Charles Perry (Texas politician)
Encyclopedia
Charles Lee Perry is a Republican
member of the Texas House of Representatives
from District 83 based in Lubbock
, Texas
. A certified public accountant
, Perry unseated incumbent
Representative Delwin L. Jones
, the oldest current member of the Texas House, in the April 13, 2010, runoff election. He faced no Democratic
opponent in the November 2 general election
. Perry took his seat in the 150-member House in January 2011.
Charles Perry is not related to current Governor of Texas
Rick Perry
.
in Taylor County, Texas
. He graduated in 1980 from Sweetwater High School
in Sweetwater
in Nolan County. In 1984, he completed his Bachelor of Business Administration
degree in accounting from Texas Tech University and has since worked in the that field. Delwin Jones also holds the B.B.A. from Texas Tech. Perry is affiliated with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants, the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts, and the National Association of Securities Dealers.
, also known as "Taxed Enough Already," while Jones was supported by the president of the Lubbock Educators Association. Jones, who served in the legislature as a Democrat from 1964–1972 and as a Republican since 1988, led the primary, 7,103 ballots (37.7 percent) to Perry's 6,476 (34.4 percent). The third candidate, Zach Brady, with 5,240 votes (27.8 percent), had been expected to hold the key to victory in the Jones-Perry showdown. Brady, a Lubbock attorney
, raised more than $250,000 and carried the backing of business interest groups, but he was eliminated from the race by his third-place showing.
Brady's endorsement of Jones in the runoff did not help the incumbent, who also enjoyed the backing of State Senator Robert L. Duncan
of Lubbock. Neale Pearson, professor emeritus of political science
at Texas Tech University
, speculated that the nomination of Perry, the biggest legislative upset in the 2010 Texas primaries, was the result of "anti-government and perhaps anti-establishment tea party attitudes [which] affected voter turnout." Pearson added that he doubted whether many of the Brady partisans supported either Jones or Perry in a meaningful way in the runoff contest.
In addition to the Perry nomination, Lubbock area conservatives on April 13 nominated John Frullo
as the GOP
choice in neighboring District 84, where incumbent Carl Isett
, also a Lubbock accountant, did not seek reelection. Frullo defeated Mark Griffin, a former Texas Tech regent who also carried Duncan's support.
Scott Mann, Jones' campaign manager, said that Perry prevailed because of the anti-incumbent attitude: "We hit a movement where feelings are legitimate and whose goals are consistent with the rest of West Texas
. [The Perry campaign] didn’t create those attitudes. Those attitudes were there, and they just capitalized on them. We also worked hard and had wonderful volunteers, maybe 75 to 100, but we just couldn’t overcome the anti-incumbent tide."
Perry and Frullo join two other newly-elected conservative state legislators from West Texas and the Panhandle, Jim Landtroop
of Plainview
and Four Price
of Amarillo
.
at Southcrest Baptist
Church in Lubbock. He and his wife, Jacklyn Elaine Perry, have a daughter, Jordan, and a son, Matthew.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
member of the Texas House of Representatives
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
from District 83 based in Lubbock
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. A certified public accountant
Certified Public Accountant
Certified Public Accountant is the statutory title of qualified accountants in the United States who have passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination and have met additional state education and experience requirements for certification as a CPA...
, Perry unseated incumbent
Incumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
Representative Delwin L. Jones
Delwin Jones
Delwin L. Jones is a U.S. state political figure from West Texas currently serving as the oldest member of the Texas House of Representatives from Lubbock, Texas. Jones was originally elected as a Democrat in 1964, when that party won 149 of the 150 seats in the Texas House. Jones was defeated for...
, the oldest current member of the Texas House, in the April 13, 2010, runoff election. He faced no Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
opponent in the November 2 general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
. Perry took his seat in the 150-member House in January 2011.
Charles Perry is not related to current Governor of Texas
Governor of Texas
The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...
Rick Perry
Rick Perry
James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...
.
Early life, education and career
Perry was born to Mr. and Mrs. Charles Burnett Perry in AbileneAbilene, Texas
Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in west central Texas. The population was 117,063 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County...
in Taylor County, Texas
Taylor County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 126,555 people, 47,274 households, and 32,524 families residing in the county. The population density was 138 people per square mile . There were 52,056 housing units at an average density of 57 per square mile...
. He graduated in 1980 from Sweetwater High School
Sweetwater Independent School District
Sweetwater Independent School District is a public school district based in Sweetwater, Texas .Located in Nolan County, the district extends into a portion of Fisher County....
in Sweetwater
Sweetwater, Texas
Sweetwater is the county seat of Nolan County, Texas, United States. The population was 11,415 at the 2000 census.-History:Sweetwater received a U.S. post office in 1879. The Texas and Pacific Railway started service in 1881, with the first train arriving on March 12 of that year, beginning...
in Nolan County. In 1984, he completed his Bachelor of Business Administration
Bachelor of Business Administration
The Bachelor of Business Administration is a bachelor's degree in Commerce and business administration. In most universities, the degree is conferred upon a student after four years of full-time study in one or more areas of business concentrations; see below...
degree in accounting from Texas Tech University and has since worked in the that field. Delwin Jones also holds the B.B.A. from Texas Tech. Perry is affiliated with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants, the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts, and the National Association of Securities Dealers.
2010 political campaign
Perry unseated Jones, 10,109 votes (57.8 percent) to 7,392 ballots (42.2 percent). Though Jones polled 291 more votes in the runoff than he had in the primary, Perry's total increased by 3,633 ballots over his initial showing on March 2, 2010. Perry carried the support of the Tea Party movementTea Party movement
The Tea Party movement is an American populist political movement that is generally recognized as conservative and libertarian, and has sponsored protests and supported political candidates since 2009...
, also known as "Taxed Enough Already," while Jones was supported by the president of the Lubbock Educators Association. Jones, who served in the legislature as a Democrat from 1964–1972 and as a Republican since 1988, led the primary, 7,103 ballots (37.7 percent) to Perry's 6,476 (34.4 percent). The third candidate, Zach Brady, with 5,240 votes (27.8 percent), had been expected to hold the key to victory in the Jones-Perry showdown. Brady, a Lubbock attorney
Attorney at law
An attorney at law in the United States is a practitioner in a court of law who is legally qualified to prosecute and defend actions in such court on the retainer of clients. Alternative terms include counselor and lawyer...
, raised more than $250,000 and carried the backing of business interest groups, but he was eliminated from the race by his third-place showing.
Brady's endorsement of Jones in the runoff did not help the incumbent, who also enjoyed the backing of State Senator Robert L. Duncan
Robert L. Duncan
Robert Lloyd Duncan is a Republican member of the Texas Senate from the 28th District, centered on Lubbock. First elected to the Senate in a 1996 special election, Duncan had previously served in the Texas House of Representatives from District 84 from 1989 to 1993.-Background:Duncan is the only...
of Lubbock. Neale Pearson, professor emeritus of political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
at Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
, speculated that the nomination of Perry, the biggest legislative upset in the 2010 Texas primaries, was the result of "anti-government and perhaps anti-establishment tea party attitudes [which] affected voter turnout." Pearson added that he doubted whether many of the Brady partisans supported either Jones or Perry in a meaningful way in the runoff contest.
In addition to the Perry nomination, Lubbock area conservatives on April 13 nominated John Frullo
John Frullo
John Frullo is a businessman from Lubbock, Texas, who is a conservative Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 84, and a member of the Tea Party Caucus. Since 1993, Frullo has owned Midtown Printing Company in Lubbock...
as the GOP
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
choice in neighboring District 84, where incumbent Carl Isett
Carl Isett
Carl Hawkins Isett is a Certified Public Accountant from Lubbock, Texas, and a Republican former member of the Texas House of Representatives. First elected in 1996, Isett announced on December 18, 2009, that he would not be a candidate for an eighth two-year term in the Republican primary held...
, also a Lubbock accountant, did not seek reelection. Frullo defeated Mark Griffin, a former Texas Tech regent who also carried Duncan's support.
Scott Mann, Jones' campaign manager, said that Perry prevailed because of the anti-incumbent attitude: "We hit a movement where feelings are legitimate and whose goals are consistent with the rest of West Texas
West Texas
West Texas is a vernacular term applied to a region in the southwestern quadrant of the United States that primarily encompasses the arid and semi-arid lands in the western portion of the state of Texas....
. [The Perry campaign] didn’t create those attitudes. Those attitudes were there, and they just capitalized on them. We also worked hard and had wonderful volunteers, maybe 75 to 100, but we just couldn’t overcome the anti-incumbent tide."
Perry and Frullo join two other newly-elected conservative state legislators from West Texas and the Panhandle, Jim Landtroop
Jim Landtroop
James Franklin Landtroop, Jr., known as Jim Landtroop , is a businessman from Plainview, Texas, who is an in incoming Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 85 in the South Plains. In the general election held on November 2, 2010, Landtroop handily unseated two-term...
of Plainview
Plainview, Texas
Plainview is a city in and the county seat of Hale County, Texas, United States. The population was 22,336 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Plainview is located at ....
and Four Price
Four Price
Walter Thomas Price, IV, , known as Four Price because he is the fourth generation in his family to bear the name Walter Thomas Price, is an attorney from Amarillo, Texas, who is the Republican state representative from District 87 in the Texas Panhandle...
of Amarillo
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
.
Personal life
Perry is president of the Lubbock Boys and Girls Club. He is a member of the National Council on Family Violence and the National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline. He is a deaconDeacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
at Southcrest Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Church in Lubbock. He and his wife, Jacklyn Elaine Perry, have a daughter, Jordan, and a son, Matthew.
External links
- Charles Perry for State Representative official campaign site