstinence only education as a means of HIV and STD prevention, citing his Christian belief that everyone should remain abstinent from sexual activity until marriage.^[7][8][9]

Personal life

Spitzer and his wife, the former Shari Jo Knight, have two children, Lilly and Luke.^[1]

References