Gary VanDeaver
{{short description|American educator and state representative}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Gary VanDeaver
| image =
| state_house = Texas
| district = 1st
| party = Republican
| term_start = January 13, 2015
| term_end =
| preceded = George Lavender
| succeeded =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1958|9|25}}
| death_date =
| death_place =
| resting_place =
| birth_place = Grimes County, Texas, U.S.
| occupation = Educator
| residence = New Boston, Texas, U.S.
| spouse = {{marriage|Pamela Sue Nevill VanDeaver|1983}}
| children = 2
| alma_mater = Texas A&M University–Commerce
| website = {{URL|garyvandeaver.com}}
}}
Gary Wayne VanDeaver (born September 25, 1958){{cite web|url=http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?rank=1&new=1&MSAV=1&msT=1&gss=angs-g&gsfn=Gary+Wayne&gsln=VanDeaver&msydy=1958&msypn__ftp=Bowie+County%2c+Texas&cpxt=0&catBucket=rstp&uidh=upc&cp=0&pcat=ROOT_CATEGORY&h=7881600&db=TXbirthindex&indiv=1&ml_rpos=1|title=Gary Wayne VanDeaver|publisher=search.ancestry.com|access-date=January 15, 2015}} is an American politician serving as the state representative for the Texas House of Representatives' 1st district, which encompasses Bowie, Cass, Lamar, Morris, and Red River counties in northeastern Texas.{{Cite web |last=Representatives |first=Texas House of |title=Texas House of Representatives |url=https://www.house.texas.gov/ |access-date=2024-06-24 |website=www.house.texas.gov}} He is a retired lifelong educator with the Avery Independent School District, Rivercrest Independent School District{{cite web | url=https://www.ksstradio.com/2015/10/tallant-vandeaver-pjc-distinguished-alumni/ | title=Tallant, VanDeaver PJC Distinguished Alumni | date=6 October 2015 }} and finally at New Boston Independent School District in New Boston, Texas, where he still resides.
VanDeaver was first elected in 2014, and has been re-elected by his district four times, in 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022.{{Cite web|last=Representatives|first=Texas House of|title=Texas House of Representatives|url=https://www.house.texas.gov/|access-date=2021-11-19|website=www.house.texas.gov}} He has defeated the previous incumbent, George Lavender, on three separate occasions, and has never faced opposition in a general election. He identifies as a Conservative Republican.
Background
VanDeaver was born in Grimes County south of College Station, Texas.{{cite web|url=http://www.garyvandeaver.com/VanDeaver/Home.html|title=Conservative Republican Gary VanDeaver for State Representative|publisher=garyvandeaver.com|access-date=December 3, 2014}}{{cite web |title=Gary VanDeaver |url=http://www.texarkanabusinessjournal.org/guest-bios/gary-vandeaver/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141103180531/http://www.texarkanabusinessjournal.org/guest-bios/gary-vandeaver/ |archive-date=November 3, 2014 |access-date=December 3, 2014 |publisher=Texarkana Business Journal}} He grew up on a cattle ranch in Red River County outside of Clarksville TX {{cite web | url=https://garyvandeaver.com/about-gary/ | title=Biography – Gary VanDeaver }}
Political Life
VanDeaver was first elected in 2014, defeating the incumbent George Lavender by 54.34%-45.66% in the 2014 Republican primary election.{{cite web|url=https://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist169_state.htm|title=Race Summary Report. 2014 Republican Party Primary Election. 3/4/2014|website=Office of the Secretary of State|access-date=24 January 2024}} VanDeaver faced no opposition in the 2014 general election.
VanDeaver easily defeated Lavender in a rematch in the 2016 Republican primary on March 1, 2016.{{cite web|url=https://www.texasgop.org/filing-period/|title=2016 Filed Primary Candidates|publisher=texasgop.org|access-date=December 28, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160119030326/https://www.texasgop.org/filing-period/|archive-date=January 19, 2016|url-status=dead}} VanDeaver received 18,263 votes (61.93 percent) to Lavender's 11,242 (38.07 percent).{{cite web|url=https://enrpages.sos.state.tx.us/public/mar01_273_state.htm?x=0&y=6692&id=875 |title=Republican primary returns |publisher=Texas Secretary of State |date=March 1, 2016 |access-date=March 3, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306124616/https://enrpages.sos.state.tx.us/public/mar01_273_state.htm?x=0&y=6692&id=875 |archive-date=March 6, 2016 }} VanDeaver faced no opposition in the 2016 general election.
VanDeaver ran unopposed in the 2018 Republican primary.{{cite news |last1=Murphy |first1=Ryan |title=Texas Primaries 2018: Full election results |url=https://apps.texastribune.org/elections/2018/primary-election-results/ |access-date=2 October 2018 |work=Texas Tribune |date=March 6, 2018}} VanDeaver ran unopposed in the general election held on November 6, 2018.{{cite news |title=Gary VanDeaver |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Gary_VanDeaver |access-date=2 October 2018 |publisher=Ballotpedia}}
VanDeaver ran unopposed in the 2020 Republican primary.{{Cite web|last=Astudillo|first=Carla|date=2020-03-03|title=Texas primary 2020 results: Live updates from elections|url=https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2020/primary-election-results/|access-date=2021-11-19|website=The Texas Tribune|language=en}} VanDeaver ran unopposed in the general election held on November 3, 2020.{{Cite web|date=2020-11-03|title=Texas 2020 election results|url=https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2020/general-election-results/|access-date=2021-11-19|website=The Texas Tribune|language=en}}
VanDeaver ran again in the 2022 Republican primary, once again defeating Lavender (and a third candidate, Ray Null); the margin being 62.88%-28.96% over Lavender with Null taking only 8.16%.{{Cite web|date=2021-08-15|title=Press|url=https://garyvandeaver.com/in-the-media/|access-date=2022-01-12|website=Gary VanDeaver|language=en-US}} As with his previous general election races, VanDeaver again faced no opposition.
VanDeaver ran in the 2024 Republican primary against Chris Spencer and Dale Huls. VanDeaver received 45.5% of the primary vote, while Spencer garnered 43.0% and Huls received 11.4%, resulting in a runoff election.{{Cite web |date=2024-03-05 |title=Texas election results for president, senate, Congress and more |url=https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2024/primary-election-results-2024/ |access-date=2024-06-23 |website=The Texas Tribune |language=en}} In the Republican primary runoff, VanDeaver defeated Spencer with 53.5% of the vote, while Spencer received 46.5%.{{Cite web |date=2024-05-28 |title=Texas runoff election results: House, Senate, and more |url=https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2024/texas-may-2024-runoff-election-results/ |access-date=2024-06-23 |website=The Texas Tribune |language=en}}
{{Portal bar|Texas|Education|Politics}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.garyvandeaver.com Gary VanDeaver for State Representative]
- [https://house.texas.gov/members/member-page/?district=1 State legislative page]
- [https://www.texastribune.org/directory/gary-vandeaver/ Gary VanDeaver at the Texas Tribune]
{{s-start}}
{{s-par|us-tx-hs}}
{{s-bef|before=George Lavender}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member of the
Texas House of Representatives
from the 1st district|years=2015–present}}
{{s-inc}}
{{s-end}}
{{Texas House of Representatives}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:VanDeaver, Gary}}
Category:Republican Party members of the Texas House of Representatives
Category:People from Grimes County, Texas
Category:People from Clarksville, Texas
Category:People from New Boston, Texas
Category:East Texas A&M University alumni