Hello, True Texans!

In the famous words of Timex Social Club back in 1986, 

"Look at all these rumors surrounding me everyday. 
I just need some time,
some time to get away from
From all these rumors, I can't take it no more..."

Timex Social Club - Rumors

Whew!  Well, it's election season, and that means the rumors are out of control. This is my plea for you to be smarter than the average voter! Come on... you're True Texans!

In the past 24 hours I heard a rumor that Armin Mizani is supporting dirty books in the library, Tony Tinderholt wrote a bill to give himself $4 million in contracts, and Mark Teixeira supports BLM and DEI.  All three of those are candidates True Texas Project is supporting.  So what did I do?

I called Tony and asked him for the truth.

I emailed Mark and asked him for the truth.

I listened to the debate I was at with Armin while he told us the truth.

Isn't that what you would want if people were saying things about you?  I'm in the public eye often enough that I know how it feels.  People come up with the craziest things!  I think most of the time, they don't have the full story and so they try to fill in the blanks by making assumptions.  Then they decide those assumptions are so believable, they simply must be true.  "Yes, that proves it... so and so did such and such and I will tell everyone I know!"  Sometimes the rumors are indeed nefarious, but I think most time they are just overly-passionate campaign supporters.

For example, did Tony Tinderholt write a bill to give his private business a $4 million contract?  No.  What Tony did do as the owner of a private security company was give input on a bill that was already on the House floor.  It was incorrectly written so that the intent of the bill wouldn't work out -- and it was about to be voted on.  The House wanted the bill to allow private security companies to operate within public schools since there are not enough police officers to handle the need. The bill neglected to include a code that would actually make it legal.  Tony was asked by the author to add the code via an amendment to fix it; he did; the bill passed. Will Tony's company get additional contracts because of it?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  School security is just 4% of his business. But that's not the point. The person running against him is spreading this rumor with negative innuendos as a campaign strategy.  She's going to lose, and she should lose because Tony is the best person for the job, but now she's going to lose AND be known as a liar.  How did I get to the bottom of this?  By asking.

Another example...  Is baseball player Mark Teixeira a BLM activist?  Good grief.  No!  I'll be honest and say that when our Board interviewed him, I went in with preconceived opinions. Who is this ball player that thinks he deserves a seat in Congress just because he's rich and famous?  So we grilled him... and his answers were spot on.  Do you realize only TWO candidates out of the 100s we've interviewed have given me a thorough and good answer on legal immigration?  One was Mark (the other one happens to be Trey who is running against Mark!).  Beyond that, he has proven himself as one who will accomplish his goals not just talk about them, and all his goals for Congress match mine.  He's also got enough money that, like Trump, he doesn't have to bow to anyone or cater to their demands. So our Board gave him 7 out of 7 votes...and then the rumors made their way to us about him being a BLM supporter, among other things.  It was not news to him, as he's been fighting the rumor already.  So he provided me with his written explanation, and after having had a face-to-face interview with him about faith and priorities and how he lives them out, it was so easy to see the rumors are just another hit piece.  

In the example with Armin Mizani, it was also quick and easy to get to the truth because we were at a debate and he could address it immediately.  But do you think his opponent will stop spreading those lies?  Doubt it.  And some voters, sadly, will believe it.  

Don't be that voter!  You know the best way to find out the truth?  ASK!  I will always go straight to the source and ask point blank what's going on. Candidates are generally very approachable and want to interact with you.  As we reach the peak of campaign season, you can help with rumor control by communicating with the candidates.  It's that easy!

Congrats to TTP Brazos Valley!
Our satellite in Bryan/College Station had a vision for a super fun "speed dating" candidate event and worked their tails off to make it happen.  The local paper even did a write-up about it. The evening was a huge success, and they're doing another one in February!  Way to go, True Texans! We love seeing you so passionate about helping people make informed voting decisions.

Sold Out!  More Seats Added!
It was great news to learn that next week's TTP conference in The Woodlands sold out... but it was even better news to rearrange the room to add 50 more seats!  At this point, we still have 32 left. Don't delay!  

If you are a candidate, please note the lunch hour includes a candidate fair.  You should be there!  Spread the word.

And for those arriving Friday night for the Saturday conference (like the TTP staff), meet us for dinner!  We'll be at Spring Creek BBQ in Shenandoah from 6-8:30pm.