Changes

After a term in the Senate, Short was narrowly unseated in the 1982 Democratic primary by John T. Montford, then the district attorney of Lubbock County. Short carried twelve of the fourteen counties in the district, losing only Lubbock and Borden, a small rural county. Montford then defeated [[Jim Reese]], the unsuccessful Republican congressional candidate from both 1976 and 1978.<ref>Billy Hathorn, "Mayor Jim Reese of Odessa and the Republican Party in the Permian Basin,"  ''The West Texas Historical Association Year Book'' (now known as ''West Texas Historical Review''), Vol. LXXXVII (October 2011), p. 141.</ref> Short speculates that he would have defeated Montford had rains not suppressed the Ector County turnout, which was extremely low that year, and had not some conservatives in Odessa voted instead in the Republican primary, which then had a relatively small rate of participation. Though Short had worked successfully on the Senate Finance Committee to obtain funding for the Odessa branch of the Texas Tech Medical School, his effort did not yield the political dividend in the primary that he had contemplated.<ref name=short/>​

After a term in the Senate, Short was narrowly unseated in the 1982 Democratic primary by John T. Montford, then the district attorney of Lubbock County. Short carried twelve of the fourteen counties in the district, losing only Lubbock and Borden, a small rural county. Montford then defeated [[Jim Reese]], the unsuccessful Republican congressional candidate from both 1976 and 1978.<ref>Billy Hathorn, "Mayor Jim Reese of Odessa and the Republican Party in the Permian Basin,"  ''The West Texas Historical Association Year Book'' (now known as ''West Texas Historical Review''), Vol. LXXXVII (October 2011), p. 141.</ref> Short speculates that he would have defeated Montford had rains not suppressed the Ector County turnout, which was extremely low that year, and had not some conservatives in Odessa voted instead in the Republican primary, which then had a relatively small rate of participation. Though Short had worked successfully on the Senate Finance Committee to obtain funding for the Odessa branch of the Texas Tech Medical School, his effort did not yield the political dividend in the primary that he had contemplated.<ref name=short/>​

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In the Montford-Reese [[general election]] contest, Short endorsed neither candidate.<ref name=short/> Short, considered a [[conservative]] Democrat, later switched affiliation to the [[Republican Party|GOP]] but after his time in elective politics had passed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.voterfactory.com/Tahoka_TX_Trudy-Schuknecht_Arlen-Simpson_4376.html|title=RealVoters: Pinpoint Voters and Votes in Tahoka, TX|publisher=voterfactory.com|accessdate=December 14, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=​http://www.city-data.com/elec2/elec-TAHOKA-TX.html|title=Tahoka, TX Political Contributions by Individuals|publisher=city-data.com|accessdate=December 14, 2010}}</ref>​

In the Montford-Reese [[general election]] contest, Short endorsed neither candidate.<ref name=short/> Short, considered a [[conservative]] Democrat, later switched affiliation to the [[Republican Party|GOP]] but after his time in elective politics had passed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.voterfactory.com/Tahoka_TX_Trudy-Schuknecht_Arlen-Simpson_4376.html|title=RealVoters: Pinpoint Voters and Votes in Tahoka, TX|publisher=voterfactory.com|accessdate=December 14, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=​http://www.city-data.com/elec2/elec-TAHOKA-TX.html|title=Tahoka, TX Political Contributions by Individuals|publisher=city-data.com|accessdate=September 15, 2010}}</ref>​

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==Legacy==

==Legacy==

Former State Representative [[Delwin Jones]] of Lubbock, who served in the House with Short in the early 1970s, described his friend as an advocate for rural and agricultural issues: "This is back in the day when we had a strong West Texas voice in Austin and he was a good one."<ref name=shortdies/> Former U.S. Representative Kent Hance said that “No one worked harder for his constituents than E L Short. He spent hours upon hours researching any issues a constituent in his district had."<ref name=shortdies/>​

Former State Representative [[Delwin Jones]] of Lubbock, who served in the House with Short in the early 1970s, described his friend as an advocate for rural and agricultural issues: "This is back in the day when we had a strong West Texas voice in Austin and he was a good one."<ref name=shortdies/> Former U.S. Representative Kent Hance said that “No one worked harder for his constituents than E L Short. He spent hours upon hours researching any issues a constituent in his district had."<ref name=shortdies/>​