Gearing up for the 2020 primary elections, the political action arm of the Texas Medical Association endorsed one candidate seeking an open seat in the Texas Senate and three running for open Texas House seats.
“These candidates have gained physician support due to their commitment to legislate and vote for the betterment of medicine,” said Brad Patt, MD, chair of the TEXPAC Board of Directors; and Jimmy Widmer, MD, chair of the TEXPAC Candidate Evaluation Committee. “They understand the physician-practice business model, the need for more adequate coverage for patients, and the burden of red tape hindering physicians from caring for our patients.
“We encourage the family of medicine to support these qualified candidates in the 2020 March Primary.”
The open-seat candidates getting medicine’s nod are:
- State Rep. Cesar Blanco (D-El Paso), who is seeking the Democratic nomination in Senate District 29;
- U.S. Navy veteran Jake Ellzey, who is running for the GOP nomination in House District 10 (Ellis county and parts of Henderson county);
- Small business owner and former Army National Guardsman Jacey Jetton, who is seeking the Republican nomination in House District 26 (Fort Bend County); and
- Glenn Rogers, DVM, a Palo Pinto County rancher and veterinarian running for the Republican nomination in House District 60, which encompasses eight counties south and west of Fort Worth.
The TEXPAC Board voted to endorse Dr. Rogers even before incumbent Rep. Mike Lang (R-Granbury), who consistently has been one of the worst votes for medicine since being elected to office, dropped out of the race at the last minute.
In the Jan. 28, 2020, special election runoff for the vacant House District 28 seat, TEXPAC endorsed Republican Gary Gates. This election is to replace former State Rep. John Zerwas, MD (R-Richmond), who resigned earlier this year to become The University of Texas System’s new executive vice chancellor for health affairs.
TEXPAC also endorsed four incumbent Republican members of the Texas Supreme Court for reelection. They are:
- Chief Justice Nathan Hecht,
- Justice Jane Bland (Place 6),
- Justice Jeff Boyd (Place 7), and
- Justice Brett Busby (Place 8).
“An ongoing, critical issue to medicine in Texas is protecting our tort reforms, and these candidates for the Supreme Court will do just that” Drs. Patt and Widmer said. “These justices understand the philosophy of following the law rather than interpreting and trying to legislate from the bench.
“We urge all of our members to vote for these esteemed justices to protect the practice of medicine.”
Last Updated On
December 11, 2019
Originally Published On
December 11, 2019