FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 14, 2012

Contact: Tony McDonald, Senior Vice Chairman
Mobile: (512) 923-6893
Email: [email protected]

Austin, TX—With the start of early voting today, Young Conservatives of Texas (YCT) are warning Republican primary voters to beware of RINOs (“Republicans in Name Only”) and other imposters running in the Republican primary. The group points to former Representatives Tommy Merritt and Delwin Jones, who are attempting to regain seats they lost to conservative TEA party backed challengers in 2010, as examples of the danger conservative voters face in this election.

“When they were back in their home districts, Representatives Merritt and Jones used to pretend to be conservatives and Republicans. But when they got to Austin, their voting records were indistinguishable from those of their Democrat colleagues,” said Tony McDonald, YCT Senior Vice Chairman. “Conservative voters went to the polls in 2010 and got rid of these two RINOs and replaced them with true principled conservatives. But all of that progress can be lost if conservative voters do not turn out to ensure they do not regain their seats.”

Jones is running in House District 83 against Representative Charles Perry. Jones carried a career score of 58 with Young Conservatives of Texas during his tenure in the legislature. Perry, on the other hand, scored an 80 for the 82nd Texas Legislature, earning an honorable mention from YCT. Merritt scored even lower on the group’s ratings, with a 56 for his career. He was replaced in 2010 by Representative David Simpson, who earned YCT’s prestigious “Rookie of Year” award with a score of 91.

Merritt and Jones are not the only candidates YCT singles out as RINO’s. In West Texas, Senator Kel Seliger, who carries a career rating of 55 on YCT’s ratings of the Texas Legislature, is facing a primary challenge from YCT-endorsed candidate, Randy Rives. In the San Antonio area, Senator Jeff Wentworth, who, with a 42 for the 82nd Texas Legislature was the lowest scoring Republican in Texas, is being challenged by conservative former Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones. In East Texas, former Democrat Chuck Hopson is being challenged in the Republican primary for House District 11 by conservative Travis Clardy.

The group also points to the open-seat primary in the Fort Worth area House District 97 as another race in which voters should beware of a RINO imposter: Susan Todd. Todd has a record of voting in Democratic primaries, endorsed liberal Tony Sanchez in his campaign against Governor Rick Perry, and, as recently as 2009, cheered the passage of ObamaCare and supported the unconstitutional individual-mandate in her leadership of the American Medical Association Alliance. But now she is challenging YCT-backed conservative Craig Goldman in the Republican primary.

“In 2010, conservative finally got rid of RINOs Tommy Merritt and Delwin Jones,” said Jeff Morris, YCT State Chairman. “But conservatives should beware and make sure they go to the polls. Merritt and Jones are trying to return to office, and elsewhere in the state, imposters like Susan Todd are trying to get elected to imitate them. But we are optimistic that conservatives will look at the candidates’ records and endorsements and make the right choices. We have an opportunity to not only deny the return of these RINOs, but to get rid of a few more like Seliger, Hopson, and Wentworth.”

For more information about incumbents and their records, voters are encouraged to review YCT’s ratings of the Texas Legislature, available at www.yct.org/ratings. For a full list of YCT’s endorsements in the 2012 Republican Primary, voters may visit www.yct.org/endorsements.

Young Conservatives of Texas is a non-partisan organization that has promoted conservatism at universities across the Lone Star State for over three decades. The State’s most active political youth organization, YCT is composed of hundreds of members and alumni who participate in the full spectrum of politics. YCT issues the most respected ratings of the Texas legislature and is the only conservative group to have done so without interruption over the past 19 legislative sessions. For more information about YCT, please visit www.YCT.org.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 9, 2012

Contact: Tony McDonald, Senior Vice Chairman
Mobile: (512) 923-6893
Email: [email protected]

Austin, TX—Young Conservatives of Texas PAC (YCT-PAC) is once again disappointed with the dirty politics challenger Chris Paddie is playing in East Texas’ House District 9 (HD9).

Chris Paddie, who has already held two lobbyist fundraisers in Austin, has enlisted the help of the Austin establishment in his attempt to unseat conservative champion Rep. Wayne Christian in HD9. On Paddie’s last report nearly 60% of his money came from Austin lobbyists, insiders, and PACs.

Chris Paddie is now upping the ante. Texas Association of Realtors (TAR) has given Paddie tens of thousands of dollars in an effort to defeat friendly incumbent, property rights defender, and small business advocate Rep. Wayne Christian. TAR has created a deceptively-named PAC, “Texans for Responsible Government,” solely for the purpose of coming after Wayne Christian. The PAC has already begun running television ads and has launched an “attack” website to malign Christian in the closing weeks of the primary.

“It’s obvious that Chris Paddie is already bought and paid for by special interests down in Austin,” said Tony McDonald, Senior Vice Chairman of YCT. “The fact that TAR has given him tens of thousands of dollars and is now hiding behind a PAC to attack Wayne Christian is proof positive that larger elements are at play here. TAR’s PAC is acting in a classic D.C. style manner—distorting facts, taking quotes out of context, and attempting to lead voters to believe that a proven conservative like Rep. Christian is suspect.”

In their television ads and on their “attack” website, TAR’s PAC distorts Christian’s record, calling into question his conservative credentials and painting him as soft on crime. However, Wayne Christian carries a 94% career conservative rating with YCT and was the recipient of YCT’s “Torch of Freedom” Lifetime Achievement Award. Christian also enjoys an “A” rating with the Texans for Fiscal Responsibility and is recognized as a “Champion for Free Enterprise” by the Texas Association of Business.

In their recent endorsement of Christian, the Texas Municipal Police Association said, “As a member of the powerful House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee, he has been a strong voice for law enforcement, a staunch defender of the Constitution and as tough as nails on crime.” Amidst a sea of contrary evidence, TAR’s PAC attempts to distort reality and fool voters, and Chris Paddie is playing along for his own selfish benefit.

“Paddie has had plenty of opportunities to call off the dogs and run on his record,” said Jeff Morris, YCT State Chairman. “The problem is that he doesn’t have a conservative record to run on, and when he can’t change who he is, Paddie has to try to bring his opponent down through attacks and deception. Chris Paddie lacks the integrity voters demand from their public officials.”

YCT has created a response to the PAC’s television attack ad. It can be viewed below:

YCT PAC is the political arm of Young Conservatives of Texas, a non-partisan organization which has promoted conservatism at universities across the Lone Star State for over three decades. The State’s most active political youth organization, YCT is composed of hundreds of members and alumni who participate in the full spectrum of politics. YCT issues the most respected ratings of the Texas legislature and is the only conservative group to have done so without interruption over the past 19 legislative sessions. For a full list of YCT’s endorsements, please visit www.YCT.org/endorsements.

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PDF Version of Press Release