Changes

{{Officeholder

{{Infobox officeholder

|name=Joseph Richard Straus III

|name=Joseph Richard "Joe" Straus, III

|image=

|image=

|party=[[Republican]]

|party=[[Republican Party|Republican]]

|spouse=Julie Brink

|spouse=Julie Brink Straus

|religion=[[Judaism]]

|religion=[[Judaism]]

|birth_date={{birth date and age|1959|9|1}}

|birth_date={{birth date and age|1959|9|1}}

|offices=

|office=Texas State Representative for District 121 (Bexar County)

|term_start=January 2005

|state=Texas

|term_end=

|district=121

|preceded=Elizabeth Ames Jones

|terms=January 2005 -

|offic2=Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives

|preceded=Elizabeth Ames Jones

|term_start2=January 2009

|former=n

|preceded2=Thomas Russell "Tom" Craddick

|succeeded=

|battles=

|awards=

}}

}}

'''Joseph R. "Joe" Straus, III''' (born September 1, 1959), is a [[centrist]] [[Republican Party|Republican]] state representative from [[San Antonio]], [[Texas]], who has been since January 2009 the [[Speaker]] of the Texas House of Representatives. He was initially elected to the House in a special election held in January 2005 to succeed [[Elizabeth Ames Jones]], who resigned to join the [[Texas Railroad Commission]]. A youthful admirer of the late [[U.S. Senator]] [[John G. Tower]], Straus has, like Tower, supported [[pro-choice]] interests. His critics claim that he has also undermined [[free enterprise]] economics.<ref>http://www.votesmart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=49917</ref>

'''Joseph R. "Joe" Straus, III''' (born September 1, 1959), is a [[centrist]] [[Republican Party|Republican]] state representative from [[San Antonio]], [[Texas]], who has been since January 2009 the [[Speaker]] of the Texas House of Representatives. He was initially elected to the House in a special election held in January 2005 to succeed [[Elizabeth Ames Jones]], who resigned to join the [[Texas Railroad Commission]]. A youthful admirer of the late [[U.S. Senator]] [[John Tower]], Straus has, like Tower, supported [[pro-choice]] interests. His critics claim that he has also undermined [[free enterprise]] economics.<ref>http://www.votesmart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=49917</ref>

To win the Speakership, Straus, armed with [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] backing, unseated fellow Republican [[Tom Craddick]] of Midland, Texas, the senior member of the state House and its first ever Republican Speaker, having served from 2003 to 2009.

To win the Speakership, Straus, armed with [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] backing, unseated fellow Republican [[Tom Craddick]] of Midland, Texas, the senior member of the state House and its first ever Republican Speaker, having served from 2003 to 2009.