East & South East Texas State Legislators Back Sharp In Senate Race

All–not just a significant number–of Democratic legislators from East and South East Texas today announced that they support John Sharp for the U.S. Senate seat Kay Bailey Hutchison is expected to abandon as early as next year to pursue her run for governor.

From the press release:

“Washington needs a good dose of John Sharp’s style of bi-partisan problem-solving,” said State Representative Allan Ritter (D-Nederland), the Beaumont native who serves as vice chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.

Sharp, 58, announced this week that he will file the required papers on January 1 to begin raising money and campaigning across Texas.

Joe Deshotel (D-Beaumont) said Sharp has always been a friend to Southeast Texas and has his full support.

Stephen Frost (D-Atlanta) said Sharp has a keen understanding of rural Texas and the need for economic development initiatives that create new jobs and strengthen communities.

“John Sharp is a gun-totin’, God-fearin’ Democrat and will make a great U.S. Senator for East Texas,” Frost said.

Mark Homer (D-Paris) said that Sharp’s financial expertise and track record as former chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission, the state’s energy agency, would serve East Texas well in the years ahead.

“Texas should be the center of our national efforts to become energy independent,” Homer said.  “John Sharp has the ability to help all sides recognize the importance of a strong rural economy and a secure energy future.”

Jim McReynolds (D-Lufkin), a veteran lawmaker who also serves on House Appropriations, said Sharp’s commitment to education recognizes the central role good public schools and colleges play in Texas’ future.

“Partnering with our public schools to make the most of their scarce resources in the classroom and making college affordable for middle-class families are hallmarks of John Sharp’s leadership,” McReynolds said.

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.

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