Charles Perry (Texas politician)

Charles Lee Perry
Born	March 9, 1962 (1962-03-09) (age 49) Abilene, Taylor County Texas, USA
Residence	Lubbock, Lubbock County Texas
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Texas Tech University
Occupation	Certified Public Accountant
Political party	Republican
Religion	Baptist
Spouse	Jacklyn Elaine Perry
Children	Jordan Perry Matthew Perry

Charles Lee Perry (born March 9, 1962) is a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 83 based in Lubbock, Texas. A certified public accountant, Perry unseated incumbent Representative Delwin L. Jones, the oldest current member of the Texas House, in the April 13, 2010, runoff election.^[1] He faced no Democratic opponent in the November 2 general election. Perry took his seat in the 150-member House in January 2011.

Charles Perry is not related to current Governor of Texas Rick Perry.^[2]

Early life, education and career

Perry was born to Mr. and Mrs. Charles Burnett Perry in Abilene in Taylor County, Texas. He graduated in 1980 from Sweetwater High School in Sweetwater in Nolan County. In 1984, he completed his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting from Texas Tech University and has since worked in the that field. Delwin Jones also holds the B.B.A. from Texas Tech. Perry is affiliated with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants, the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts, and the National Association of Securities Dealers.^[3]

2010 political campaign

Perry unseated Jones, 10,109 votes (57.8 percent) to 7,392 ballots (42.2 percent). Though Jones polled 291 more votes in the runoff than he had in the primary, Perry's total increased by 3,633 ballots over his initial showing on March 2, 2010.^[4] Perry carried the support of the Tea Party movement, also known as "Taxed Enough Already," while Jones was supported by the president of the Lubbock Educators Association.^[5] Jones, who served in the legislature as a Democrat from 1964–1972 and as a Republican since 1988, led the primary, 7,103 ballots (37.7 percent) to Perry's 6,476 (34.4 percent). The third candidate, Zach Brady, with 5,240 votes (27.8 percent), had been expected to hold the key to victory in the Jones-Perry showdown.^[6] Brady, a Lubbock attorney, raised more than $250,000 and carried the backing of business interest groups, but he was eliminated from the race by his third-place showing.^[5]

Brady's endorsement of Jones in the runoff did not help the incumbent, who also enjoyed the backing of State Senator Robert L. Duncan of Lubbock. Neale Pearson, professor emeritus of political science at Texas Tech University, speculated that the nomination of Perry, the biggest legislative upset in the 2010 Texas primaries, was the result of "anti-government and perhaps anti-establishment tea party attitudes [which] affected voter turnout." Pearson added that he doubted whether many of the Brady partisans supported either Jones or Perry in a meaningful way in the runoff contest.^[7]

In addition to the Perry nomination, Lubbock area conservatives on April 13 nominated John Frullo as the GOP choice in neighboring District 84, where incumbent Carl Isett, also a Lubbock accountant, did not seek reelection. Frullo defeated Mark Griffin, a former Texas Tech regent who also carried Duncan's support.^[7]

Scott Mann, Jones' campaign manager, said that Perry prevailed because of the anti-incumbent attitude: "We hit a movement where feelings are legitimate and whose goals are consistent with the rest of West Texas. [The Perry campaign] didn’t create those attitudes. Those attitudes were there, and they just capitalized on them. We also worked hard and had wonderful volunteers, maybe 75 to 100, but we just couldn’t overcome the anti-incumbent tide."^[7]

Perry and Frullo join two other newly-elected conservative state legislators from West Texas and the Panhandle, Jim Landtroop of Plainview and Four Price of Amarillo.

Personal life

Perry is president of the Lubbock Boys and Girls Club. He is a member of the National Council on Family Violence and the National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline. He is a deacon at Southcrest Baptist Church in Lubbock. He and his wife, Jacklyn Elaine Perry, have a daughter, Jordan, and a son, Matthew.^[3]

References

1. ^ "Charles Perry wins District 83 race". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, April 13, 2010. http://blogs.lubbockonline.com/election2/2010/04/13/charles-perry-wins-district-83-race/. Retrieved April 16, 2010. 
2. ^ "Charles Perry to start new career in Austin". kcbd.com. KCBD. 2010-04-12. http://www.kcbd.com/global/story.asp?s=12306911. Retrieved 2010-09-17. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "About Charles Perry, candidate State Representative Dist. 83". kcbd.com. http://www.kcbd.com/global/Story.asp?s=11929374. Retrieved April 16, 2010. 
4. ^ "Texas Republican runoff primary returns, April 13, 2010". enr.sos.state.tx.us. http://enr.sos.state.tx.us/enr/results/apr13_150_state.htm. Retrieved April 13, 2010. 
5. ^ ^{a b} "Election 2010: Lubbock Avalanche-Journal". lubbockonline.com. http://blogs.lubbockonline.com/election2/candidates/. Retrieved March 6, 2010. 
6. ^ "Texas Republican primary election returns, March 2, 2010". sos.state.tx.us. http://enr.sos.state.tx.us/enr/results/mar02_148_county151.htm. Retrieved March 3, 2010. 
7. ^ ^{a b c} "Anatomy of Perry’s victory over Jones could hold key to party’s direction". blogs.lubbockonline.com. http://blogs.lubbockonline.com/election2/2010/04/14/anatomy-of-perry%e2%80%99s-victory-over-jones-could-hold-key-to-party%e2%80%99s-direction/. Retrieved April 16, 2010. 

External links

• Charles Perry for State Representative official campaign site
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Campaign contributions at the National Institute for Money in State Politics

Persondata
Name	Perry, Charles
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Date of birth	March 9, 1962
Place of birth	Abilene, Taylor County Texas, USA
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