Michael Shawn Kelly (Texas)
Michael Shawn Kelly (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Texas House of Representatives to represent District 150. Kelly lost in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Kelly completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2018. Click here to read the survey answers.
Kelly was a 2014 Democratic candidate for District 7 of the Texas State Senate. He filed for election but did not appear on the primary election ballot.[1]
Biography
Michael Shawn Kelly graduated from Robert E. Lee High School. He earned degrees from Texas A&M University.[2] Kelly's career experience includes starting Mirror Lake Designs.[3]
Elections
2018
General election
General election for Texas House of Representatives District 150
Incumbent Valoree Swanson defeated Michael Shawn Kelly in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 150 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Valoree Swanson (R) | 57.8 | 40,907 | |
| Michael Shawn Kelly (D) | 42.2 | 29,888 | ||
| Total votes: 70,795 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 150
Michael Shawn Kelly advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 150 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Michael Shawn Kelly | 100.0 | 5,012 | |
| Total votes: 5,012 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 150
Incumbent Valoree Swanson defeated James Wilson in the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 150 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Valoree Swanson | 80.1 | 9,530 | |
| James Wilson | 19.9 | 2,366 | ||
| Total votes: 11,896 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
Elections for the Texas House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on March 1, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was December 14, 2015.[4]
Valoree Swanson defeated Michael Shawn Kelly in the Texas House of Representatives District 150 general election.[5]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 150 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Valoree Swanson |
63.19% | 47,892 | |
| Democratic | Michael Shawn Kelly | 36.81% | 27,893 | |
| Total Votes | 75,785 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State | ||||
Michael Shawn Kelly ran unopposed in the Texas House of Representatives District 150 Democratic Primary.[6][7]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 150 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Michael Shawn Kelly (unopposed) | |
Valoree Swanson defeated incumbent Debbie Riddle, Theresa Hearn-Haynes and Al Zolli in the Texas House of Representatives District 150 Republican Primary.[6][7]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 150 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Valoree Swanson |
52.48% | 12,166 | |
| Republican | Debbie Riddle Incumbent | 39.63% | 9,186 | |
| Republican | Theresa Hearn-Haynes | 5.20% | 1,205 | |
| Republican | Al Zolli | 2.69% | 623 | |
| Total Votes | 23,180 | |||
2014
- See also: Texas State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for 15 of the 31 seats in the Texas State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on March 4, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was December 9, 2013. Paul Bettencourt defeated James Wilson in the Republican primary. Jim Davis ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. Bettencourt defeated Davis and Whitney Bilyeu (L) in the general election.[1][8][9]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Paul Bettencourt |
71.8% | 123,551 | |
| Democratic | Jim Davis | 26.3% | 45,230 | |
| Libertarian | Whitney Bilyeu | 1.9% | 3,244 | |
| Total Votes | 172,025 | |||
Campaign themes
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Michael Shawn Kelly completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Kelly's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
All three deal with realistic public school funding: 1. Increase number of teachers in classroom. 2. Insure teachers have materials available to accomplish goals. 3. Full and fairly fund teacher retirement and health insurance.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
Public Education: it is the foundation for all we cherish in our communities - great neighborhoods, prospering local businesses, and low crime. Health Care: untreated illness because of lack of funds is the easiest inequity we can fix as a society. Develop a trend to once again work with all political parties for the good of all that live in Texas. As a conservative Democrat that once was an ultra conservative Republican, I believe I have the chance to bridge the hateful divide which now plagues our politics.
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
Jack Kemp, the "bleeding heart conservative"...he had fiscal common sense and a will to allow government to initiate help for those in need. John Kasich, for trying to bring respect and honor to politics. Gandhi, for not allowing great odds stop him from inspiring the needy to use non-violent means to affect change.
Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?
West Wing, tv...what we should be. Bulworth, movie...what we unfortunately are.
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
Power (but not what most mean by it)...true power lies in presenting a plan of action that is so compelling that others are willing to sacrifice personal wealth and status for the gain of everyone.
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
The ability listen to all sides, to discuss the goals of all sides, and then to articulate a plan which most will agree to pursue.
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
The ability to form goals which correlate to the real desires of our population and then to present these goals in a way that draws at least some agreement amongst most of our people.
What legacy would you like to leave?
Bringing people together for common goals which benefit all.
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?
In second grade I lived in Washington D.C. when Kennedy was shot.
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
I was a caddy at Butterfield Country Club in Oakbrook, Illinois for 3 years (7th, 8th, and 9th grade summers).
What happened on your most awkward date?
January 2nd...will I keep those resolutions?
What is your favorite holiday? Why?
Christmas...seeing the joy and hope in the eyes of children.
What is your favorite book? Why?
Almost anything by Carl Hiasen...I love his humor and the geography of Florida.
If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?
James Bond...no one should have to ask why.
What is your favorite thing in your home or apartment? Why?
Books...they always represent new thoughts, old wisdom and new possibilities..
What was the last song that got stuck in your head?
Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude by Jimmy Buffett.
What is something that has been a struggle in your life?
My weight.
Every state besides Nebraska has two legislative chambers. What do you consider the most important differences between the legislative chambers in your state?
Common Sense.
Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?
Not in Texas.
What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?
Reasonable public school funding.
Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.
Easy answer...it's always beneficial to develop good relationships with everyone.
What process do you favor for redistricting?
Yes. Texas is a Gerrymandered mess.
If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?
Finance is most important...How we spend money shows all priorities.
If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the legislature, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?
Yes, in order to bring decency to adversarial relationships.
Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?
Barbara Jordan.
Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?
No
Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?
There are many with the same thread. They came to Texas with hope of a new beginning. Their hopes were crushed by some person or event...but they did not give up. Then some wonderful Texan stopped and showed them the spirit of hope, faith, and initiative they though Texas was all about and they were inspired to work through their problems and are now reaching their goals. A beautiful story of resilience I hear over and over.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
- State legislative elections, 2018
- Texas House of Representatives elections, 2018
- State legislative special elections, 2018
- Texas State Legislature
- Texas State Senate
- Texas State Senate elections, 2014
- Texas House of Representatives
- Texas House of Representatives District 150
- Texas House of Representatives elections, 2016
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Campaign website
- Campaign Facebook page
- Texas State Legislature
- Texas House of Representatives
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Texas Secretary of State, "1992 - Current ELECTION HISTORY," accessed December 2, 2014
- ↑ Facebook, "Michael Shawn Kelly for District 150," accessed February 18, 2018
- ↑ Michael Shawn Kelly | For State Rep District 150, "Bio," accessed February 18, 2018
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Important 2016 Election Dates," accessed December 14, 2015
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2016 General Election," accessed December 2, 2016
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Texas Secretary of State, "2016 March Primary Election Candidate Filings by County," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Texas Secretary of State, "1992 - Current Election History results," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ Green Party of Texas, "Greens Release Candidate List," accessed July 26, 2014
- ↑ The Libertarian Party of Texas, "2014 Texas Senate Candidates List," accessed July 26, 2014
