Hopson Bolts
1/29/09
State Representative Chuck Hopson today joined other lawmakers in endorsing John Sharp's U.S. Senate bid, making it unanimous among East and Southeast Texas Democratic legislators.
"John Sharp reflects East Texas values and will make a great U.S. Senator," Hopson said. "From the economy to energy to education to health care, John understands the enormous challenges we face and will immediately play a key role in finding solutions when he gets to Washington, D.C."
11/6/09
State Rep. Chuck Hopson, saying his East Texas district does not reflect the views of President Barack Obama, bolted the Democratic Party.
"I believe in democracy and respect its process," Hopson said in a news release. "I will be running as a Republican in 2010 and will campaign hard to win the Republican primary and general elections."
The race is on to see who disowns whom the fastest. The full copy of Hopson's endorsement is copied from Sharp's Facebook page into the extended post here. Sharp himself, has been making noise about the evils of "both parties" in his visits to smaller counties. It's not like the messaging of the two is entirely off. Just a question of
You can view the 'pedia page to get a sense of how red the district is. Former Hopson staffer, Phil Martin, puts his own disappointment into context. Phil also offers up the roundup of other's comments on the Hopson departure.
The only thing I can really add is that it takes a certain type of person who is willing to exit on the terms they believe in if that's what costs them the job. I understand it's not exactly a small ask of someone's character. Marvin Leath, Bill Sarpalius, Charlie Wilson, Jim Chapman, Charlie Stenholm, Jim Turner, Max Sandlin, Nick Lampson, Chet Edwards ... heck, even John Sharp ... those would be people that Chuck Hopson is not in the same class with.
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(JACKSONVILLE) -- State Representative Chuck Hopson today joined other lawmakers in endorsing John Sharp's U.S. Senate bid, making it unanimous among East and Southeast Texas Democratic legislators.
"John Sharp reflects East Texas values and will make a great U.S. Senator," Hopson said. "From the economy to energy to education to health care, John understands the enormous challenges we face and will immediately play a key role in finding solutions when he gets to Washington, D.C."
(JACKSONVILLE) -- State Representative Chuck Hopson today joined other lawmakers in endorsing John Sharp's U.S. Senate bid, making it unanimous among East and Southeast Texas Democratic legislators.
"John Sharp reflects East Texas values and will make a great U.S. Senator," Hopson said. "From the economy to energy to education to health care, John understands the enormous challenges we face and will immediately play a key role in finding solutions when he gets to Washington, D.C."
Hopson, a veteran member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, said Sharp's track record of independent leadership and innovative policy proposals is just what East Texas needs to get the economy moving again while safeguarding vital public services.
"John is committed to helping families and small businesses find affordable health insurance," said Hopson, an independent pharmacist.
Sharp announced last week that he will run for the Democratic nomination to succeed current U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, who has said publicly that she plans to run for Texas Governor in 2010.
As Texas Comptroller, Sharp earned a national reputation for innovative initiatives, including the Texas Performance Review, which saved taxpayers more than $8.5 billion, helped divert a proposed state income tax, safeguarded vital public services, and served as the model for Vice President Al Gore's National Performance Review.
A native of the South Texas farming community of Placedo, Sharp graduated from Texas A&M; University, where he was elected student body president and commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserves. He earned his master's in public administration from Texas State University in San Marcos while working fulltime as a fiscal analyst at the Legislative Budget Board in Austin.
Sharp served as vice chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee as a state representative and was named Outstanding Freshman by Texas Monthly magazine. He later ran successfully for the Texas Senate and was appointed to the powerful Senate Finance Committee. In 1985, he was elected statewide to the Texas Railroad Commission and served as the energy agency's chairman.
After leaving the Comptroller's Office, Sharp worked for the Dallas-based financial management firm Ryan, Inc. and is currently helping the firm set up a charitable foundation. He was co-founder and treasurer of Texans to Cure Cancer, the largest anti-cancer initiative ever launched in the state. In 2006, with state lawmakers facing the prospect of shutting down public schools or advocating a state income tax, he led a bi-partisan committee to find a solution to avoid both -- cutting overall taxes by more than $1 billion in the process.