Joan Huffman
| Joan Huffman | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Texas Senate from the 17th district |
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Assumed office 2008 |
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| Preceded by | Kyle Janek |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1956 Southside Place, Harris County Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Keith Lawyer |
| Alma mater |
Louisiana State University South Texas College of Law |
| Profession | Attorney |
Joan J. Huffman (born 1956) is a Republican member of the 31-member Texas State Senate from District 17, which includes a portion of populous Harris County. At the time her service began, Huffman was the sixth then serving female member of the chamber.
A native of Houston, Huffman holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and a Juris Doctor degree from the South Texas College of Law in Houston. Prior to her Senate tenure, Huffman was judge of the 183rd Criminal District Court in Harris County. Prior to the judgeship she was chief felony prosecutor for the Harris County District Attorney's office.
Only one in five voters participated in the special election for the Texas Senate held on December 16, 2008. Huffman defeated her Democratic opponent, Chris Bell, a former one-term member of the United States House of Representatives, 24,431 (56 percent) to 19,104 (44 percent). Bell was his party's unsuccessful Democratic gubernatorial nominee in 2006, having lost in a five-candidate general election to Republican Governor Rick Perry, 39-30 percent.
Bell had led in the initial balloting on November 4, when the first round of the special election was held in conjunction with the presidential and congressional elections. He obtained 38 percent of the vote to Huffman's 26 percent. Bell and a second Democratic contender, Stephanie Simmons, had a combined 52 percent in the first round. The runoff contest, however, allowed Huffman to consolidate supporters of three other Republican candidates, Austen H. Furse (born 1960), Kenneth R. Sherman (born 1962), and Grant P. Harpold (born 1963), who trailed in the first balloting. Huffman's term extends to January 2011. She succeeds Senator Kyle Janek, a Republican physician who resigned earlier that year for business reasons.
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