In keeping with our effort to provide Texans with the information they need to be informed voters, Texas Scorecard made a questionnaire available to those running the State Republican Executive Committee. While we won’t be issuing an endorsement in any of these races, we hope that the responses to these questions will help you decide which man and which woman will best represent your interest on the SREC.
Here are the answers from the Senate District 15 candidates who responded:
Rolando Garcia
What are the qualities of a Texas Republican? Why are you one?
Rolando Garcia: A Texas Republican is a Texan who believes in the 10 core principles set out in the Republican Party of Texas Platform. I am a Texas Republican because I believe those principles are the essential, non-negotiable foundation of a free, sovereign, and virtuous people.
Texas has a lot of elected Republican officials. Who do you believe does the best job standing up for the priorities of the Texas GOP? Why?
Rolando Garcia: At the federal level Chip Roy is the boldest and most thoughtful advocate of Texas conservative values. At the state level, only a few legislators have fought for all of our Texas GOP Legislative Priorities.
Some individuals say the current party platform is too long and should be shortened. Do you agree? If so, what portions of the platform would you advocate eliminating?
Rolando Garcia: As a member of the state convention platform committee in 2016 and 2018, I am a strong believer in a bold, SUBSTANTIVE, policy-rich platform. There may be a few planks that are redundant or are no longer relevant or that could use better editing, but I STRONGLY oppose watering down the platform to a vague statement of principles. The convention process in the only opportunity for the grassroots to express its policy preferences to our elected officials and to establish a measuring stick by which to hold them accountable.
What must be done to ensure the Texas GOP’s legislative priorities are implemented by legislators?
Rolando Garcia: Legislators will not fight for our priorities until they believe it is in their political interests to do so. During the session we have to be as vocal and as present as the paid lobbyists, and during campaign season we have to open our wallets and put on our sneakers to campaign for better representatives.
Why have you decided to run for the SREC?
Rolando Garcia: I’ve never worked (in a paid capacity) in politics – I’m just a working stiff with a regular day job who spends his free time fighting for conservative principles. I’m running for SREC because I believe the Texas GOP must always be a bottom-up, grassroots-driven party that fights for PRINCIPLE, and not just a vehicle for one team of politicians, staff, lobbyists, consultants, and hanger-on defeat another team of politicians, staff, lobbyists, consultants, and hangers-on. A PRINCIPLED party that DELIVERS on its promises and EMPOWERS its activists is a WINNING party.
