Steve Stockman
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 36th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2013
Preceded by	None (District established after 2010 Census)
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 9th district
In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 1997
Preceded by	Jack Brooks
Succeeded by	Nick Lampson
Personal details
Born	Stephen Ernest Stockman (1956-11-14) November 14, 1956 (age 67) Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Patti Ferguson Stockman (married 1988)[1]
Residence	Friendswood, Texas
Alma mater	Dondero High School University of Houston–Clear Lake
Occupation	Business consultant
Website	Representative Steve Stockman

Stephen Ernest "Steve" Stockman (born November 14, 1956) is an American politician who has been the United States Representative for Texas's 36th congressional district since 2013. A Republican, Stockman previously served as the U.S. Representative for Texas's 9th congressional district from 1995 to 1997.

Early life, education, and business career

Stockman was born in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan; outside Detroit. He graduated from Dondero High School in Royal Oak, Michigan. From 1985 to 1986, he attended San Jacinto College. In 1990, he earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Houston–Clear Lake.^{[citation needed]} He was at one time homeless. He is a born-again Christian.^[3]

U.S. House of Representatives (1995–1997)

Elections

1990

He first ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1990 against Democratic U.S. Representative Jack Brooks. Beaumont, Texas mayor Maury Meyers ranked first in the Republican primary with 45% of the vote, but failed to reach the 50% threshold. Stockman, who earned 41% of the vote, faced Meyers in a run-off.^[4] Meyers defeated Stockman 61%-39%.^[5] In the general election, Meyers lost to Brooks, 58%-42%.^[6]

1992

Stockman ran again in 1992. This time, he was unopposed in the primary. Brooks defeated him 54%-43%.^[7]

1994

He ran again in the Republican 1994 election cycle. He had two challengers in the primary, but won with 73% of the vote.^[8] In the general election, he defeated 42-year incumbent Brooks 52%-46%.^[9]

1996

The 1996 general election for Texas's 9th Congressional District was unusual. After the normal primaries had been held, the district boundaries of the 18th, 29th, and 30th districts were struck down as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander in Bush v. Vera, necessitating redistricting of the 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 18th, 22nd, 24th, 25th, 26th, 28th, and 30th Districts.^[10] Because the redistricting was held after the normal primaries, those results were discarded and new votes for these districts were held as special elections; open to all candidates without a primary, and requiring a majority to win the seat outright.^{[citation needed]}

These elections were held concurrently with the November general election for other elective positions. Stockman ranked first with 46%, but needed 50% to win outright. He faced Jefferson County assessor Nick Lampson, a member of the Democratic Party, in the runoff election.^[11] Lampson won the runoff election 53%-47%.^[12]

Tenure

During Stockman's time in Congress, the district represented Chambers, Galveston, Jefferson, and part of Harris counties, including portions of metropolitan Houston.

A Houston Chronicle article reminds that "Stockman’s two years in Congress were marked by weirdness, such as an article in Guns & Ammo magazine that appeared under his byline in which he suggested the then-new Clinton administration raided the Branch Davidian compound in Waco on April 19, 1993, to justify a ban on assault weapons.^[13] Stockman said, in reports from the Associated Press in May 1995, that he stood by his article, which was published after the bombing on April 19, 1995, of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.^{[citation needed]} A couple of weeks after he defended the article, he told the Associated Press that he regretted writing it, mostly for its timing.^{[citation needed]} On the day the federal building in Oklahoma City was bombed, just four months into Stockman's term, there was confusion over a fax sent to Stockman’s office.^{[citation needed]} The FBI became involved.^{[citation needed]} In a news conference in Beaumont in April 1995, Stockman identified the sender as a former Orange County, Texas Republican chairwoman who had ties to the Michigan militia.^{[citation needed]} The fax was sent to several members of Congress after reports of the bombing came over television.^{[citation needed]} Stockman was the only member to alert the FBI.^{[citation needed]} Stockman also antagonized House Speaker Newt Gingrich by opposing the U.S. bailout of the Mexican peso.^[14]

Committee assignments

• House Committee on Banking and Financial Services^[15][16]
  • Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
• House Committee on Science^[17]
  • Subcommittee on Energy
  • Subcommittee on Environment

Inter-congressional career (1997—2013)

He was a faculty member who conducted training for the conservative Leadership Institute, a non-partisan educational organization based in Arlington, Virginia.^[18] He also worked as director of the Leadership Institute's Campus Leadership Program.^{[citation needed]} Stockman has also been involved with the Young Conservatives of Texas, and has represented the Republican National Committee at International Democrat Union meetings.^{[citation needed]} He has received a 100 percent rating from the American Conservative Union.^[3] He is also supported by Gun Owners of America and Citizens United, and conservative U.S. Representative Louie Gohmert of Tyler, Texas.^[3]

During his time away from Congress, Stockman also cared for his father, who had Alzheimer's disease. The cost of caring for him meant that Stockman declared bankruptcy^[19] and, when his father's disease became too severe, Stockman moved him to a veteran's home. When his father died, Stockman decided to run for Congress in the 2012 elections.^[18]

1998 election for Railroad Commissioner

In 1998, Stockman was an unsuccessful Republican primary candidate for the Texas Railroad Commission.^[18] By a margin of 53% to 47%, he lost to Tony Garza, the choice of Governor George W. Bush.^{[citation needed]} Garza then was elected to the Railroad Commission position but left midway in the term to become United States Ambassador to Mexico after George W. Bush was elected President.

2006 congressional election

In 2006, he attempted to run as an Independent candidate for Texas's 22nd congressional district, Tom DeLay's former seat, but he failed to gather enough signatures to be placed on the ballot.^[20] However, Stockman did register for the Special Election to fill out the remainder of the term for the district, one of five candidates.^[21] He came third with 10.75% of the vote.

U.S. House of Representatives (2013—Present)

2012 election

In 2011 Stockman formed an exploratory committee, Friends of Steve Stockman, to consider a run for the 14th district seat being vacated by unsuccessful presidential candidate Ron Paul. Stockman instead ran in 2012 in the newly created 36th District, which includes his home in Friendswood. This district was drawn to be heavily Republican, and it was understood that whoever won the Republican primary would be the district's first congressman. In the May 29 primary, Stockman finished second in the first round behind Stephen Vincent Takach (born c. 1962), a financial planner who spent heavily from his own funds. Takach finished with 22 percent of the vote, far short of the 50 percent threshold required to win.^[22] Stockman won the July 31 runoff election, defeating Takach 55%-45%--thus assuring his return to Congress after a 16-year absence.^[23]

In the November 6 general election, Stockman defeated the Democrat Max Owen Martin (born 1946), a retired pilot from Clear Lake City, Texas. A supporter of U.S. President Barack Obama,^[24] Martin was unopposed for his party's congressional nomination.^[23] Stockman defeated Martin 71%-27%.^[25]

Tenure

Stockman decided not to vote for John Boehner (R-OH) for Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. He was one of just ten Republicans to not vote for Boehner: Justin Amash, Steve Pearce, Jim Bridenstine, Ted Yoho, Paul Broun, Louie Gohmert, Walter Jones, Thomas Massie, Tim Huelskamp, Mick Mulvaney, and Raúl Labrador, but the only representative to vote "Present" as his protest vote.^[26][27] Stockman stated "I will not vote for or support Congressman Boehner’s bid to remain Speaker of the House. This is not something I do lightly, but out of bedrock conservative principle and a dire need to save this nation from its current course. We cannot tolerate betrayal of conservative principle and economic reality. I have known Congressman Boehner since I first came to the House in 1995. He is a decent man. But I have sharp disagreements with the manner in which he has handled President Obama and House conservatives. While he is all too eager to favorably negotiate with a liberal White House that has outmaneuvered him at every turn, he has been harsh and punitive in dealing with conservatives."^[28]

In January 2013, Stockman introduced “The Safe Schools Act,” a bill that would repeal federal laws mandating “gun free zones” around schools in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting which took place in the previous month. He said "I have one concern, protecting children from dangerous predators. By disarming qualified citizens and officials in schools we have created a dangerous situation for our children. In the 22 years before enactment of ‘gun free school zones’ there were two mass school shootings. In the 22 years since enactment of ‘gun free schools’ there have been 10 mass school shootings. Not only has the bill utterly failed to protect our children it appears to have placed them in danger.”^[29] The same month, Stockman issued a press release condemning gun control executive orders issued by President Barack Obama post-Sandy Hook, stating, "I will seek to thwart this action by any means necessary, including but not limited to eliminating funding for implementation, defunding the White House, and even filing articles of impeachment."^[30]

Stockman voted against the re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act in February 2013, saying: "This is a truly bad bill. This is helping the liberals, this is horrible. Unbelievable. What really bothers—it's called a women's act, but then they have men dressed up as women, they count that. Change-gender, or whatever. How is that—how is that a woman?"^[18]

Committee assignments

• Committee on Foreign Affairs^[31]
  • Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations
  • Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia and Emerging Threats
• Committee on Science, Space and Technology
  • Subcommittee on Research
  • Subcommittee on Space

U.S. Senate campaign 2014

On December 9, 2013, Stockman filed for the Republican nomination of U.S. Senate for Texas against incumbent U.S. Senator John Cornyn.^[32]

References

External links

• Representative Steve Stockman official U.S. House site
• Steve Stockman for Congress
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Collected news and commentary at the Houston Chronicle
• Collected news and commentary at The Texas Tribune
• Campus Leadership Program at the Leadership Institute
• The Movement's Sympathetic Ears on Capitol Hill, Time, May 8, 1995

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