Charles Schwertner | |
|---|---|
| President pro tempore of the Texas Senate | |
| In office May 29, 2023 – January 14, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Kelly Hancock |
| Succeeded by | Brandon Creighton |
| Member of theTexas Senate from the5th district | |
| Assumed office January 8, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Steve Ogden |
| Member of theTexas House of Representatives from the20th district | |
| In office January 11, 2011 – January 8, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Dan Gattis |
| Succeeded by | Marsha Farney |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Charles Jeffrey Schwertner (1970-05-29)May 29, 1970 (age 55)[1][2] Tuscaloosa, Alabama, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Belinda |
| Education | University of Texas at Austin (BS) University of Texas Medical Branch (MD) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | Campaign website |
Charles Jeffrey Schwertner (born May 29, 1970) is an Americanorthopedic surgeon andpolitician who has represented the5th district in theTexas Senate since 2013. A member of theRepublican Party, he served aspresident pro tempore of the Texas Senate from 2023 to 2025 and represented the20th district in theTexas House of Representatives from 2011 to 2013.
Schwertner serves as chairman of the Senate Committee on Business and Commerce.[3] He is also a member of the Senate Committees on Economic Development, Finance, State Affairs, and Disaster Preparedness and Flooding.[4]
Schwertner was first elected to theTexas House of Representatives in2010.[5] He represented the20th district in the Texas House from 2011 to 2013.[6] During his first term, he ran forTexas Senate and won the2012 Texas Senate election with 72 percent of the vote.[7] In2014, he was re-elected to the Texas Senate and served in the84th Texas Legislature.[8] He was re-elected to the Senate again in2018.[9]
In 2021, Senator Schwertner passed SB 3[10] to substantively reform theTexas power grid[11] in the aftermath of aseries of major winter storms that left many Texans without power for several days.[12] These changes included requiring the weatherization of critical power generation, natural gas, and electrical transmission infrastructure;[13] instituting an emergency alert system to notify Texans about extended power outages;[14] and reforming the electric market to increase generation capacity and improve the reliability of the state’s power grid.[15]
In 2021, Senator Schwertner sponsored HB 1927,[16] also known as the "constitutional carry" law. The law allows anyone who can legally own a firearm to carry it – in a holster – in public, for the first time since Reconstruction. HB 1927 doesn't change eligibility for gun ownership; the law still requires that an individual be at least 18 years old and can not have served a sentence for a felony or family violence within the last five years. The law also adds some other misdemeanors to the list for those who want to carry, including assault causing bodily injury, deadly conduct, terroristic threat, and disorderly conduct with a firearm. Texas is now the 20th state to pass a "constitutional carry" law.[17]
In 2025, Schwertner introduced SB 21, a bill creating theTexas Strategic Bitcoin Reserve which allows the State of Texas to purchase digital cryptocurrency as a strategic reserve.[18] After passing the House and the Senate, the bill was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott on June 22, 2025.[19] FollowingArizona andNew Hampshire, Texas is the third state to enact legislation creating a bitcoin reserve on the state level.[20]
On October 8, 2018, theUniversity of Texas at Austin hiredJohnny Sutton, a former federal prosecutor, to investigate claims that Schwertner sent sexually-explicit text messages to a female graduate student and whether suchharassment could be a violation ofTitle IX, afederalcivil rights law.[21] The University of Texas ultimately concluded its investigation of Schwertner, stating that the “available evidence does not support a finding" that he had violated university policy or Title IX.[22] In February 2023, Schwertner was arrested for driving while intoxicated inAustin, Texas. The charges were dropped in July the same year.[23]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Charles Schwertner (incumbent) | 192,146 | 71.6 | ||
| Libertarian | Tommy Estes | 76,317 | 28.4 | ||
| Total votes | 268,463 | 100.0 | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Charles Schwertner (incumbent) | 182,550 | 55.34 | −9.63 | |
| Democratic | Meg Walsh | 136,792 | 41.47 | +10.24 | |
| Libertarian | Amy Lyons | 10,500 | 3.18 | −0.61 | |
| Total votes | 329,842 | 100.0 | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Charles Schwertner | 112,930 | 64.97 | −12.16 | |
| Democratic | Joel Shapiro | 54,286 | 31.23 | +31.23 | |
| Libertarian | Matthew Whittington | 6,595 | 3.79 | −19.07 | |
| Turnout | 173,811 | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Charles J. Schwertner | 182,554 | 77.14 | ||
| Libertarian | Jeffery Fox | 54,107 | 22.86 | ||
| Majority | 128,447 | 54.28 | |||
| Turnout | 236,661 | ||||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Charles J. Schwertner | 44,901 | 82.55 | ||
| Libertarian | David Floyd | 9,490 | 17.45 | ||
| Majority | 35,411 | 65.1 | |||
| Turnout | 54,391 | ||||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Texas Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | President pro tempore of the Texas Senate 2023–2025 | Succeeded by |
Members of theTexas Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
89th Texas Legislature (2025)
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