RUNOFF ENDORSEMENT: Dawn Buckingham for SD-24!!!

"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice;
But when a wicked man rules, the people groan."
Proverbs 29:2

In SD-24, we supported Brent Mayes in the first round.  Obviously, that didn't pan out.  Backing Dawn Buckingham in the runoff is an easy choice.

On Primary election day we worked the same polling location as Dawn.  Over the course of a ten hour day, we had an extended opportunity to get to know her.  We discussed the ups and downs of the campaign, and the state of both Texas and the world.  It was a very reassuring conversation.  While we don't have permission to reveal the details, suffice to say Dawn Buckingham's views on the Federal Reserve system warm our heart.

But let's address the 800 pound gorilla in the room: TMA.  There's no denying that Dawn Buckingham has a long history with the Texas Medical Association.  That history was our dealbreaker issue in the first round.  As part of that history, she's also made campaign donations to several bad elected officials.  We've asked her about it several times, and that history was a major topic during the primary day conversation we mentioned above.  Dawn has always stated that, as a conservative, she thought she could be more effective working to change TMA from the inside than throwing rocks from the outside.  We don't particularly agree with that logic, but we understand it and accept it in this one case.

That being said, no discussion of the Texas Medical Association and the SD-24 race would be complete without discussing Dawn's opponent: Susan King.  While Dawn has certainly worked with TMA over the years, Susan King's husband ran TMA during the last legislative session.  In addition, Susan King is a well documented liberal who currently serves as a Joe Straus committee chair in the Texas House.  In other words, both candidates in this race have ties to TMA, but one is a Joe Straus lieutenant while the other has a pretty big liberty streak.

Speaking of Dawn Buckingham's liberty streak, earlier today she appeared at a Texas Tribune event.  At that event, she gave strong answers on religious liberty and the second amendment.  On religious liberty, she spoke in support of protections similar to those recently passed in North Carolina.  She also told us after the event that she doesn't buy this silly notion that protecting religious liberty is bad for business.  On the second amendment, she turned a gotcha question into an unprompted opportunity to voice her support for constitutional carry!!!

On education, Dawn voiced support for school choice while Susan King has been endorsed by Jimmie Don Aycock; we will also point out that we have Dawn on record as being willing to vote against the next round of bad UT regents.

Considering the candidates, this one's an easy choice: Dawn Buckingham for SD 24!!!

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Watch Dawn's TribTalk below: