As the legislative session comes to a close, conservatives across the Lone Star State are making ready their plans to retire Republican lawmakers who failed to deliver on the conservative promises they made during their campaigns.
On Monday, Dublin businessman Chris Evans announced that he would be challenging incumbent State Rep. JD Sheffield (R–Gatesville) in the upcoming Republican primary.
“I know businessmen, pastors, and everyday citizens from Stephenville to Gatesville. Everyone I have talked to and shown J.D.’s record has immediately been supportive of our campaign,” stated Evans.
Since taking office Sheffield has been one of the most liberal Republicans in the Texas Legislature—siding more often with Democrats than members of his own party on issues across the board. While horrendously liberal on fiscal matters, conservatives have been even more frustrated with his stances on protecting life and Texans’ Second Amendment rights.
This session, Sheffield is carrying one of the session’s most nefarious pieces of legislation: a tax on nursing home residents that activists are calling “granny tax.”
But it’s not billed as a tax increase, no, Sheffield’s House Bill 2766 contemplates a “reinvestment allowance,” that would collect funds from nursing home customers and then return them to the nursing homes themselves. But while the bills he’s introduced are bad enough, Sheffield’s voting record on virtually every issue conservatives care about is even worse.
It’s all of those issues that Evans says puts Sheffield far out of touch with his conservative West Texas district.
“These men and women value the unborn. They believe in strong enforcement of immigration laws, and they are weary of being overtaxed by the government. In every category they care about, J.D. Sheffield has failed them significantly, often opposing the majority of members in the Republican Party. It’s unacceptable,” said Evans.
