Steve Toth
Steve Hixson Toth | |
|---|---|
| Texas State Representative from District 15 (The Woodlands in Montgomery County) | |
| Assumed office January 8, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Rob Eissler |
| Succeeded by | Mark Keough |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 29, 1960 |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Babette Jayne Toth |
| Children | Three children |
| Residence(s) | The Woodlands Montgomery County, Texas |
| Alma mater | Pittsford Mendon High School Rochester Bible College |
| Occupation | Businessman and former pastor |
Steven Hixson Toth (born November 29, 1960)[1] is a businessman in The Woodlands, Texas, who is a departing one-term Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 15, based entirely in suburban Montgomery County, part of the Houston Metro area in the southeastern portion of the state.[2]
Background
Toth attended Pittsford Mendon High School in the Pittsford Central School District in suburban Rochester, New York. He also attended the former Rochester Bible College.[3]
Toth owns Acclaim Pools and My Pool Xpert in The Woodlands. He is a former pastor at Family Life Ministries of the Fellowship of The Woodlands, a congregation now known as The Woodlands Church.[4] He is currently an elder and teacher at another non-denominational congregation, WoodsEdge Community Church also in The Woodlands, Texas.[1]
On both his personal Facebook page and his politically oriented Steve Toth for Texas Page, Toth is quite assertive in the expression of his Faith and personal relationship with Jesus Christ. However on these same pages Toth articulates strong positions against aid to the poor, the hungry, the sick and those seeking refuge from oppression and violence. Toth also openly advocates an economic and tax structure which benefits millionaires and billionaires at the expense of the least among us. Finally he partakes in advancing the widely debunked lies that Obamacare kills people via "Death panels". One must wonder how sincere his commitment to Christ and his teaching are.
Toth and his wife, Babette Jayne Toth (born 1957), have three children.[5]They have resided in The Woodlands since 1997.[4]
Political life
In the 2012 Republican primary for the District 15 House seat, the more conservative Toth unseated the five-term incumbent, Rob Eissler, 9,630 (56.5 percent) to 7,420 (43.5 percent).[6]In the general election, Toth defeated the Libertarian Party nominee, Sterling Russell 57,520 (86.6 percent) to 8,872 (13.4 percent). No Democrat sought the seat.[7]
Representative Toth was a member of two House committees: Corrections and Criminal Jurisprudence.[1]
In his first legislative session in 2013, Toth authored and carried the CSCOPE Transparency bill in the House. The bill brought the CSCOPE (Common Core) curriculum under the purview of the Texas State Board of Education. Toth was a co-sponsor of the measure which drew the most attention of the session, the forbidding of abortion after twenty weeks of gestation; the bill passed the House, 96-49. He voted for companion legislation to increase medical and licensing requirements of abortion providers. Texas Right to Life rated him 112 percent favorable.[8] Right to Life gave his predecessor Rob Eissler only 56 percent in Eissler's last term in 2011.[9][10]
Toth co-sponsored legislation to provide marshals for school security. He opposed the bill requiring the immunization of minors without parental consent, a measure which the House nevertheless approved, 71-61. He co-sponsored the law to extend the franchise tax exemption to certain businesses. He co-sponsored the bill to require testing for narcotics of those receiving unemployment compensation. He authored the Firearms Protection Act restricting federal control and regulations of firearms. He also supported another law allowing college and university officials to carry concealed weapons in the name of campus security. He voted for the redistricting bills for the state House, the Texas Senate, and the United States House of Representatives. He voted against term limits for certain state officials because the legislation exempted both House and Senate Members. [11]
In 2013, Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle Forum, managed in Texas by Cathie Adams, a former state chairman of the Texas Republican Party, rated Toth 95 percent favorable, as did the Young Conservatives of Texas. Eagle Forum gave Eissler a rating of only 36 percent in 2011.[10]The interest group, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, founded by Michael Quinn Sullivan, rated him 92 percent, compared to 25 percent for Eissler in 2011.[10] The Texas Association of Business gave him an 80 percent score. He ranked 57 percent from the Texas League of Conservation Voters and 92 percent by the National Rifle Association.[9]
Election of 2014
Toth did not seek a second term in House District 15 in the Republican primary on March 4, 2014. Instead he ran for the District 4 seat in the Texas Senate, vacated in the fall of 2013 by the resignation of Republican Tommy Williams of The Woodlands, who accepted a position with Texas A&M University in College Station.[12] Toth faced intraparty opposition for the Senate vacancy from neighboring District 16 Representative Brandon Creighton of Conroe, who left the House after four terms, Richard Finely "Gordy" Bunch (born 1972), a native of San Diego, California, who serves on The Woodlands township council, and Michael Galloway, an oil and gas developer who formerly held the District 4 seat in the 1990s.[4]
The Republican nominee to replace Representative Toth in District 15 is Mark Keough, who polled 57.4% in the March 4 primary election.[13]Keough was then unopposed in the November 4, 2014, general election.
In the May 10, 2014, special election Toth came in second place behind the Creighton.[14] Creighton received 45.2%, Toth 23.7%, Bunch 21.8%, and Galloway 9.3%.[14] Toth and Creighton then met in a runoff election on August 5, 2014.[14]
In the special election runoff, Toth was defeated by Creighton 67.37 to 32.6 percent.[15][16] Rice University political science professor Mark Jones said both Creighton and Toth “are significantly more conservative than Williams.”[17]
- 2014 Special Election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Brandon Creighton | 13,705 | 45.18 | |
| Republican | Steve H. Toth | 7,193 | 23.71 | |
| Republican | Gordy Bunch | 6,612 | 21.80 | |
| Republican | Michael Galloway | 2,818 | 9.29 | |
| Total votes | 30,328 | 100 | ||
References
- ^ a b c "Steve Toth's Biography". votesmart.org. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
- ^ "Steve Toth". Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
- ^ "Steve B. Toth". intelius.com. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Chris Contelesse, "Gordy Bunch, Steve Toth, Brandon Creighton vie for state Senate", October 24, 2013". yourhoustonnews.com. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
- ^ "State Rep. Steve Toth District 15 (R-The Woodlands". The Texas Tribune.
{{cite web}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help); Missing or empty|url=(help) - ^ "Republican primary election returns (House District 15), May 29, 2012". elections.sos.state.tx.us. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
- ^ "2012 General election returns (House District 15)". elections.sos.state.tx.us. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
- ^ "Legislative ratings". texasrighttolife.com. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
- ^ a b "Steve Toth's Ratings and Endorsements". votesmart.org. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Rob Eissler's Ratings and Endorsements". votesmart.org. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
- ^ "Steve Toth's Voting Records". votesmart.org. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
- ^ "Allen Reed, Texas Sen. Tommy Williams to leave Senate; may take job at Texas A&M University System, October 4, 2013". Bryan-College Station Eagle. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Republican primary election returns, March 4, 2014". team1.sos.state.tx.us. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
- ^ a b c d Ramsey, Ross. Updated: Special Election to Fill Empty Senate Seat, Texas Tribune, May 10, 2014.
- ^ Okun, Eli; John Reynolds (August 5, 2014). "Creighton Easily Wins Special State Senate Race". Texas Tribune. Retrieved August 5, 2014.
- ^ Creighton win District 4 State Senate runoff election with commanding lead, WoodslandsOnline, August 5, 2014.
- ^ Tim Eaton (August 5, 2014). "Brandon Creighton to represent Houston area in state Senate". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
- ^ Special Election Results, Secretary of State of Texas, May 10, 2014.
