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'''Kenneth Broderick Mercer''', known as '''Ken Mercer''' (born 1955), is a technology project manager and a [[Republican]] politician from his native [[San Antonio]], [[Texas]]. For one term from 2003 to 2005, he was the District 117 member of the Texas House of Representatives.<ref name=tlrl>{{cite web|url=

'''Kenneth Broderick Mercer''', known as '''Ken Mercer''' (born July 1955), is a technology project manager and a [[Republican]] politician from his native [[San Antonio]], [[Texas]]. For one term from 2003 to 2005, he was the District 117 member of the Texas House of Representatives.<ref name=tlrl>{{cite web|url=

http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/legeLeaders/members/memberDisplay.cfm?memberID=5571&searchparams=chamber=H~city=~countyID=0~RcountyID=~district=117~first=~gender=~last=Mercer~leaderNote=~leg=78~party=~roleDesc=~Committee=|title=

http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/legeLeaders/members/memberDisplay.cfm?memberID=5571&searchparams=chamber=H~city=~countyID=0~RcountyID=~district=117~first=~gender=~last=Mercer~leaderNote=~leg=78~party=~roleDesc=~Committee=|title=

Ken Mercer|publisher=Texas Legislative Reference Library|accessdate=February 22, 2016}}</ref> In 2004, he won the first of his currently three terms on the elected Texas State Board of Education as the representative for District 5, which includes all of eleven counties plus portions of populous Bexar and Travis counties.

Ken Mercer|publisher=Texas Legislative Reference Library|accessdate=February 22, 2016}}</ref> In 2004, he won the first of his currently three terms on the elected Texas State Board of Education as the representative for District 5, which includes all of eleven counties plus portions of populous Bexar and Travis counties.

On March 1, 2016, Mercer was a candidate for re-nomination to a fourth term on the state board in the Republican primary election.  [[Wayne Christian]], a former state House member and the incoming Republican member of the [[Texas Railroad Commission]], called Mercer "a rock-solid conservative with the backbone to stand up to the Far Left!"<ref name=fbook/> In the November 8 general election, Mercer again defeated the Democrat Rebecca Bell-Metereau, who had described him as "a solid vote for the most extreme and misguided decisions. He's still pushing for a vision of public education that is really contrary to how we were founded as a nation, the idea that free public education was a backbone of our nation."<ref name=ggarcia>Gilbert Garcia, "Professor makes 3rd run at SBOE stalwart", ''San Antonio Express-News'', August 19, 2016, p. A2</ref> In her statement against Mercer, Bell-Metereau implied that public education dates to 1789 instead of primarily the latter half of the nineteenth century. She questions Mercer's support for expanded [[charter school]]s and the emphasis in Texas on standardized testing. An advocate of American exceptionalism, Mercer rejects [[Charles Darwin]]'s [[theory of evolution]],<ref name=ggarcia/>

On March 1, 2016, Mercer was a candidate for re-nomination to a fourth term on the state board in the Republican primary election.  [[Wayne Christian]], a former state House member and the incoming Republican member of the [[Texas Railroad Commission]], called Mercer "a rock-solid conservative with the backbone to stand up to the Far Left!"<ref name=fbook/> In the November 8 general election, Mercer again defeated the Democrat Rebecca Bell-Metereau, who had described him as "a solid vote for the most extreme and misguided decisions. He's still pushing for a vision of public education that is really contrary to how we were founded as a nation, the idea that free public education was a backbone of our nation."<ref name=ggarcia>Gilbert Garcia, "Professor makes 3rd run at SBOE stalwart", ''San Antonio Express-News'', August 19, 2016, p. A2</ref> In her statement against Mercer, Bell-Metereau implied that public education dates to 1789 instead of primarily the latter half of the nineteenth century. She questions Mercer's support for expanded [[charter school]]s and the emphasis in Texas on standardized testing. An advocate of American exceptionalism, Mercer rejects [[Charles Darwin]]'s [[theory of evolution]],<ref name=ggarcia/>

Though he lost the [[Austin, Texas|Austin]] precincts, Mercer defeated Bell-Metereau in the overall District 5, 382,914 votes (49.6 percent) to 352,097 (45.6 percent). The remaining 36,412 ballots (4.7 percent) went to Ricardo Perkins, nominee of the [[Libertarian Party]]. Had the Libertarians voted for Bell-Metereau, she would have unseated Mercer.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://enrpages.sos.state.tx.us/public/nov08_319_state.htm|title=Election Returns|date=November 8, 2016|publisher=Texas Secretary of State|accessdate=November 9, 2016}}</ref>

Though he lost the [[Austin]] precincts, Mercer defeated Bell-Metereau in the overall District 5, 382,914 votes (49.6 percent) to 352,097 (45.6 percent). The remaining 36,412 ballots (4.7 percent) went to Ricardo Perkins, nominee of the [[Libertarian Party]]. Had the Libertarians voted for Bell-Metereau, she would have unseated Mercer.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://enrpages.sos.state.tx.us/public/nov08_319_state.htm|title=Election Returns|date=November 8, 2016|publisher=Texas Secretary of State|accessdate=November 9, 2016}}</ref>

==References==

==References==

[[Category:Conservatives]]

[[Category:Conservatives]]

[[Category:Politicians]]

[[Category:Politicians]]