Delwin Jones
Encyclopedia
Delwin L. Jones is a U.S.
state political figure from West Texas
currently serving as the oldest member of the Texas House of Representatives
from Lubbock
, Texas
. Jones was originally elected as a Democrat
in 1964, when that party won 149 of the 150 seats in the Texas House. Jones was defeated for re-nomination in 1972 by cotton
farmer Pete Laney
. Twelve years later in 1988, Jones returned to the House as a Republican
.
Jones has made his living from farming and investments. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration
degree from Texas Tech University
. He and his wife, Reta A. Jones (born July 16, 1923) reside at 2129 54th Street in Lubbock. His District 83 reaches from Lubbock to include the outlying communities of Levelland
, Denver City
, Plains
, Shallowater
, Slaton
, and Seminole
, Texas. Jones drove through the district over the years in a 1995 Buick Le Sabre, passing out some 800,000 "Delwin Jones" emery boards to remind voters on pending elections. Jones often began his day of politicking meeting voters in some cafe.
At eighty-six, Jones was a candidate for renomination in the April 13, 2010, Republican runoff primary. He was defeated by Charles Perry
, an accountant
who ran a grass roots campaign with support of the Tea Party movement
, also known as "Taxed Enough Already". Perry prevailed with 10,109 votes (57.8 percent) to Jones' 7,392 ballots (42.2 percent). Jones polled 291 more votes in the runoff than he had in the primary, but Perry's total increased by 3,633 ballots over his initial showing.
In the March 2 primary, Jones, backed by the president of the Lubbock Educators Association interest group, led the field with 7,103 ballots (37.7 percent) to Perry's 6,476 (34.4 percent). The third candidate, Zach Brady, with 5,240 votes (27.8 percent), held the key to victory in the Jones-Perry showdown. Brady, a Lubbock attorney
, raised more than $250,000 and carried the backing of business interest groups, but he was eliminated from the race by his third-place showing.
Jones had expect to win another term in the legislature on the basis of his name identification and longevity, but he conceded an "undercurrent" of disgruntled taxpayers made the outcome of the race uncertain.
Barring the filing of a write-in candidate
, Charles Perry is unopposed for the House seat in the November 2 general election
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
state political figure from West Texas
West Texas
West Texas is a vernacular term applied to a region in the southwestern quadrant of the United States that primarily encompasses the arid and semi-arid lands in the western portion of the state of Texas....
currently serving as the oldest member of the Texas House of Representatives
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
from Lubbock
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Jones was originally elected as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
in 1964, when that party won 149 of the 150 seats in the Texas House. Jones was defeated for re-nomination in 1972 by cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
farmer Pete Laney
Pete Laney
James E. "Pete" Laney is a U.S. Democratic Party politician from West Texas. He was a member of the Texas House of Representatives for 34 years from Hale Center . Laney served as Speaker for ten years from 1993 to 2003, a record matching that set by his predecessor, fellow Democrat Gibson D...
. Twelve years later in 1988, Jones returned to the House as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
.
Jones has made his living from farming and investments. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration
Bachelor of Business Administration
The Bachelor of Business Administration is a bachelor's degree in Commerce and business administration. In most universities, the degree is conferred upon a student after four years of full-time study in one or more areas of business concentrations; see below...
degree from Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
. He and his wife, Reta A. Jones (born July 16, 1923) reside at 2129 54th Street in Lubbock. His District 83 reaches from Lubbock to include the outlying communities of Levelland
Levelland, Texas
Levelland is a city in Hockley County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 13,542. It is the county seat of Hockley County. It is located on the Llano Estacado, west of Lubbock. Major industries include cotton farming and petroleum production...
, Denver City
Denver City, Texas
Denver City is a town in Gaines and Yoakum counties in the U.S. state of Texas, just a short distance from the New Mexico boundary that is named for the petroleum company, Denver Productions. The population was 3,985 at the 2000 census. The town is located at the intersection of Texas State...
, Plains
Plains, Texas
Plains is a town in and the county seat of Yoakum County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,450 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Plains is located at .....
, Shallowater
Shallowater, Texas
Shallowater is a city in Lubbock County, Texas, United States. Shallowater is on U.S. Route 84 and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe line, twelve miles northwest of Lubbock, Texas. Population was 2,086 according to the 2000 census...
, Slaton
Slaton, Texas
Slaton is a city in Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,109 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Lubbock Metropolitan Statistical Area.Slaton is named for Lubbock rancher and banker O.L. Slaton, Sr...
, and Seminole
Seminole, Texas
Seminole is a city in and the county seat of Gaines County in west Texas, United States. The population was 6,430 at the 2010 census. It is the birthplace of Country music singers Larry Gatlin and Tanya Tucker...
, Texas. Jones drove through the district over the years in a 1995 Buick Le Sabre, passing out some 800,000 "Delwin Jones" emery boards to remind voters on pending elections. Jones often began his day of politicking meeting voters in some cafe.
At eighty-six, Jones was a candidate for renomination in the April 13, 2010, Republican runoff primary. He was defeated by Charles Perry
Charles Perry (Texas politician)
Charles Lee Perry is a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 83 based in Lubbock, Texas. A certified public accountant, Perry unseated incumbent Representative Delwin L. Jones, the oldest current member of the Texas House, in the April 13, 2010, runoff election. He...
, an accountant
Accountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
who ran a grass roots campaign with support of the Tea Party movement
Tea Party movement
The Tea Party movement is an American populist political movement that is generally recognized as conservative and libertarian, and has sponsored protests and supported political candidates since 2009...
, also known as "Taxed Enough Already". Perry prevailed with 10,109 votes (57.8 percent) to Jones' 7,392 ballots (42.2 percent). Jones polled 291 more votes in the runoff than he had in the primary, but Perry's total increased by 3,633 ballots over his initial showing.
In the March 2 primary, Jones, backed by the president of the Lubbock Educators Association interest group, led the field with 7,103 ballots (37.7 percent) to Perry's 6,476 (34.4 percent). The third candidate, Zach Brady, with 5,240 votes (27.8 percent), held the key to victory in the Jones-Perry showdown. Brady, a Lubbock attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, raised more than $250,000 and carried the backing of business interest groups, but he was eliminated from the race by his third-place showing.
Jones had expect to win another term in the legislature on the basis of his name identification and longevity, but he conceded an "undercurrent" of disgruntled taxpayers made the outcome of the race uncertain.
Barring the filing of a write-in candidate
Write-in candidate
A write-in candidate is a candidate in an election whose name does not appear on the ballot, but for whom voters may vote nonetheless by writing in the person's name. Some states and local jurisdictions allow a voter to affix a sticker with a write-in candidate's name on it to the ballot in lieu...
, Charles Perry is unopposed for the House seat in the November 2 general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
.