Tommy Merritt

Thomas Charles "Tommy" Merritt
Member of the Texas House of Representatives
from the 7th district
In office
January 14, 1997 – January 11, 2011
Preceded by Jerry Yost
Succeeded by David Simpson
Personal details
Born (1948-02-27) February 27, 1948
Kilgore, Texas, USA
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Janet Merritt
Children Missy, Meredith, Thomas
Residence Longview, Texas
Alma mater

Kilgore College

Texas Christian University (BBA, 1970)
Profession Businessman
Religion Southern Baptist
Website www.tommymerritt.com

Thomas Charles "Tommy" Merritt (born February 27, 1948)[1] is a businessman from Longview, Texas and a Republican former member of the Texas House of Representatives. Merritt represented District 7 from January 1997[1] until January 2011. In March 2010, he lost the Republican nomination to conservative-Republican candidate David Simpson.[2]

Seeking another political comeback, Merritt finished second in the March 4, 2014 Republican primary for the statewide position of Texas Commissioner of Agriculture. He polled 248,568 (21 percent) of the ballots cast. In the runoff election on May 27, Merritt was defeated by a former House colleague, Sid Miller of Stephenville, 362,573 votes (53.1 percent) to 320,434 (46.9 percent).[3]In the primary, Miller had also led Merritt, 35 to 21 percent. The three eliminated candidates, Eric Opiela of Karnes City, Joe Cotten of Frisco, and Mayor J. Allen Carnes of Uvalde, held a combined 44 percent of the primary ballots, critical to the outcome of the runoff contest in which turnout dropped sharply.[4]

Personal life

Merritt is a native East Texan born in Kilgore.[5] After graduating from high school, he attended Kilgore College and then graduated in 1970 with a Bachelor of Business Administration from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth.[5] He and his wife, Janet, have three children, Missy, Meredith, and Thomas.[5] Tommy Merritt is a devout Christian and member of Kilgore First Baptist Church, the Businessmen's Bible Club at the First Baptist Church in Longview, and he also attends the BarNone Cowboy Church in Tatum, Texas.[6]

Business career

From 1971 to 1974, Merritt worked as an inspector for the United States Postal Service.[5] In 1976, he founded Gregg Industrial Insulators, Inc.[7] It was admitted to the OSHA, Voluntary Protection Program,[7] and is a multi-million dollar company[8] which employs more than five hundred workers.[7] From 1986 to 1993 Merritt served as one of the directors of the Gregg County Appraisal Board, which led to his appointment by Governor Bill Clements to the Sabine River Authority in 1990.[5]

Political career

After Republican Jerry Yost decided not to run for reelection in 1996, Merritt entered the Republican primary and won more than 62 percent of the vote.[9] Merritt went on to win a seat in the Texas House of Representatives after being unopposed in the 1996 general election; in 2008 he was elected to a seventh term.[10] Tommy Merritt co-authored the bill which added "Under God" to the Texas Pledge.[11]

Merritt served on numerous committees in the House:[10]

Throughout his tenure in the House, Merritt built a solid conservative record on issues including opposition to gun control, same-sex marriage, and abortion, as well as lower government spending and taxes.

In 2009, Merritt authored "campus carry" legislation allowing concealed handgun license holders to carry their weapons on college campuses,[12] while in 2007, Merritt authored legislation waiving or reducing concealed license handgun fees for military members and veterans.[13]

Merritt strongly opposed same-sex marriage. In 2005, he co-authored the state constitutional amendment that defined marriage as a union of one man and one woman.[14] Merritt also co-authored bills to keep the state from recognizing same-sex civil unions in 2003.[15][16] 2001,[16] 1999,[17] and 1997.[18]

While a member of the Texas House, Merritt also strongly opposed abortion, co-authoring bills to issue Choose Life license plates in 2009,[19] to institute legal penalties for harm to a fetus in 2003,[20] to ban human cloning in 2007,[21] and to require parental consent for minors to obtain abortions in 2005.[22] 1999,[23][24][25][26] and 1997.[27]

In 2003, Merritt co-authored legislation requiring Texas students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance[28] as well as a bill to guarantee a daily moment of silence in Texas public schools.[15] In 2007, Merritt co-authored legislation to include the phrase "Under God" in the Texas Pledge of Allegiance[29]

Merritt also had a strong record of fighting for lower spending and lower taxes.

In 2009, Merritt co-authored legislation to limit growth in state spending to the rate of population growth plus the rate of inflation.[30] That same year, he co-authored a proposed constitutional amendment requiring a 2/3 vote of both houses of the Legislature to raise taxes.[31]

Real property tax reform was another of Merritt's priorities in the Texas House. In 1999, he authored a proposed constitutional amendment to cap property taxes. In 2005 he authored both a bill[32] and a proposed constitutional amendment[33] to bring property tax relief to Texans. In 2009, he again authored legislation to reform property tax appraisals[34] and proposed a constitutional amendment to cap property appraisal increases at the rate of inflation.[35]

In 2009, Merritt co-authored legislation to reform the state's franchise tax, exempting more small businesses.[36] Merritt also authored or co-authored numerous bills to overturn and subsequently prohibit inheritance taxes in Texas in 2005[37][38] and 2003.[28][39]

Merritt also authored the bill establishing the first Texas Legislative Medal of Honor in this history of the state.[40]

Candidacy for Speaker of the House

In November 2008, Merritt announced his candidacy for Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives.[41] After a meeting, ten Republicans running for Speaker had decided on Joe Straus as the Republican candidate. Merritt stated he was willing to end his own candidacy to support Straus, who won a unanimous vote for Speaker.[42]

Loss of Republican nomination

In March 2010, Merritt lost the Republican nomination for District 7 to David Simpson, former mayor of Avinger. Simpson received 53 percent of the primary vote[2] and was then unopposed in the general election.

Meanwhile, Simpson, who beat back Merritt's attempt in 2012 to return to the House, was a candidate in Januaruy 2013 for Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives against Joe Straus of San Antionio, whom Merritt had supported in 2009, when Straus ousted the previous Republican speaker, Tom Craddick of Midland.

Election results

2012

Texas Republican primary election, 2012: House District 7[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican David Simpson (Incumbent) 10,258 61.63
Republican Tommy Merritt 6,384 38.36

2010

Texas Republican primary election, 2010: House District 7[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican David Simpson 7,891 52.87
Republican Tommy Merritt (Incumbent) 7,032 47.12

2008

Texas general election, 2008: House District 7[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Tommy Merritt (Incumbent) 40,671 88.34
Libertarian Joey R. Stroman 5,368 11.65

2006

Texas general election, 2006: House District 7[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Tommy Merritt (Incumbent) 20,810 68.43
Democratic Patrick Franklin 8,701 28.61
Libertarian Jonathan A. Rasco 897 2.94

2004

Texas general election, 2004: House District 7[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Tommy Merritt (Incumbent) 40,787 100

2002

Texas general election, 2002: House District 7[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Tommy Merritt (Incumbent) 26,265 100

2000

Texas general election, 2000: House District 7[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Tommy Merritt (Incumbent) 29,574 100

1998

Texas general election, 1998: House District 7[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Tommy Merritt (Incumbent) 18,395 100

1996

Texas general election, 1996: House District 7[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Tommy Merritt 26,351 100

References

  1. 1 2 "Rep. Tommy Merritt - Texas State Directory Online" Retrieved on 2009-2-9.
  2. 1 2 "Merritt stunned, Simpson wins". Longview News-Journal. 2010-03-08. Retrieved 2010-03-26.
  3. ↑ "2014 Republican Party Primary Runoff: Election Night Returns". Texas Secretary of State. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Republican primary election returns, March 4, 2014". team1.sos.state.tx.us. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Texas House of Representatives, Members Biography - "Rep. Tommy Merritt" Retrieved on 2009-2-15
  6. ↑ Merritt, Tommy. "About".
  7. 1 2 3 Gregg Industrial Insulators Website
  8. ↑ Gregg Industrial Insulatiors, Inc. - Company Profile Retrieved on 2009-2-15
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "1992 - Current Election History". Office of the Texas Secretary of State. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
  10. 1 2 "Merritt, Hopson get committee chairmanships". Longview News-Journal. 2009-02-13. Retrieved 2009-02-22.
  11. ↑ "Bill: HB 1034". Texas Legislature. Retrieved 2009-02-22.
  12. ↑ http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB1893
  13. ↑ http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=HB233
  14. ↑ http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=79R&Bill=HJR6
  15. 1 2 http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=78R&Bill=HB38
  16. 1 2 http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=77R&Bill=HB496
  17. ↑ http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=76R&Bill=HB383
  18. ↑ http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=75R&Bill=HB11
  19. ↑ http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB109
  20. ↑ http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=78R&Bill=HB246
  21. ↑ http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=79R&Bill=HB864
  22. ↑ http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=79R&Bill=HB1212
  23. ↑ http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=76R&Bill=HB5
  24. ↑ http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=76R&Bill=HB342
  25. ↑ http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=76R&Bill=HB623
  26. ↑ http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=76R&Bill=HB3413
  27. ↑ http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=75R&Bill=HB276
  28. 1 2 http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=78R&Bill=HB313
  29. ↑ http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=HB1034
  30. ↑ http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB994
  31. ↑ http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HJR30
  32. ↑ (http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/Text.aspx?LegSess=792&Bill=HB53
  33. ↑ http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=792&Bill=HJR24
  34. ↑ http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/Text.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB4038
  35. ↑ http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/Text.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HJR104
  36. ↑ http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB4765
  37. ↑ http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=79R&Bill=HB2113
  38. ↑ http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=79R&Bill=HJR99
  39. ↑ http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=78R&Bill=HJR47
  40. ↑ http://www.legis.state.tx.us/billlookup/History.aspx?LegSess=77R&Bill=HB3428
  41. ↑ Gregg County GOP Retrieved 2009-02-16
  42. ↑ Burn Orange Report Joe Straus's List of 85 Pledged Supporters for Speaker, Written 2009-01-4, Retrieved 2009-02-16
Texas House of Representatives
Preceded by
Jerry Yost		 Texas State Representative from District 7
1997-2010 		Succeeded by
David Simpson
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