Konni Burton
| Konni Lyn Burton | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 's Texas Senate, District 10th district |
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| Assumed office January 13, 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Wendy R. Davis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 15, 1963 Kerrville, Kerr County Texas, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Phillip Glenn Burton |
| Children | Two children |
| Residence | Colleyville, Tarrant County, Texas |
| Alma mater | Banquete High School University of North Texas |
| Occupation | Businesswoman |
| Religion | Lutheran Church |
Konni Lyn Burton (born April 15, 1963), is a businesswoman in Colleyville in northeast Tarrant County, Texas, who is a Republican member of the Texas State Senate from District 10. Backed by the Tea Party movement, Burton on January 13, 2015, succeeded Wendy R. Davis of Fort Worth, who vacated the state Senate after her unsuccessful campaign as the Democratic gubernatorial nominee against Governor-elect Greg Abbott, the outgoing state attorney general.[1]
Background
Burton was born in Kerrville in Kerr County in West Texas, but was raised in Banquete, an unincorporated community in Nueces County near Corpus Christi, where her father was the school principal and her mother was his secretary. She attended the University of North Texas in Denton, from which she received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and met her husband, Phillip Glenn Burton (born 1962), who is also a UNT graduate. When the couple moved to Tarrant County, Burton worked for Olmstead-Kirk Paper Company but later launched Weddings Ltd., her own wedding consulting business.[2]
Staunchly pro-life, the Burtons adopted two daughters through the Gladney Center for Adoption in Fort Worth, where they were active volunteers. The Burtons belong to the Calvary Lutheran Church in Richland Hills in Tarrant County; she is a former member of the church council.[2]
Political life
Burton's political involvement began service on the steering committee of the Tarrant Tea Party. She also served as a national vice-president of the Tea Party. When then-state Senator Dan Patrick of Houston, the current lieutenant governor, formed a Tea Party Caucus preceding the 82nd legislative session, Burton was asked to serve on the advisory committee.[2]
In her two primary elections for the state Senate against former State Representative Mark M. Shelton, Burton carried the open endorsement of U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, who called her "a selfless, unwavering warrior for the conservative cause".[3] Area legislators Jonathan Stickland, Matt Krause, Bill Zedler, and Giovanni Capriglione, and Glen Whitley, the county judge of Tarrant County, also endorsed Burton in the race.
The Republican primary turnout in Senate District 10 in 2014 exceeded that of the Democrats by 21,531 votes.[4] Burton then defeated the Democrat community organizer Libby B. Willis, who carried Wendy Davis's support, 95,484 votes (52.8 percent) to 80,806 (44.7 percent). The remaining 1.4 percent of the vote went to minor party candidates.[5]
Burton's first term in the Texas Senate has been characterized as a populist and constitutional conservative. She took office wearing cowboy boots bearing the phrase "Stand for Life," a fashion statement that has gained notoriety as starting a new genre of political speech.[6]
Burton also caused a stir by challenging some longstanding practices in the Texas legislature. She barred taxpayer funded lobbyists from her office and authoring legislation to ban the practice.[6]
References
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| Texas Senate | ||
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| Preceded by | Texas State Senator from Tarrant County (District 10)
Konni Lyn Burton |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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Members of the Texas Senate
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88th Texas Legislature (2023)
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- Pages with reference errors
- 1963 births
- Living people
- People from Kerrville, Texas
- People from Nueces County, Texas
- People from Colleyville, Texas
- Texas State Senators
- Texas Republicans
- Businesspeople from Texas
- University of North Texas alumni
- American Lutherans
- American pro-life activists
- Tea Party movement activists
