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Created page with "{{Infobox officeholder |name=Linda L. Harper-Brown |nationality=American |office=Texas State Representative <br>for District 105 (Dallas County)..."
{{Infobox officeholder
|name=Linda L. Harper-Brown
|nationality=[[United States|American]]
|office=[[Texas]] State Representative <br>for District 105 (Dallas County)
|party=[[Republican Party|Republican]]
|term_start=January 2003
|term_end=January 2015
|preceded=Dale Tillery
|succeeded=Rodney Anderson
|birth_place=[[Dallas]], [[Texas]], USA
|birth_date=March 20, 1948
|residence=Irving, Dallas County, Texas
|spouse=William Edgar Brown
|children=Three sons<br>
Craig, Timothy, and Terry Brown
|religion=[[Christian]]<ref name=votesmart/>}}
'''Linda L. Harper-Brown''' (born March 20, 1948),<ref name=votesmart>{{cite web|url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/49633/linda-harper-brown#.Ux0yVcuPIfg|title=Linda Harper-Brown's Biography|publisher=votesmart.org|accessdate=March 9, 2014}}</ref> is a [[Republican Party|Republican]] former six-term state representative for District 105, based in Irving in [[Dallas, Texas|Dallas County]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/member-page/?district=105|title=Texas House Member: Rep. Harper-Brown, Linda (District 105)|publisher=house.state.tx.us|accessdate=March 9, 2014}}</ref>
First elected in 2002, Harper-Brown was unseated in the Republican [[primary]] election held on March 4, 2014 by her intra-party rival, former Representative Rodney Andersonborn c. 1968), of Grand Prairie, also in Dallas County, who polled 3,456 votes (52.7 percent) to her 3,098 (47.3 percent) in a low-turnout contest.<ref>Texas Secretary of State, Republican primary election returns (House District 105), March 4, 2014.</ref>
==Background==
A [[Dallas]] native, Harper-Brown served on the Irving City Council, a nonpartisan position, from 1997 until she assumed her House seat in January 2003. During part of her municipal service, she was the mayor pro tempore of Irving.<ref name=votesmart/>
Harper-Brown is married to William Edgar Brown (born c. 1942), a [[Certified Public Accountant]], a former vice president of the Duncanville Independent School District, and the president of the Greater Irving Republican Club. The couple has three sons, Craig, Timothy, and Terry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irvingrepublicanclub.com/leadership.html|title=Greater Irving Republican Club|publisher=irvingrepublicanclub.com|accessdate=March 10, 2014}}</ref>
==Political life==
In 2002, Brown narrowly won the Republican nomination for House District 105 over Rose Ann Cannaday (born c. 1944) of Irving, 1,807 (51.1 percent) to 1,728 (48.9 percent).<ref>Texas Secretary of State, Republican primary election returns (House District 105), March 12, 2002.</ref> She then won the [[general election]] without a [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] opponent, having polled 75.8 percent of the vote over three minor candidates. She succeeded the Democrat Dale Tillery, who did not seek reelection that year.<ref>Texas Secretary of State, General election returns (House District 105), November 6, 2002.</ref> To win her second House term in 2004, Harper-Brown defeated a Democrat, Mike Moore, 21,599 votes (59.2 percent) to 14,884 (40.8 percent).<ref>Texas Secretary of State, , General election returns (House District 105), November 3, 2004.</ref>
In the 2008 general election, Harper-Brown retained her seat by a margin of nineteen votes over the Democratic challenger, Robert C. "Bob" Romano (born c. 1975) of Irving. Harper-Brown received 19,857 votes (48.72 percent) to Romano's 19,838 (48.67 percent). The Libertarian nominee, James Glynn Baird (born c. 1963), also of Irving, held the critical remaining 1,061 votes (2.6 percent).<ref>Texas Secretary of State, General election returns (House District 105), November 4, 2008.</ref>> Two years earlier in the 2006 general election, she had defeated Romano by a comfortable margin, 11,881 votes (55.1 percent) to 8,865 (41.1 percent).<ref>Texas Secretary of State, General election returns (House District 105), November 7, 2006.</ref>
Though she had been unopposed for re-nomination in 2012, Harper-Brown had a tough reelection battle that fall against the Democrat, Rosemary R. Robbins (born c. 1948), an educator from Irving. Harper-Brown polled 21,705 votes (50.06 percent) to Robbins' 20,923 (48.3 percent). The [[Green Party]] candidate, Saul Arechar, held the remaining 724 votes (1.7 percent).<ref>Texas Secretary of State, General election returns (House District 105), November 6, 2012.</ref> In 2013 in her last regular legislative session, Harper-Brown chaired the Government Efficiency and Reform Committee. She also served on the House Transportation Committee.<ref name=votesmart/> In 2012, the [[Texas Ethics Commission]] fined Harper-Brown $2,000 for failure to disclose on financial forms her use of a 2010 [[Mercedes-Benz]] E550 sedan and a 2004 [[Chevrolet]] Tahoe owned by state transportation contractor Jeffrey C. Bryan of Durable Enterprises Equipment, Ltd. Andrew Wheat of the [[interest group]] Texans for Public Justice called the fine "a Chevrolet penalty for a Mercedes crime."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dallasnews.com/news/local-news/20120420-irving-state-representative-linda-harper-brown-fined-2000-over-use-of-cars-owned-by-state-contractor.ece|title=Irving state representative Linda Harper-Brown fined $2,000 over use of cars owned by state contractor, April 20, 2012|publisher=''The Dallas Morning News''|accessdate=March 10, 2014}}</ref>
===Legislative positions===
A [[pro-life]] legislator, Harper-Brown supported in 2013 the ban on [[abortion]] after twenty weeks of [[gestation]]; the measure passed the House, 96-49. She co-sponsored companion legislation to increase medical and licensing requirements of abortion providers.<ref name=votingrecords/> These issues brought forth an unsuccessful [[filibuster]] in the state Senate by Wendy Russell Davis of Fort Worth, who in 2014 lost the gubernatorial general election to Republican [[Greg Abbott]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Filibuster in Texas Senate Tries to Halt Abortion Bill|author=Manny Fernandez|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/26/us/politics/senate-democrats-in-texas-try-blocking-abortion-bill-with-filibuster.html|newspaper=''[[The New York Times]]''|date=June 25, 2013|accessdate=July 11, 2020}}</ref> The Texas [[Right to Life]] Committee rated Harper-Brown 83 percent favorable in 2013, 75 percent in 2011.<ref name=ratings/>
Harper-Brown opposed the bill to establish a taxpayer-funded breakfast program for public schools; the measure passed the House, 73-58. She supported legislation to provide marshals for school security as a separate law-enforcement entity. She co-sponsored the successful bill to extend the franchise tax exemption to certain businesses. Harper-Brown supported the bill to prohibit texting while driving, which passed the House, 97-45. She voted to require testing for [[narcotics]] of those receiving unemployment compensation. She voted against the "equal pay for women" measure, which nevertheless passed the House, 78-61.<ref name=votingrecords/>
Harper-Brown co-sponsored the measure to forbid the state from engaging in the enforcement of federal regulations of firearms. She co-sponsored legislation to allow college and university officials to carry concealed weapons in the name of campus security. She co-sponsored legislation to reduce the time required to obtain a concealed-carry permit. She backed the [[redistricting]] bills for the state House, the state Senate, and the [[United States House of Representatives]]. Harper-Brown voted against term limits for state officials. In 2011, she voted for picture identification of voters casting a ballot,<ref name=votingrecords>{{cite web|url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/key-votes/49633/linda-harper-brown#.Ux3fiMuPIfg|title=Linda Harper-Brown's Voting Records|publisher=votesmart.org|accessdate=July 11, 2020}}</ref> a measure which finally took effect in October 2013 and was used widely for the first time in the March 4 primaries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/21/texas-voter-id-law-into-effect_n_4138138.html|title=Texas Voter ID Officially Takes Effect, October 21, 2013|publisher=''[[The Huffington Post]]''|accessdate=March 12, 2014}}</ref> Harper-Brown also requested House Bill 362 (which had passed) to be nullified, which would allow homeowners to install solar panels or devices without the approval of Homeowner's associations (HOA's) with certain exemptions.<ref>https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/opinions/opinions/50abbott/rq/2013/pdf/rq1161GA.pdf</ref> She also proposed a fine on electric vehicles based on the 'number of miles traveled' because 'the state gets less tax dollars from them'.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.statesman.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/environmental-bills-make-rounds-at-legislature/nWs6N/|title=Environmental bills make rounds at legislature|publisher=''The Austin American-Statesman}}</ref>
===Interest group ratings===
In 2013, [[Phyllis Schlafly]]'s [[Eagle Forum]], then managed in Texas by [[Cathie Adams]], a former state chairman of the Texas Republican Party, rated Harper-Brown 82 percent favorable, 43 percent in 2011, and 92 percent in 2009. The Young Conservatives of Texas gave her a lifetime score of 80 percent. The Texas League of Conservation Voters rated her 64 percent; the [[Sierra Club]], 25 percent in 2011. The interest group, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, founded by Michael Quinn Sullivan, rated her 65 percent favorable in 2013, 88 percent in 2011. The Texas Association of Business rated her 90 percent favorable throughout her House tenure. The [[National Rifle Association]] rated her 92 percent. In 2009, the [[Libertarian Party]] scored her 68 percent favorable on issues of economic freedom and personal liberties.<ref name=ratings>{{cite web|url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/evaluations/49633/linda-harper-brown#.Ux09Q8uPIfg|title=Linda Harper-Brown's Ratings and Endorsements|publisher=votesmart.org|accessdate=July 11, 2020}}</ref>
===Choosing a successor to Harper-Brown===
Rodney Anderson unseated Harper-Brown in the Republican primary in 2014. In the Democratic primary, Susan Denara Motley (born c. 1970) led a three-candidate field with 1,171 votes (47.3 percent) and faced the runner up, Terry Meza (born c. 1949), who polled 704 votes (28.4 percent), in the second round of balloting. Bernice Montgomery, the third Democratic candidate, held a critical 601 votes (24.3 percent).<ref>Texas Secretary of State, Democratic primary election returns (House District 105), March 4, 2014.</ref> Anderson was the representative from neighboring District 106 from 2011 to 2013; he did not seek a second term in 2012 because the [[redistricting]] based on the 2010 census was unfavorable to his political prospects.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2014/03/in-district-105-irving-and-grand-prairie-wait-to-see-if-a-statehouse-vet-will-survive-her-primary.html/|author=Avi Selk|title=Anderson unseats Rep. Harper-Brown in District 105 as Democrats head into runoff|date-March 4, 2014|publisher=''The Dallas Morning News''|accessdate=March 10, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/legeLeaders/members/memberDisplay.cfm?memberID=5710&searchparams=chamber=H~city=~countyID=0~RcountyID=~district=~first=Rodney~gender=~last=Anderson~leaderNote=~leg=~party=~roleDesc=~Committee=|title=Rodney Anderson|publisher=Texas Legislative Reference Library|accessdate=July 11, 2020}}</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harper-Brown, Linda}}
[[Category:Texas]]
[[Category:Women]]
[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:Republicans]]
[[Category:Christians]]
|name=Linda L. Harper-Brown
|nationality=[[United States|American]]
|office=[[Texas]] State Representative <br>for District 105 (Dallas County)
|party=[[Republican Party|Republican]]
|term_start=January 2003
|term_end=January 2015
|preceded=Dale Tillery
|succeeded=Rodney Anderson
|birth_place=[[Dallas]], [[Texas]], USA
|birth_date=March 20, 1948
|residence=Irving, Dallas County, Texas
|spouse=William Edgar Brown
|children=Three sons<br>
Craig, Timothy, and Terry Brown
|religion=[[Christian]]<ref name=votesmart/>}}
'''Linda L. Harper-Brown''' (born March 20, 1948),<ref name=votesmart>{{cite web|url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/49633/linda-harper-brown#.Ux0yVcuPIfg|title=Linda Harper-Brown's Biography|publisher=votesmart.org|accessdate=March 9, 2014}}</ref> is a [[Republican Party|Republican]] former six-term state representative for District 105, based in Irving in [[Dallas, Texas|Dallas County]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/member-page/?district=105|title=Texas House Member: Rep. Harper-Brown, Linda (District 105)|publisher=house.state.tx.us|accessdate=March 9, 2014}}</ref>
First elected in 2002, Harper-Brown was unseated in the Republican [[primary]] election held on March 4, 2014 by her intra-party rival, former Representative Rodney Andersonborn c. 1968), of Grand Prairie, also in Dallas County, who polled 3,456 votes (52.7 percent) to her 3,098 (47.3 percent) in a low-turnout contest.<ref>Texas Secretary of State, Republican primary election returns (House District 105), March 4, 2014.</ref>
==Background==
A [[Dallas]] native, Harper-Brown served on the Irving City Council, a nonpartisan position, from 1997 until she assumed her House seat in January 2003. During part of her municipal service, she was the mayor pro tempore of Irving.<ref name=votesmart/>
Harper-Brown is married to William Edgar Brown (born c. 1942), a [[Certified Public Accountant]], a former vice president of the Duncanville Independent School District, and the president of the Greater Irving Republican Club. The couple has three sons, Craig, Timothy, and Terry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irvingrepublicanclub.com/leadership.html|title=Greater Irving Republican Club|publisher=irvingrepublicanclub.com|accessdate=March 10, 2014}}</ref>
==Political life==
In 2002, Brown narrowly won the Republican nomination for House District 105 over Rose Ann Cannaday (born c. 1944) of Irving, 1,807 (51.1 percent) to 1,728 (48.9 percent).<ref>Texas Secretary of State, Republican primary election returns (House District 105), March 12, 2002.</ref> She then won the [[general election]] without a [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] opponent, having polled 75.8 percent of the vote over three minor candidates. She succeeded the Democrat Dale Tillery, who did not seek reelection that year.<ref>Texas Secretary of State, General election returns (House District 105), November 6, 2002.</ref> To win her second House term in 2004, Harper-Brown defeated a Democrat, Mike Moore, 21,599 votes (59.2 percent) to 14,884 (40.8 percent).<ref>Texas Secretary of State, , General election returns (House District 105), November 3, 2004.</ref>
In the 2008 general election, Harper-Brown retained her seat by a margin of nineteen votes over the Democratic challenger, Robert C. "Bob" Romano (born c. 1975) of Irving. Harper-Brown received 19,857 votes (48.72 percent) to Romano's 19,838 (48.67 percent). The Libertarian nominee, James Glynn Baird (born c. 1963), also of Irving, held the critical remaining 1,061 votes (2.6 percent).<ref>Texas Secretary of State, General election returns (House District 105), November 4, 2008.</ref>> Two years earlier in the 2006 general election, she had defeated Romano by a comfortable margin, 11,881 votes (55.1 percent) to 8,865 (41.1 percent).<ref>Texas Secretary of State, General election returns (House District 105), November 7, 2006.</ref>
Though she had been unopposed for re-nomination in 2012, Harper-Brown had a tough reelection battle that fall against the Democrat, Rosemary R. Robbins (born c. 1948), an educator from Irving. Harper-Brown polled 21,705 votes (50.06 percent) to Robbins' 20,923 (48.3 percent). The [[Green Party]] candidate, Saul Arechar, held the remaining 724 votes (1.7 percent).<ref>Texas Secretary of State, General election returns (House District 105), November 6, 2012.</ref> In 2013 in her last regular legislative session, Harper-Brown chaired the Government Efficiency and Reform Committee. She also served on the House Transportation Committee.<ref name=votesmart/> In 2012, the [[Texas Ethics Commission]] fined Harper-Brown $2,000 for failure to disclose on financial forms her use of a 2010 [[Mercedes-Benz]] E550 sedan and a 2004 [[Chevrolet]] Tahoe owned by state transportation contractor Jeffrey C. Bryan of Durable Enterprises Equipment, Ltd. Andrew Wheat of the [[interest group]] Texans for Public Justice called the fine "a Chevrolet penalty for a Mercedes crime."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dallasnews.com/news/local-news/20120420-irving-state-representative-linda-harper-brown-fined-2000-over-use-of-cars-owned-by-state-contractor.ece|title=Irving state representative Linda Harper-Brown fined $2,000 over use of cars owned by state contractor, April 20, 2012|publisher=''The Dallas Morning News''|accessdate=March 10, 2014}}</ref>
===Legislative positions===
A [[pro-life]] legislator, Harper-Brown supported in 2013 the ban on [[abortion]] after twenty weeks of [[gestation]]; the measure passed the House, 96-49. She co-sponsored companion legislation to increase medical and licensing requirements of abortion providers.<ref name=votingrecords/> These issues brought forth an unsuccessful [[filibuster]] in the state Senate by Wendy Russell Davis of Fort Worth, who in 2014 lost the gubernatorial general election to Republican [[Greg Abbott]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Filibuster in Texas Senate Tries to Halt Abortion Bill|author=Manny Fernandez|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/26/us/politics/senate-democrats-in-texas-try-blocking-abortion-bill-with-filibuster.html|newspaper=''[[The New York Times]]''|date=June 25, 2013|accessdate=July 11, 2020}}</ref> The Texas [[Right to Life]] Committee rated Harper-Brown 83 percent favorable in 2013, 75 percent in 2011.<ref name=ratings/>
Harper-Brown opposed the bill to establish a taxpayer-funded breakfast program for public schools; the measure passed the House, 73-58. She supported legislation to provide marshals for school security as a separate law-enforcement entity. She co-sponsored the successful bill to extend the franchise tax exemption to certain businesses. Harper-Brown supported the bill to prohibit texting while driving, which passed the House, 97-45. She voted to require testing for [[narcotics]] of those receiving unemployment compensation. She voted against the "equal pay for women" measure, which nevertheless passed the House, 78-61.<ref name=votingrecords/>
Harper-Brown co-sponsored the measure to forbid the state from engaging in the enforcement of federal regulations of firearms. She co-sponsored legislation to allow college and university officials to carry concealed weapons in the name of campus security. She co-sponsored legislation to reduce the time required to obtain a concealed-carry permit. She backed the [[redistricting]] bills for the state House, the state Senate, and the [[United States House of Representatives]]. Harper-Brown voted against term limits for state officials. In 2011, she voted for picture identification of voters casting a ballot,<ref name=votingrecords>{{cite web|url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/key-votes/49633/linda-harper-brown#.Ux3fiMuPIfg|title=Linda Harper-Brown's Voting Records|publisher=votesmart.org|accessdate=July 11, 2020}}</ref> a measure which finally took effect in October 2013 and was used widely for the first time in the March 4 primaries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/21/texas-voter-id-law-into-effect_n_4138138.html|title=Texas Voter ID Officially Takes Effect, October 21, 2013|publisher=''[[The Huffington Post]]''|accessdate=March 12, 2014}}</ref> Harper-Brown also requested House Bill 362 (which had passed) to be nullified, which would allow homeowners to install solar panels or devices without the approval of Homeowner's associations (HOA's) with certain exemptions.<ref>https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/opinions/opinions/50abbott/rq/2013/pdf/rq1161GA.pdf</ref> She also proposed a fine on electric vehicles based on the 'number of miles traveled' because 'the state gets less tax dollars from them'.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.statesman.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/environmental-bills-make-rounds-at-legislature/nWs6N/|title=Environmental bills make rounds at legislature|publisher=''The Austin American-Statesman}}</ref>
===Interest group ratings===
In 2013, [[Phyllis Schlafly]]'s [[Eagle Forum]], then managed in Texas by [[Cathie Adams]], a former state chairman of the Texas Republican Party, rated Harper-Brown 82 percent favorable, 43 percent in 2011, and 92 percent in 2009. The Young Conservatives of Texas gave her a lifetime score of 80 percent. The Texas League of Conservation Voters rated her 64 percent; the [[Sierra Club]], 25 percent in 2011. The interest group, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, founded by Michael Quinn Sullivan, rated her 65 percent favorable in 2013, 88 percent in 2011. The Texas Association of Business rated her 90 percent favorable throughout her House tenure. The [[National Rifle Association]] rated her 92 percent. In 2009, the [[Libertarian Party]] scored her 68 percent favorable on issues of economic freedom and personal liberties.<ref name=ratings>{{cite web|url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/evaluations/49633/linda-harper-brown#.Ux09Q8uPIfg|title=Linda Harper-Brown's Ratings and Endorsements|publisher=votesmart.org|accessdate=July 11, 2020}}</ref>
===Choosing a successor to Harper-Brown===
Rodney Anderson unseated Harper-Brown in the Republican primary in 2014. In the Democratic primary, Susan Denara Motley (born c. 1970) led a three-candidate field with 1,171 votes (47.3 percent) and faced the runner up, Terry Meza (born c. 1949), who polled 704 votes (28.4 percent), in the second round of balloting. Bernice Montgomery, the third Democratic candidate, held a critical 601 votes (24.3 percent).<ref>Texas Secretary of State, Democratic primary election returns (House District 105), March 4, 2014.</ref> Anderson was the representative from neighboring District 106 from 2011 to 2013; he did not seek a second term in 2012 because the [[redistricting]] based on the 2010 census was unfavorable to his political prospects.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2014/03/in-district-105-irving-and-grand-prairie-wait-to-see-if-a-statehouse-vet-will-survive-her-primary.html/|author=Avi Selk|title=Anderson unseats Rep. Harper-Brown in District 105 as Democrats head into runoff|date-March 4, 2014|publisher=''The Dallas Morning News''|accessdate=March 10, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/legeLeaders/members/memberDisplay.cfm?memberID=5710&searchparams=chamber=H~city=~countyID=0~RcountyID=~district=~first=Rodney~gender=~last=Anderson~leaderNote=~leg=~party=~roleDesc=~Committee=|title=Rodney Anderson|publisher=Texas Legislative Reference Library|accessdate=July 11, 2020}}</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harper-Brown, Linda}}
[[Category:Texas]]
[[Category:Women]]
[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:Republicans]]
[[Category:Christians]]