Tony Tinderholt | |
|---|---|
| Member of theTexas House of Representatives from the94th district | |
| Assumed office January 13, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Diane Patrick |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1970-08-31)August 31, 1970 (age 54) Chippewa County,Minnesota, USA |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 3 |
| Residence(s) | Arlington,Tarrant County Texas, USA |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Website | tonytinderholt |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service |
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| Battles/wars | Iraq War |
Tony Dale Tinderholt (born August 13, 1970) is an American politician who isRepublican member of theTexas House of Representatives fromArlington,Texas currently representingDistrict 94. On January 13, 2015, Tinderholt succeededDiane Patrick, a four-term representative whom he unseated in the Republicanprimary election on March 4, 2014.
Tinderholt won the 2014 Republican nomination over four-term incumbentDiane Patrick,[1] 7,489 votes (55.44 percent) to 6,018 (44.55 percent).[2] Tinderholt was endorsed in his primary challenge by the right-wing groupEmpower Texans, which targeted Patrick for comparatively moderate positions.[1][3]Texas Observer described Tinderholt as possibly the mostfar-right political candidate in Texas in that year.[3]
In the November 2014 general election, Tinderholt, with 23,034 votes (56.64 percent), defeatedDemocrat Cole Ballweg andLibertarian Robert Harris, who received 16,461 (40.47 percent) and 1,172 (2.88 percent), respectively.[4]
In thegeneral election held on November 6, 2018, Tinderholt won his third legislative term. With 32,448 votes (52.49 percent), he defeated Democrat Finnigan Jones, who received 27,145 votes (43.91 percent). Another 2,230 votes (3.61 percent) went to Libertarian candidate Jessica Pallett.[5]
In 2015, Tinderholt filed a handwritten complaint with the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct, criticizing judicial rulings regardingsame-sex marriage. The complaint was riddled with errors, naming the wrong judge (Tinderholt named Judge David Wahlberg, rather than against Judge Guy Herman, the judge who had made the ruling about which Tinderholt complained) and incorrectly asserting that the judge "deliberately violated" a state law requiring a notification to the state attorney general's office prior to striking down a law as unconstitutional (Judge Herman did in fact make the notification to the state attorney general).[6][7]
In January 2017, Tinderholt introduced House Bill 948, the "Abolition of Abortion in Texas Act." The bill seeks to criminalizeabortions that take place after the "moment of fertilization."[8][9] The abortion ban would make it legal to charge both the woman and her doctor with murder. In an interview with theTexas Observer, Tinderholt explained why he introduced the bill:
"I don't think that there should be any exceptions to murder, no matter what. So, if this child was out of the womb and it was a child that was born out of rape or incest, no one would be OK with killing a child. I look at it like that child is a child in the womb, just like it's out. [...] Right now, it's real easy. Right now, they don't make it important to be personally responsible because they know that they have a backup of 'oh, I can just go get an abortion.' Now, we both know that consenting adults don't always think smartly sometimes. But consenting adults need to also consider the repercussions of the sexual relationship that they're gonna have, which is a child."[10]
The bill would also criminalize abortions resulting fromrape andincest.[11]
On March 21, 2017, Tinderholt criticized then RepresentativeByron Cook ofCorsicana for Cook's refusal to hold a hearing before the House State Affairs Committee on Tinderholt's proposed ban on abortion in Texas. Cook said that the office ofAttorney GeneralKen Paxton has called the measure "unconstitutional" and therefore no hearing will be set. Tinderholt accused Cook of "hiding behind the office of attorney general" so as to block a vote on the legislation.[12]
In 2017, Tinderholt supported a "bathroom bill" proposed by two fellow Republican state lawmakers, RepresentativeRon Simmons and SenatorLois Kolkhorst; the legislation would have nullified anti-discrimination ordinances adopted by Texas cities and counties protecting transgender Texans' access to public restrooms that matched theirgender identity.[13]
Tinderholt supports a ban on Democrats being given committee chairmanships as long as the Republicans hold the majority of seats in the Texas House.[14]
An analysis of votes from the 2023 regular session of the Texas Legislature, conducted byRice University'sJames A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, ranked Patterson as the sixth-most conservative member of the state House, based on votes cast.[15]
In May 2023, Tinderholt voted against theimpeachment ofTexas Attorney GeneralKen Paxton.[16]
Tinderholt has been married five times.[6] His current wife, Bethany Tyler, is a formerDallas Cowboys cheerleader.[6] He married Kimberly Greaves in 1990; they divorced in 1994, re-married in 1995, and divorced again in 1996.[6] Other marriages lasted from 1996 to 1997, and 2002 to 2007.[6]
Tinderholt has two children from a previous marriage and a daughter with Bethany Tyler.[17]
Tinderholt has a titaniumaortic valve replacement. In 2020, he was hospitalized withCOVID-19.[18]
| Texas House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 94th district 2015–present | Incumbent |
