By Bud Kennedy
bud@star-telegram.com
The Texas Capitol runs on seniority and smarts.
But next year, Tarrant County will send rookies.
At least six newcomers will represent local voters in the Texas House thanks to new election maps and losses by two incumbents.
For example, Bedford and Euless will probably be represented by a 28-year-old who has gone to the Capitol twice in his life, including once for the public tour.
"I've been watching quite a bit of video to see what a state representative actually does," said Jonathan Stickland, the Republican nominee for the District 92 seat vacated by Todd Smith.
Stickland campaigned for presidential candidate Ron Paul and others in past elections, but he said that until this year, he had never imagined himself "writing bills and amendments and all that stuff."
Stickland is the youngest on a Republican ticket that also includes Matt Krause, 31, of Fort Worth and Giovanni Capriglione, 39, of Southlake. The Democratic ticket includes several 30ish candidates, including ex-lawmaker Chris Turner, 39, of Grand Prairie.
(Stickland also said he did not know until last week that Texas House Speaker Joe Straus is Jewish. I quoted him in March telling a Tea Party meeting that he would oppose Straus "because as a Christian, I believe we must call evil evil." He said that he was answering an earlier question about abortion, not talking about Straus, and that he will renounce any ally who insults Straus' faith.)
Both Stickland and Krause, a religious conservative making his second House bid in a district spanning north Arlington and east and north Fort Worth, said their mentor in the Tarrant County delegation will be four-term Arlington Republican Bill Zedler, 68, if Zedler defeats Libertarian Max Koch.
"There's some stuff you can only learn by having been there, and we have good people to look up to," Krause said.
On the Democratic side, Turner has the inside track to return to the Legislature from Arlington. He served one House term two years ago when he lived in Burleson.
"Clearly, Tarrant County is losing a lot of seniority this cycle," he said.
"But there's been so much turnover in the Legislature the last two years, maybe it won't be a disadvantage. What's important is for us to work together as a county delegation on the issues that cross party lines, like university funding."
We talked about the inherent problem with turnover in Austin: The lobbyists and bureaucrats never leave.
"That's spot-on," Turner said. "The people who are there year-round wield a lot of influence. We're the ones learning."
Call it a 140-day tour of the Capitol.
Bud Kennedy's column appears Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays.817-390-7538Twitter: @budkennedy
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