Latest news with #Tinderholt
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rep. Tinderholt: Favorable map ‘nudged' decision to run for Tarrant commissioner
Minutes after it was approved by county commissioners, the newly the configured Tarrant County Commissioner Precinct 2 had a Republican candidate: State Rep. Tony Tinderholt. Tinderholt, an Arlington Republican serving his sixth term in the Texas House of Representatives, announced his retirement from the Texas Legislature on June 2, the final day of the latest legislative session. He told his House colleagues that he'd finish out his term, but wouldn't not seek reelection, in favor of staying closer to home with his family. He didn't rule out running for another elected office in an interview with the Star-Telegram, and by the afternoon of June 3 he was a candidate for the newly reconfigured Precinct 2. Tinderholt knew a few months back that he was retiring from the Texas Legislature, he said in a June 4 interview. He and his family began looking at places where he could serve locally, or at the prospect of retiring totally, he said. 'The opportunity presented itself for the county commissioner position, so we decided that we would — if the maps were drawn properly and the outcomes were what they are — then we would definitely announce to run,' Tinderholt said. If the maps hadn't been redrawn, Tinderholt said he may have still sought the Precinct 2 seat. 'We were seriously considering running for the commissioner position, but the vote certainly nudged it a little bit,' Tinderholt said. Tinderholt said he and his family were watching the June 3 commissioners court meeting. They were preparing a news release about his bid as the vote was happening, he said. 'Once the vote happened, I asked my family 'OK, do you guys want to move forward?' and the consensus was 'yes,'' Tinderholt said. Tinderholt said he has not had conversations with commissioners about the proposed maps or his bid. An address listed for Tinderholt in public election records falls within the precinct's current and newly proposed boundaries. House District 94 sits in Tarrant County and includes parts of of Arlington, Bedford, Euless, Hurst, Fort Worth and all of Pantego and Dalworthington Gardens. The district and redrawn Precinct 2 overlap some, but the Commissioners Court seat doesn't go as far north and stretches farther west Politically, the new boundaries are more favorable to Republican candidates than Democrats, a shift from the precinct's current leaning. Cheryl Bean announced a bid for Tinderholt's house seat early Tuesday morning. She ran for House District 97 in the 2024 Republican primaries but moved to House District 94 in search of a home that's bigger and more centrally located to family members, she said. Tinderholt has endorsed her for the House district. Bean said she and Tinderholt are aligned politically. 'I've always had a great deal of respect, and he's done a lot for this state, I think, in starting more of a conservative movement,' Bean said. 'We're both Christians. We're both, you know, just fiscally conservative, as well as social conservative.' Tinderholt, who is among the most conservative members of the Texas House, said he hopes to help Tarrant County grow and wants to bring 'mutual respect and decorum' back to the precinct. He referenced a photo of Precinct 2 County Commissioner Alisa Simmons pointing her middle finger during the Tuesday meeting. 'We're going to campaign the same way we always have,' Tinderholt said. 'And we're going to reach out to voters. We're going to be knocking on doors, talking to the people that vote, and we will, we're not just going to knock on the doors people think we're going to knock on.' Simmons commented on Tinderholt's bid in a June 3 text message to the Star-Telegram, writing: 'No one is surprised that Tony Tinderholt announced AFTER a new map was adopted. He was terrified of a race under the current lines. He knows, and Tim O'Hare knows, that he would lose badly. To give Tony a prayer, they had to shred Precinct 2 and illegally destroy the voting rights of its minority citizens. It's cowardly, it's racist, and it's sadly what we expect from Tim and Tony.' Tinderholt didn't weigh in on concerns that the maps are racially gerrymandered. 'I'm not a current elected commissioner,' Tinderholt said. 'I wasn't involved in those. I'm not involved in them.' One way to compare how far left or right a political district leans is to look at results from recent statewide elections. Take the 2024 presidential race between President Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, and former Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate. Trump won House District 94 with 53.9% of votes to Harris' 44.3% in the November 2024 general election, according to the Texas Legislative Council, which assists the state with the redistricting process. Trump lost Precinct 2 as currently drawn by 6.7 percentage points, with 45.8% of votes to Harris' 52.5%. If that election had occurred under the newly adopted boundaries, Trump would have won with 52.4% of votes to Harris' 46.1%, according to an analysis on Tarrant County's website. Here's how Trump and Harris would have fared in Precinct 2 in the 2024 presidential election under each of the seven proposed maps: Current: Harris- 52.5%, Trump- 45.8% Option 1: Trump- 54.8%, Harris- 43.8% Option 2: Trump- 52.6%, Harris- 45.9% Option 3: Trump- 51.6%, Harris- 46.8% Option 4: Trump- 51.4%, Harris- 47% Option 5: Trump- 52.2%, Harris- 46.2% Option 6: Trump- 52.4%, Harris- 46% Option 7: Trump- 52.4%, Harris- 46.1% Staff Writer Rachel Royster contributed to this report.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Rep. Tony Tinderholt, voice of the insurgent far right GOP, to retire from the Texas House
Rep. Tony Tinderholt of Arlington, a leading Republican hardliner in the Texas House who once ran for speaker, announced his retirement after six terms on Monday, the last day of this year's session. Surrounded by lawmakers of both parties, Tinderholt said he decided to retire knowing that there was a new generation of ultraconservative lawmakers in the House who would continue the movement he has helped lead for over a decade. 'I returned to this chamber with one goal: accomplishing as much conservative policy as possible, while humbly evaluating if it was time to go home and let others continue this vital fight for the conservative movement,' he said. 'We've accomplished a lot in six sessions, but there's still more work to be done.' Tinderholt, a voice of the insurgent far-right faction of the Legislature who often disagreed with his more mainstream peers, acknowledged his colleagues from across the political spectrum in a tearful speech on the floor — while encouraging his hard-right colleagues to continue the fight. 'To my Democrat colleagues, I hope you know that I've always tried to treat you with the respect that you deserve as members of this body who are chosen by your districts to fight for the values you hold,' he said. 'To the Republican colleagues that I've oftentimes disagreed with, please know that my absence next session will not remove in any way the pressure to deliver real conservative results to the people of Texas. And though we've disagreed at times, I've been truly honored to serve alongside each of you.' His departure comes after last year's earthquake election season. Those primaries ushered in over a dozen more conservative Republicans and significantly grew the ranks of the far-right faction from last session, when Tinderholt ran for speaker on a hardline platform. 'Texas is in good hands with each of you, and it's time for me to step aside,' he said. Rep. Nate Schatzline, R-Fort Worth, alluded to their evolving influence in the 150-member body with a grin: 'The first vote I ever took in this chamber was to vote for you to be speaker, and we were only 73 votes away. We were so close.' Tinderholt, now 54, joined the Legislature after more than two decades serving in the military, where he earned a Bronze Star and the Combat Action Badge after taking part in counter drug missions in the Air Force and volunteering in combat zones with the Army after the Sept. 11 attacks. 'Arguably,' he said to laughs, 'my 12 years here has been one of the more difficult combat zones I've had the pleasure of serving in.' He attributed his decision to retire to a desire to spend more time with his family, who surrounded him after his speech. 'To my wonderful wife, Bethany, and my children, Tyler and Brenan,' he said, choking up, 'I'm coming home.' 'I get to be a dad,' he said. 'I don't have to miss practices and dances. I'm going to be able to do prayer at dinner with you, instead on FaceTime.' Colleagues in both parties who spoke after his speech emphasized his integrity, respect for his peers and the influence he developed within his caucus. 'It's not a matter of where we are when we come, it's a matter of whether or not we grow,' Rep. Harold Dutton, D-Houston and a veteran lawmaker, said. 'I've never seen a legislator grow as much as Tony.' Tinderholt recalled one of the earliest lessons he learned in the House, when Dutton helped him hash out the details of a technical challenge he wanted to raise to a bill the Houston Democrat supported. When he asked Dutton why he was helping him, Tinderholt recalled Dutton saying that, 'we're colleagues, and I want you to look smart when you go up there and I beat you.' 'The lesson is we are colleagues and we are family,' Tinderholt said, adding that he had tried to impress that lesson onto freshmen Republicans over each session. 'We're going to fight, and we're going to argue, and then we're going to go into the members' lounge, and we're going to make up.' First round of TribFest speakers announced! Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Maureen Dowd; U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio; Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker; U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California; and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas are taking the stage Nov. 13–15 in Austin. Get your tickets today!
