Luther Dazzles As Primary Nears
Senator Bob Hall, Ag. Commissioner Sid Miller turn out to promote the famed Dallas Hairdresser.
(Senator Bob Hall (left), Agricultural Commissioner Sid Miller (center), Shelley Luther (right)
Many of the big guns of conservative Texas politics turned out to support Shelley Luther’s candidacy for House District 62, last night.
Luther is in a primary rematch against three-term incumbent Reggie Smith to represent Delta, Fannin, and Grayson Counties in the Texas legislature.
Luther is the famed Dallas Salon Owner and pandemic-era heroine who was jailed for standing up against unconstitutional COVID restrictions in the late spring of 2020.
She was joined by State Senator Bob Hall and Agricultural Commissioner Sid Miller.
Luther opened her comments with a joke about the fact that although she had been to jail, she promised she would not steal anyone’s wallet. The audience laughed and was engaged.
The candidate shared her struggles since the pandemic which included 7 strokes during a near-fatal brain aneurysm in 2023 and her decision to launch this campaign late last year.
The senator, the commissioner, and Luther hammered three main topics in their remarks; immigration, Phelan/Paxton, and education.
The trio was adamant in their support for strong action on the border including the current barricading of Eagle Pass.
Luther struck a serious tone on this issue.“We don’t have a lot of time to fix this,” Luther said, “If Texas goes, the nation goes.’
When Cowtown Caller asked Luther what else she believed should be done to secure the border, the candidate responded “Elect Donald Trump.”
The failed Paxton impeachment, which outraged conservatives last summer, loomed large in the consciousness of the evening.
Hall, who voted to acquit Paxton, repeatedly slammed the impeachment as a sham. The senator criticized the lack of evidence introduced against the Texas Attorney General and the fact that witnesses who testified against Paxton were not sworn.
Luther concurred and committed herself to “[voting] no” on the re-election of Dade Phelan as Texas’s Speaker of The House.
In one interesting remark, if elected, Luther committed herself to publishing a monthly newsletter identifying those who were obstructing priority legislation in the Texas House of Representatives.
Education was the main focus of the evening and consumed nearly an hour’s worth of discourse in the Q&A portion.
Voters asked Miller about nutrition in public schools, Hall about prior education bills, and Luther about her support for school vouchers.
School vouchers were a focus of two of the four special sessions called in the Texas Legislature last year, without a compromise passing in either session.
Luther, a former teacher of 13 years, made her support for vouchers, otherwise known as “school choice” well known.
She explained her position like this “Anything you put in the free market is made better, are we afraid of making school better?”
This was a point Luther repeated several times throughout the evening. She emphasized her belief that market competition between public schools and private educational institutions would improve educational outcomes across the board.
One questioner, a mother who appeared to be in her early 40s, admitted she was conflicted on school vouchers before asking Luther a series of questions about her position.
Then a rare sight occurred in modern politics, someone’s opinion flipped swiftly and in real time. By the end of the exchange, the voter claimed that Luther had persuaded her, “Your free market analogy makes sense,” she said, “I get it.”
(Jimmy Helms for Constable (right, microphone), Jessica Arnold for District Attorney (center), Kyle Shaw for 336 District Court (center left), Troy Waggoner for County Commissioner Precinct 1)
A variety of other candidates briefly introduced themselves in a forum at the event at Solid Rock Pentecostal Church in Bonham, Texas. These candidates included everything from Constable to uncontested precinct officials.
Early voting for the Republican Primary starts on February 20th.
The Primary Election Day is March 5th.
For more information:
Luther’s campaign website: (LINK)
Luther’s Twitter: (LINK)
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