Todd Staples

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Douglas Todd Staples (born August 24, 1963)^[1] is the current Texas Commissioner of Agriculture. Previously he was a Republican member of the Texas State Senate, having represented District 3 from 2001-2007. From 1995-2001, Staples was a member of the Texas House of Representatives from Palestine, the seat of his native Anderson County in east Texas. Prior to his legislative service, Staples served on the nonpartisan Palestine (pronounced PAL ES TEEN) City Council.

Staples was unopposed for the Republican nomination for agriculture commissioner when the incumbent Susan Combs ran instead and was elected state comptroller to succeed Carole Strayhorn. Staples defeated Democrat Hank Gilbert and Libertarian Clay Woolam in the November 7, 2006, general election. Staples received 2,307,406 votes (54.77 percent), a margin of some 547,000 over second-place candidate Gilbert.

As commissioner, Staples is a strong advocate of protecting private property rights and the wise use of natural resources. Staples oversees the divisions of pesticide use, regulatory programs, and food and nutrition, and the calibration of scales in stores and gasoline pumps.

Staples graduated from Palestine High School, where he was an active member of the Future Farmers of America. He was elected the state vice-president of the organization in 1981-1982. In 1984, he graduated with honors with a degree in agricultural economics from Texas A&M University in College Station. He started a family business, Staples Nursery, and then became involved in the production of cattle with a friend. He also owned a real estate business, which included farms and ranches. Staples and his wife, Janet, have four grown children: Brian Thorn, Jonathan Thorn, Jared Staples, and Elizabeth Staples.

In the state Senate, Saples served on the Natural Resources Committee and as a chairman of the Transportation and Homeland Security Committee. His District 3 includes the fourteen counties of Anderson, Angelina (Lufkin), Cherokee, Hardin, Henderson (Athens, Jasper, Nacogdoches, Newton, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby (Center), and Tyler (not the city of Tyler in Smith County).

Contents 1 Election history 1.1 Most recent election 1.1.1 2006 1.2 Previous elections 1.2.1 2002 1.2.2 2000 2 References 3 External links

[edit] Election history

[edit] Most recent election

[edit] 2006

Texas general election, 2006: Texas Commissioner of Agriculture[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Todd Staples	2,307,406	54.77	-4.77
	Democratic	Hank Gilbert	1,760,402	41.79	+3.97
	Libertarian	Clay Woolam	144,989	3.44	+2.26
Majority			547,004	12.98	-8.74
Turnout			4,212,797		-4.85
	Republican hold

[edit] Previous elections

[edit] 2002

Texas general election, 2002: Senate District 3[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Todd Staples	119,993	88.23	+27.59
	Libertarian	Michael Carter	53,201	31.83	+11.77
Majority			103,992	76.47	+55.18
Turnout			135,994		-45.92
	Republican hold

[edit] 2000

Texas general election, 2000: Senate District 3[4]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Todd Staples	152,514	60.64	+10.55
	Democratic	David Fisher	98,976	39.36	-10.55
Majority			53,538	21.29	+21.10
Turnout			251,490		+20.88
	Republican hold

Republican primary, 2000: Senate District 3[5]
Candidate		Votes	%	±%
	Van Brookshire	4,875	11.08
	Les Tarrance	8,816	18.05
✓	Todd Staples	20,367	70.15
Majority		21,522	52.10
Turnout		29,183

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Campaign site

Preceded by Elton Bomer	Member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 11 (Palestine) 1995–2001	Succeeded by Chuck Hopson
Preceded by Drew Nixon	Texas State Senator from District 3 (Palestine) 2001–2007	Succeeded by Robert Nichols
Preceded by Susan Combs	Texas Commissioner of Agriculture 2007 – present	Incumbent