Matt Rinaldi | |
---|---|
Chair of the Texas Republican Party | |
In office July 11, 2021 –May 25, 2024 | |
Preceded by | Allen West |
Succeeded by | Abraham George |
Member of the TexasHouseofRepresentatives from the 115th district | |
In office January 13,2015 –January 8,2019 | |
Preceded by | Bennett Ratliff |
Succeeded by | Julie Johnson |
Personal details | |
Born | Matthew Daniel Rinaldi April 11,1975 Bridgeport,Connecticut,U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Corley Rinaldi |
Children | 1 |
Education | James Madison University (BA) Boston University (JD) |
Matthew Daniel Rinaldi (born April 11,1975) is an American attorney and politician who served as chairman of the Republican Party of Texas from 2021 to 2024. Rinaldi was a member of the Texas House of Representatives for District 115 in Dallas County from 2015 to 2019 when he was defeated by Democrat Julie Johnson. [1]
Rinaldi was born in Bridgeport,Connecticut. He graduated from James Madison University in Harrisonburg,Virginia,at which he drew national attention for his successful effort to have the Pledge of Allegiance recited prior to meetings of the student government association. [2] He graduated in 2001 with a Juris Doctor degree from Boston University School of Law. [3]
After law school,Rinaldi became a litigation associate with the Dallas office of Gibson,Dunn &Crutcher. Rinaldi spent the next two decades working at different law firms but never made partner and never worked at any law firm for more than five years. [4] After working at various Dallas law firm,Rinaldi worked part-time with various gigs until he began to work for a billionaire political donor. [4]
In 2012,Rinaldi placed third of five candidates in the Republican primary election for the 115th district of the Texas House of Representatives;the seat was open following the retirement of veteran legislator Jim Jackson. [5] Of the top two vote-getters,Bennett Ratliff would win the Republican nomination in a run-off over Steve Nguyen,then go on to win the seat in November 2012.
On March 4,2014,Rinaldi challenged incumbent Ratliff in the Texas Republican primary for the seat again,this time successfully;Rinaldi earned 4,167 votes (50.6 percent) to Ratliff's 4,075 votes (49.4 percent). [6]
During the 84th Texas Legislature,Rinaldi was appointed to the Agriculture &Livestock committee and the Business &Industry committee. He joint- and co-authored successful pieces of legislation that were signed into law,including HB 11 [7] (authorizing additional troopers for border security and strengthening smuggling laws) and HB 283 [8] (increasing government transparency by requiring certain governmental bodies to make audio and video recordings of open meetings available online).
Rinaldi filed bills intended to eliminate or minimize the effects of the Robin Hood plan on Texas public school districts with HB 945 [9] and HB 1411. [10]
Rinaldi co-authored legislation that would repeal in-state tuition and end welfare benefits for undocumented immigrants [11] as well as penalize businesses that knowingly hire undocumented immigrants. [12] [13]
Rinaldi was rated the most conservative member of the Texas House by a Rice University study that "[drew] on the 1,138 non-lopsided roll call votes taken during the 2015 regular session." [14]
In the Republican primary held on March 1,2016,Rinaldi and Ratliff would face off a third time, [15] as Ratliff vied unsuccessfully to win back the House District 115 seat. Rinaldi earned 8,804 votes (53.45 percent) to Ratliff's 7,668 votes (46.55 percent). [16] In the November 8 general election of that year,Rinaldi narrowly held on to the House seat,earning 29,987 votes (50.9 percent) over Democrat Dorotha M. Ocker's 28,939 (49.1 percent). [17]
During the 85th Texas Legislature,Rinaldi was appointed to the Agriculture &Livestock committee and the Judiciary &Civil Jurisprudence committee.
Rinaldi was,according to The Dallas Morning News ,"instrumental in strengthening the punishments in the sanctuary cities ban," [18] and authored and passed into law measures that:remove from office public officials who adopt sanctuary city policies, [19] require government contractors and subcontractors to use e-verify, [20] revoke pensions of teachers convicted of committing sex crimes against students, [21] [22] [23] allow churches to utilize volunteers to provide security services without risking heavy fines, [24] and prohibit any taxpayer money from going to Planned Parenthood. [25] He also re-introduced legislation he had previously proposed to end the Robin Hood school finance system. [26]
In May 2017,Rinaldi called Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers on protesters inside the Capitol building. Rinaldi claimed that he called ICE after seeing individuals holding protest signs indicating they were illegal immigrants. [27] An altercation ensued;according to multiple Hispanic Democratic lawmakers,Rinaldi got into their faces during the dispute and cursed at them. Video shot from the House floor showed both Republicans and Democrats pushing each other. Rinaldi claimed that Representative Poncho Nevárez threatened his life during the incident,which Nevárez denied. Democratic lawmaker Justin Rodriguez claimed that Rinaldi threatened to "put a bullet in one of my colleagues’heads";Rinaldi did not deny making the statement,but claimed it was made in self-defense. [28] Rinaldi's actions were widely seen as having a racial motivation. [29] After the incident,state representative Ramon Romero Jr. said Rinaldi had "racially profiled every single person that was in the gallery today." [28]
During Rinaldi's second term,he remained ranked as the most conservative legislator (tied with Briscoe Cain and Jonathan Stickland) in Austin according to a Rice University's study roll-call vote analysis drawing on 1,460 non-lopsided roll-call votes taken during the 2017 regular session. [30] He was also named one of the Top 10 Legislators by the conservative advocacy group Empower Texans, [31] as well as one of the Top 10 Worst Legislators by Texas Monthly . [32] His voting record earned a 100 score from conservative advocacy group Texans for Fiscal Responsibility. [33]
Rinaldi lost his state House seat in 2018. Rinaldi was unseated by Democrat Julie Johnson,whose campaign included volunteers who had been part of the ICE altercation at the Capitol in May 2017. [34] Rinaldi earned 24,512 votes (43.21 percent) to Johnson's 32,214 votes (56.79 percent),the lowest vote percentage of any House incumbent in Dallas County that year. [35]
Rinaldi was elected Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas on July 11,2021,to replace outgoing chair,former Congressman Allen West. [36] [37] In his first weeks as chairman,Rinaldi had established a reputation of being more collegial than West had been, [38] but also signaled an intent to challenge statewide Republican officials including Governor Greg Abbott. [39] As state GOP chair,Rinaldi directly criticized elected Texas Republicans perceived by the grassroots faction within the state organization as not conservative enough. [40] [41]
Rinaldi announced he would not run for reelection as Texas GOP Chairman in 2024. [42] He was succeeded by Abraham George, [43] whom Rinaldi endorsed. [44]
He and his wife Corley,married since 2010,have a son,Rush. [42] They attend St. Ann Catholic Parish Roman Catholic Church in Coppell. [3]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Julie Johnson | 32,214 | 56.8 | ||
Republican | Matt Rinaldi | 24,512 | 43.2 | ||
Democratic gain from Republican |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Matt Rinaldi | 29,987 | 50.9 | ||
Democratic | Dorotha Ocker | 28,939 | 49.1 | ||
Republican hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Matt Rinaldi | 16,999 | 57.1 | ||
Democratic | Paul K. Stafford | 11,767 | 39.5 | ||
Libertarian | Kim Kelley | 999 | 3.4 | ||
Republican hold |
The Republican Party of Texas (RPT) is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in the state of Texas. It is currently chaired by Abraham George,succeeding Matt Rinaldi who finished his term in 2024. The party is headquartered in Austin,and is legally considered to be a political action committee. It is currently the state's ruling party,controlling the majority of Texas's U.S. House seats,both U.S. Senate seats,both houses of the state legislature,and all statewide elected offices.
Phillip Stephen King is an American attorney from Weatherford,Texas,who has been a Republican member of the Texas State Senate since 2023. He previously served in Texas House of Representatives from 1999 to 2023. House District 61 encompasses Parker and Wise counties located west of Fort Worth. In 2022,he was a candidate for the District 10 seat in the Texas Senate,which he won unopposed in the general election,due to the democratic opponent dropping out of the race in April 2022.
The 82nd Texas Legislature began on January 11,2011 and ended on May 29,2011. All members of the House and 16 of the 31 members of the Senate were elected in the general election held on November 2,2010.
The 1984 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas occurred on November 6,1984,to elect the members of the state of Texas's delegation to the United States House of Representatives. Texas had twenty-seven seats in the House,apportioned according to the 1980 United States census.
Douglas Bryan Hughes is an American attorney and politician who is a Republican member of the Texas State Senate for District 1. He was first elected to the Texas Senate in November 2016. Previously,Hughes was a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 2003 through January 2017 as state representative for District 5,which includes Camp,Harrison,Upshur,and Wood counties in northeastern Texas. Senator Hughes authored some of the more significant legislation to come out of the 87th Session of the Texas Legislature. His bills on abortion,voting reform,and social media censorship prompted significant debate but were passed by both houses of the legislature and signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott.
Cecil Ivan Bell Jr. is a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives for District 3,which initially encompassed Waller County and is now entirely a portion of populous Montgomery County in Southeast Texas.
Jason Villalba is an American politician and attorney who is a Republican former member of the Texas House of Representatives for District 114 in Dallas County. He works for the law firm Frost Brown Todd.
Kelly Gene Hancock is an American businessman and Republican State Senator for District 9,which encompasses portions of Tarrant and Dallas counties,including all or part of the following communities in Tarrant County:Arlington,Bedford,Blue Mound,Colleyville,Euless,Fort Worth,Grand Prairie,Grapevine,Haltom City,Hurst,Keller,North Richland Hills,Richland Hills,Saginaw,Southlake,Trophy Club,Watauga and Westlake. In Dallas County,Senate District 9 includes portions of Dallas,Grand Prairie,and Irving. Hancock was elected to the Texas Senate in November 2012,having previously served three terms in the Texas House of Representatives.
Charles Brandon Creighton is an American attorney and politician from Conroe,Texas,who is a Republican member of the Texas Senate from District 4,and a former member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 16.
Steve Hixson Toth is an American businessman and politician serving as a member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 15,The Woodlands area.
Bennett Ratliff is an American civil engineer,businessman,and politician who served as a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from district 115 in Dallas County and currently serves as a Planning and Zoning Commissioner in Plano,Texas.
Linda Lee Fielding Koop is a former eight-year member of the Dallas City Council and a Republican former two-term state representative from Dallas County,Texas.
Kenneth Kyle Biedermann,known as Kyle Biedermann,is an American politician who served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives for District 73 from 2017 to 2023. Biedermann owns and operates a hardware store within the district.
Briscoe Cain is an American attorney and Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives for District 128.
Dale B. Tillery is an American judge,politician,and lawyer and currently serves as the judge of the 134th Judicial District Court in Dallas County. He was first elected to the bench in 2010.
Michelle Jane Beckley is a former Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 65. She was first elected in November 2018,defeating incumbent Republican Ron Simmons. Texas' 65th district represents parts of southern Denton County. She did not run for reelection in 2022. After a brief run for the Democratic nomination in Texas's 24th congressional district. she dropped out and instead ran for Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 2022. She was defeated by Mike Collier in the Democratic primary runoff.
Bryan Lee Slaton is a former pastor and American politician. A member of the Republican Party,Slaton represented the 2nd district in the Texas House of Representatives from 2021 to 2023. Slaton also works for his family business,Slaton Financial Services.
The 87th Texas Legislature was a meeting of the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Texas,composed of the Texas Senate and the Texas House of Representatives. The Texas State Legislature met in Austin,Texas,from January 12,2021,to May 31,2021. Governor Greg Abbott has announced three special legislative sessions during summer 2021.
Dustin Ray Burrows is an attorney and businessman in Lubbock,Texas,who is a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 83. He has represented the 83rd district since January 2015. Burrows is the former Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and the former Chair of House Republican Caucus. He has sponsored legislation including the SB2 bill,enabling Texas taxpayers to control local tax rates and tax increases. He also serves as the Chairman of the House Calendars Committee,a position he has held since 2021.
Abraham George is an Indian-born American businessman and politician from Parker,Texas and the chairman of the Republican Party of Texas since May 2024.
A Dallas-area attorney, Johnson ran a campaign that included volunteers that Rinaldi actually called ICE on at the Texas Capitol during a pro-immigrant protest last May.