Konni Burton

Konni Lyn Burton
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from 's Texas Senate, District 10th district
Assumed office
January 13, 2015
Preceded by Wendy R. Davis
Personal details
Born (1963-04-15) 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 an incoming 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

Texas Senate
Preceded by
Wendy R. Davis
Texas State Senator from Tarrant County (District 10)

Konni Lyn Burton
2015–

Succeeded by
Incumbent
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