Dennis Paul

Dennis Robert Paul (born March 29, 1961) is an engineer from Houston, Texas, who is a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives for House District 129 in Harris County.[2] He succeeded John E. Davis, who retired from the seat after eight terms in office.

Dennis Robert Paul
Member of the Texas House of Representatives
from the 129th district
Assumed office
January 13, 2015
Preceded byJohn E. Davis
Personal details
Born (1961-03-29) March 29, 1961[1]
Harris County, Texas, USA
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Eliza Paul (married 1988)
Children1
ResidenceHouston, Texas
Alma materUniversity of Houston
OccupationEngineer and businessman

Background

Paul is a graduate of the University of Houston. He has been an engineer since 1987 and has owned a small business since 2002. He is a member of the Roman Catholic men's organization, the Knights of Columbus and Johnson Space Center chapter of Rotary International. He and his wife, Eliza, whom he married in 1988, have a daughter, Elizabeth, who graduated from a Catholic high school. The family attends St. Bernadette Catholic Church in Houston.[3]

Political life

Originally a leader in the College Republicans, Paul is a veteran party precinct worker and local, state, and national convention delegate. A member and past president of the Downtown Houston Pachyderm Club, he describes himself as a "conservative who desires less government and more freedom" who will "fight to defend the Constitution, to stem the tide of illegal immigration, reduce our property tax burden, support education, and less government regulation."[3]

Prior to his accession to office, Paul worked during disasters to insure the rebuilding of stable structures. He advocated passage of the Texas Good Samaritan law, which protects volunteers from lawsuits in most circumstances. He worked with community leaders to clean up Armand Bayou near Galveston Bay.[3]

Electoral history

Paul competed in the seven-candidate Republican primary election on March 4, 2014 to succeed Representative John E. Davis. Other Republicans running for the nomination were Briscoe Cain, Sheryl Berg, Mary Huls, Jeff Larson, and Chuck Maricle, and Brent Perry. Sheryl Berg, a speech pathologist,[4] led the field with 2,806 votes (25.6 percent), 50 more than her runner-up, Dennis Paul, who polled 2,756 votes (25.1 percent). Brent Perry, a trustee of the Tom DeLay Legal Defense Fund,[4] finished third with 1,869 votes (17 percent).[5] Paul then defeated Berg, 4,138 (52.3 percent) to 3,767 (47.7 percent), for the Republican House nomination in the runoff election held on May 27.[6]

Paul thereafter retained this seat for the Republicans in the 2014 general election by defeating Democrat John Gay.[4] Paul polled 26,415 votes (67.8 percent); Gay, 12,540 (32.2 percent).[7]

In the 2020 Republican Primary, Paul faced Ryan Lee, a captain with the Houston Fire Department.[8] On March 3, 2020, Paul handily defeated Lee in the Republican primary election, when Paul received 10,870 votes (78.85 percent) to Lee's 2,915 votes (21.15 percent).[9]

References
  1. https://www.txdirectory.com/online/person/?id=50245&office=16731
  2. "Dennis Paul". Texas Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  3. "Announcement". dennispaul.com. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  4. Mary Ayls Cherry. "Several outstanding candidates vying for vacant Texas House". Bay Area Houston Magazine. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  5. "Republican primary election returns, March 4, 2014". Texas Secretary of State. Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  6. "Republican runoff election returns, May 27, 2014". Texas Secretary of State. Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  7. "General electioin returns, November 4, 2014". Texas Secretary of State. Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  8. Magee, Jake (10 February 2020). "2020 Primary Election Guide Q&A: Get to know the Republican candidates for state District 129". Community Impact Newspaper. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  9. Magee, Jake (3 March 2020). "UPDATE: Dennis Paul wins primary in state Rep. District 129 race". Community Impact Newspaper. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
Texas House of Representatives
Preceded by
John E. Davis		 Texas State Representative from District 129 (Houston)
2015–		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
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