Todd Ames Hunter

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Todd Ames Hunter

| image = Todd Ames Hunter Profile.JPG

| office = Member of the
Texas House of Representatives
from the 32nd district

| party = Republican (since 2009)

Democratic (until at least 1997)

| term_start = January 13, 2009

| term_end =

| preceded = Juan M. Garcia III

| succeeded =

| office3 = Member of the
Texas House of Representatives
from the 36th district

| term_start3 = January 10, 1989

| term_end3 = January 12, 1993

| preceded3 = Ted B. Roberts

| succeeded3 = Sergio Munoz

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1953|8|26}}

| death_date =

| death_place =

| death_cause =

| resting_place =

| birth_place = Bartlesville, Oklahoma, U.S.

| occupation = Lawyer

| spouse = Alexis Taylor Hunter

| children = 3

| alma_mater = University of Kansas (BA)
Southern Methodist University (JD)

| term1 = January 12, 1993 – January 14, 1997

| predecessor1 = Steve Holzheauser

| successor1 = Gene Seaman

}}

Todd Ames Hunter (born August 26, 1953){{cite web|url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/5532/todd-hunter#.UyRv7ctOUfg|title=Todd Hunter's Biography|publisher=votesmart.org|access-date=March 15, 2014}} is an American politician and lawyer from Corpus Christi, Texas, serving as a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 32 in Nueces County. From 1993 to 1997, as a Democrat, Hunter also held the District 32 House seat. He did not seek reelection in 1996. From 1989 to 1993, he was the District 36 Democratic representative. In the 1992 election, he was switched after two terms to District 32 via redistricting.{{cite web|url=http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/legeLeaders/members/memberDisplay.cfm?emberID=158&searchparams=chamber=H~city=~countyID=0~RcountyID=~district=~first=Todd~gender=~last=Hunter~leaderNote=~leg=~party=~roleDesc=~Committee=|title=Todd Ames Hunter|publisher=Texas Legislative Reference Library|access-date=March 15, 2014}}{{cite news|url=http://www.texastribune.org/directory/todd-hunter/#ui-tabs-1|title=State Rep. Todd Hunter District 32 (R-Corpus Christi)|work=The Texas Tribune|access-date=March 15, 2014}}

Early life and education

Hunter was born in Bartlesville in northeastern Oklahoma to Richard and Patricia London Hunter. In 1975, he graduated from the University of Kansas at Topeka, Kansas, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, Speech, and Human Relations. In 1978, he obtained his Juris Doctor degree from the Dedman School of Law at Southern Methodist University.

Career

In 1978, Hunter moved to Corpus Christi, where he is currently a solo practitioner after leaving civil defense law in 2017 as a partner with Hunter, Barker & Fancher, LLP. He has worked for numerous law firms in Corpus Christi.{{cite web |url=http://hbflegal.com/firm-profile/ |title= Hunter, Barker & Fancher, LLP|access-date=3 December 2015}}

He is married to the former Alexis Taylor, the eldest daughter of Marcella and Leroy Taylor. Alexis and Todd reared all three of their children—Todd A. Hunter, Jr. (born 1986), Michael Taylor Hunter (born 1987), and Christina Alyson Hunter (born 1991)--in Corpus Christi.

Hunter is a member of All Saints Episcopal Church in Corpus Christi. He is a director and member of the advisory board of the Coastal Bend division of the Boy Scouts of America. He is affiliated with Rotary International and is a board member of Consumer Credit Counseling Service and the Texas Lyceum Association.{{cite web|url=http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist.exe|title=General election returns, November 4, 2008 (House District 32)|publisher=Texas Secretary of State|access-date=March 15, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109062336/http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist.exe|archive-date=January 9, 2014}}{{cite web|title=Todd Hunter's Voting Records|url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/key-votes/5532/todd-hunter#.UyS5W8tOUfg|access-date=March 15, 2014|publisher=votesmart.org}}{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/21/texas-voter-id-law-into-effect_n_4138138.html|title=Texas Voter ID Officially Takes Effect, October 21, 2013|work=The Huffington Post|access-date=March 12, 2014}}

Hunter won his seventh nonconsecutive term in the 83rd Texas Legislature in 2012 without primary or general election opposition.{{cite web |url=http://www.texastribune.org/directory/todd-hunter/ |title= Texas Tribune Directory|access-date=2 January 2013}}{{cite news|author=M. Fernandez|date=June 25, 2013|title=Filibuster in Texas Senate Tries to Halt Abortion Bill|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/26/us/politics/senate-democrats-in-texas-try-blocking-abortion-bill-with-filibuster.html|access-date=March 9, 2014}}

= Role in post-2020 gerrymander =

In 2021, Hunter rushed through a heavily pro-Republican gerrymandered redistricting map that he authored through his committee. He provided a minimum of 24 hours advance notice for testimony and allowed for no amendments.{{Cite news|title=Texas Republicans' congressional map carves up Rep. Jackson Lee's district, siphoning off thousands of Black constituents|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/redistricting-texas-african-american-democrats/2021/10/14/0d0d06d6-2cfd-11ec-985d-3150f7e106b2_story.html|access-date=2021-10-15|issn=0190-8286}} The map vastly expanded the number of safe Republican seats,{{Cite web|date=2021-10-12|title=Texas House approves map that seal GOP majority, critics say it bypasses minority population growth|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2021/10/12/texas-house-to-greenlight-maps-that-protect-gop-majority-bypass-minority-population-growth/|access-date=2021-10-15|website=Dallas News|language=en}} and diluted the power of non-white voters.{{Cite web|last=Cai|first=Alexa Ura and Mandi|date=2021-10-15|title=With surgical precision, Republicans draw two congressional districts that dilute power of Hispanic and Asian voters|url=https://www.texastribune.org/2021/10/15/texas-redistricting-dallas-fort-worth/|access-date=2021-10-15|website=The Texas Tribune|language=en}} The map increased the number of seats where white are in the majority and reduced the number of seats where Hispanics or blacks are in the majority, even though non-whites were behind 95% of the population growth in Texas.{{Cite web|last=Tribune|first=Cassandra Pollock, The Texas|date=2021-10-13|title=Texas House passes proposed new map for chamber's 150 districts, aiming to protect Republicans' majority for the next decade|url=https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/politics/2021/10/13/410861/texas-house-passes-proposed-new-map-for-chambers-150-districts-aiming-to-protect-republicans-majority-for-the-next-decade/|access-date=2021-10-15|website=Houston Public Media|language=en-US}}

=2023 Speech=

During the 88th Texas Legislature, Hunter was the House sponsor for Senate Bill 7, which would provide incentives to electric utility companies to improve the electrical grid (in the wake of what Hunter called "Snow Cane Uri"). During the layout on second reading, Hunter gave an impassioned speech, calling the bill "the lobby annuity plan" and noting that the bill had the support of both the liberal Sierra Club and the conservative Texas Oil & Gas Association (Hunter mused that, after finding out about that, he had to re-read the bill "to see if I still favored it"). A YouTube video of the speech can be found here:{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6fXYsE122E | title=Rep. Todd Hunter lays out SB7 on second reading | website=YouTube }}

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20110628181314/http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/member-page/?district=32/ State Representative Todd Hunter] official Texas House of Representatives site
[http://electtoddhunter.com/ Campaign Website]
[http://www.texastribune.org/directory/todd-hunter/ Texas Tribune Directory]

{{succession box

| before=Juan M. Garcia, III

| title=Texas State Representative from District 32 (now Corpus Christi; formerly Aransas, Calhoun, Nueces, and San Patricio counties)

| years=2009–

| after=Incumbent}}

{{succession box

| before=Steve Holzheauser (moved to District 30)

| title=Texas State Representative from District 32 (Aransas, Calhoun, Jackson, and Nueces counties)

| years=1993–1997

| after=Gene Seaman}} (unseated by Juan M. Garcia, III)

{{succession box

| before=Ted B. Roberts