Here’s who’s running in the Republican primary for Texas House District 98 on March 5
Brad Schofield
Age (as of March, 5 2024): 60
Campaign website: VoteBrad.us
Best way for voters to reach you: bradas@sbcglobal.net
Occupation: Texas CPA
Education: BBA in Accounting
Have you run for elected office before?
Keller ISD Board Trustee for 9 years
Please list the highlights of your civic involvement/activism.
None
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? If yes, please explain:
No
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain:
Unable to answer due to pending litigation.
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
Unable to answer campaign strategy questions. But as of my last campaign filing, I was the biggest contributor.
Why are you seeking this office?
I am running against my former friend because his stance on conservative issues has transitioned to be more liberal in nature over time.
What are the biggest challenges facing House District 98?
1) Lack of educational funding by the state for local school districts, 2) Open borders to criminals, illegals, and terrorists, 3) Electrical grid needs improvement as Texas grows.
If elected, what would your top 3 policy priorities be?
1) Increase educational funding, 2) Do what is possible to minimize illegal border crossing, and 3) Build new natural gas power plants that provide clean energy.
How will you measure your success as a state legislator?
By completing the tasks, I ran on as a candidate.
Why should voters choose you over your opponents?
The big issue between my opponent and myself is educational funding and taxes. I want to substantially increase school funding by using state surplus money and lowering local property taxes at the same time. My opponent wants to use state surplus money on a Texas cryptocurrency exchange and increase local property taxes to fund schools.
Should Attorney General Ken Paxton have been convicted during his Senate impeachment trial? Why/Why not?
No matter where you stand on the impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton, we can all agree on the following. 1) it was a total waste of time, 2) It was a big waste of money, and 3) it made Texas Republicans look like idiots to the rest of the country. I was not in favor of the impeachment and opposed how the process was conducted.
Do you support Gov. Greg Abbott’s call for the use of education savings accounts? Why?/Why not?
I was against the current train wreck universal voucher bill as it was written. To have a successful school choice program, the state must spend three times as much money as the failed universal voucher bill proposed. If the state can’t adequately fund our public schools now, what makes anyone think they will adequately fund the additional private schools? Also, where will the extra classroom space in the private schools be to accommodate all the new students transferring from public to private education? There isn’t any. You will have a 3-5 year waiting period for transferring public education students into private education. You can’t flip a switch and make vouchers happen without huge problems. There must be a phasing in period.
What should Texas do to address immigration and border security at the Texas-Mexico border?
Texas hasn’t done much over the last 3 years to help stem the flow of illegal border crossings until recently. Since taking office, the Biden administration has violated the law, and almost no one has taken serious action to push back. Where are the impeachments? Why isn’t the US government being shut down over this? We currently have a great many politicians who simply don’t care about illegal border crossings. Those politicians need replacing. Things are getting so bad even Democrats are calling for stopping the flow of illegal border crossings.
What should the Texas Legislature do to respond to and prepare for population growth in North Texas?
Build Baby Build. We must build new natural gas power plants in Texas and shore up the power grid. If electric cars are ever going to be a thing, then we need lots of electricity. We are not going to get that from subpar solar and wind farms. Clean fossil fuel is the best answer to Texas’s electricity needs.
Should Texas law be changed to clarify when an abortion is allowed in medical emergencies? Why/Why not?
I don’t know what the law actually states in situations like this, but abortion should be allowed when the life of the mother is at stake. If the law is unclear, then it should be rewritten to clarify and provide guidance to medical professionals.
Should Texas expand casino gambling and legalize sports betting in Texas? Why/Why not?
No. I know gambling is big. My opponent is taking donations from it, but nothing good will come of it. If you want to gamble at a casino, then go to Vegas, and have a blast. I just don’t want it here in our communities.
What’s a Texas policy issue that’s important to you, but not necessarily as high profile? Why do you think it’s important?
Texas needs to ban corporate funding of SPACs. These are PAC’s that financially support governmental bond issuance proposals, like school bonds. Corporations fund these SPAC’s because they know beforehand that they will receive a no-bid contract if it passes. Since they are granted no-bid contracts, they increase the contract price to cover whatever amount they donate to the SPAC’s or place in the back pocket of program administrators. The whole process is riddled with corruption.
Giovanni Capriglione
Did not respond to questions.
