John Kuempel
| John Langston Kuempel | |
 | |
Texas State Representative for
District 44 (Guadalupe, Gonzales, and Wilson counties) | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office December 15, 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Edmund Kuempel |
|---|---|
| Born | May 11, 1970 |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Michelle Kuempel (married 1999) |
| Children | Will and Sam Kuempel Parents: |
| Residence | Seguin, Guadalupe County, Texas |
| Alma mater | Seguin High School |
| Occupation | Salesman |
| Religion | Lutheran |
John Langston Kuempel (born May 11, 1970) is a salesman for Commercial Metals Company in Seguin, Texas, and a Republican state representative for District 44 in Guadalupe, Gonzales, and Wilson counties.
Background
A former football player, Kuempel graduated in 1998 from Seguin High School and the University of Texas. He and his wife, Michelle, a former city librarian, have twin sons, Will and Sam Kuempel (born c. 2004). Kuempel coaches his sons' Little League baseball team. The family is active in the Faith Lutheran Church in Seguin. He is a member of Rotary International, the Texas Farm Bureau, the National Rifle Association, and the capital campaign committee of the Guadalupe Valley Medical Center.[1][2]
Political life
Kuempel's father, Edmund Kuempel, had held the seat in the heavily GOP district since the retirement in 1983 of previous Representative Bennie Bock, a Republican, and had won reelection to the House in 2010 without opposition. However, two days after his 2010 re-election, Edmund Kuempel died on November 4. The vacant seat compelled a special election on December 14, 2010, to fill the position.
Kuempel was the only candidate in the field openly committed to the retention of Moderate Republican Joe Straus of [[San Antonio] as the Texas House Speaker. Edmund Kuempel had also been a Straus backer in 2009, when Straus deposed the more conservative former Speaker Tom Craddick of [[Midland.[3] Kuempel also secured the backing of Houston Astros baseball great Nolan Ryan, who relocated into District 44.[4]
Kuempel and eight other opponents faced off in a special election, which Kuempel won with 66 percent of the vote.[5] The second place candidate, with 10 percent of the ballots, was another Republican, Gary Inmon, a school board member from Schertz, a city in three counties north of the San Antonio metropolitan district. Others in the field were two candidates defeated earlier by the Democrat Henry Roberto Cuellar of Laredo, the still serving representative of Texas's 28th congressional district, Ron Avery (born 1947), a retired architect from Seguin who ran in 2006, and Jim Fish (born 1957), a small business owner from Cibolo, who ran for Congress in 2008. Avery and Fish filed as Republicans for the special legislative election, but Avery had previously been a Constitution Party candidate for Congress. Still another candidate, Robin Walker, had lost in the regular Republican primary held on March 2, 2010, to the elder Kuempel.[6]
At the time of Kuempel's House election, two Democratic representatives, Aaron Pena of Edinburg and Allan Ritter of Nederland, switched affiliation to the Republican Party. Their defections increased the Republican total to one hundred members, thus giving the GOP a supermajority in the Texas House at least on paper.[7]
Kuempel's victory brought the number of Republicans in the Texas House to a record 101 members in January 2011, with Democrats holding the remaining 49 of the 150 total seats in the body.[8]
Campaign issues
Kuempel cited conservative issues in his campaign, including:
- Lower taxes and limited government
- Balancing the state budget by cutting wasteful spending
- Requiring valid Texas photo identification to vote
- Blocking implementation of the health-care plan signed in March 2010 by then U.S. President Barack Obama
- Stronger border security measures; namely, citizenship background checks on jail inmates, banning "sanctuary city" policies, tougher penalties for employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens, and opposition to amnesty for those in the United States illegally
- Restricting abortion rights at the state level
- Defense of Second Amendment rights
- Requiring eminent domain reform to protect private property owners from government confiscation of their holdings
- Protecting states' rights from intrusion by the U.S. government.
- Quality public education
- Protection of local water sources[9]
Texas State Republican Chairman Steve Munisteri of Houston described Kuempel's victory as "a strong testament to the legacy and patriotism of the entire Kuempel family."[10] Munisteri also cited political consultant Keats Norfleet of the Eppstein Group for its "overseeing a quick and efficient campaign organization."[10]
References
- ↑ "Edmund Kuempel passes away," Seguin (Texas) Gazette-Enterprise, November 8, 2010, p. 1.
- ↑ About John Kuempel. johnkuempel.com. Retrieved on December 22, 2010.
- ↑ Paul Burka, "Huge Lead for John Kuempel". Texas Monthly (December 14, 2010). Retrieved on December 17, 2010.
- ↑ "Ryan endorses Kuempel," The Dallas Morning News, December 2, 2010.
- ↑ Daniel Elizondo (December 15, 2010). Kuempel elected to succeed father in District 44. Gonzales (Texas) Inquirer. Retrieved on December 17, 2010.
- ↑ John Kuempel wins late father's seat. The Austin American-Statesman (December 14, 2010). Retrieved on December 22, 2010.
- ↑ Two Democrats' defections give Republicans supermajority in Texas House, December 14, 2010. ramparts360.com. Retrieved on December 22, 2010.
- ↑ John Kuempel coasts to victory in special Texas House election. trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com (December 2010). Retrieved on December 17, 2010.
- ↑ Kuempel for State Representative: Issues. johnkuempel.com. Retrieved on December 22, 2010.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Congratulations to Rep.-Elect John Kuempel on His Special Election Victory. texasgopvote.com (December 16, 2010). Retrieved on December 22, 2010.
