Texas Senate District 3 election

Q1: How will you address the overturn of Roe v. Wade in the upcoming legislative session?

Q2:When it comes to school safety in the aftermath of events like Uvalde, what measures should the Legislature pursue to keep it from happening again?

Q3: Does the Legislature need to provide more opportunities for flood mitigation funding?

If so, what might some of those opportunities look like?

Q4:What is the most consistent problem that you hear from voters and taxpayers in District 3, and how do plan to address their concerns in the upcoming session as their representative?

Robert Nichols (I) Party affiliation:

Republican

Age: Over 65 Occupation: Retired, formerly plastics manufacturer.

Built and ran four plastics manufacturing facilities.

Highest level of education pursued or completed:

Obtained a Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering from Lamar University Volunteer work, endorsements or previously held elected office (up to three):

· City councilman and Mayor, Jacksonville, Texas (9 year of service total)

· Texas Department of Transportation Commissioner (first appointed by Governor Bush and reappointed by Governor Perry, 8 and a half years of service total)

· Texas State Senator (elected in 2006, held office since then).

A1: I will be following any legislation related to abortion issues.

A2: I'm grateful that Lt. Governor Patrick appointed me chair of the Senate Special Committee to Protect All Texans.We held two public hearings that totaled 27 hours of testimony regarding school safety, mental health, social media, police training and firearm safety. After that testimony, we began writing a report on recommendations for the Legislature to address those topics. I believe these recommendations will reflect a consensus of the 11 bipartisan committee members and identify the need for statutory and funding changes and best practices. We found that these subjects are multifaceted and interconnected.

It is my sincere hope that the work of this committee reflects the will of the Legislature and will have lasting, impactful change on school safety in Texas.

A3: The Legislature has funded $400 million over the past two budget cycles for the Coastal Spine. We intend on asking for an additional $200 million this budget cycle to continue funding that project. We also created the Gulf Coast Protection District consisting of five coastal counties to continue to protect those areas. I have visited both Jefferson County Drainage Districts 6 and 7 to learn which projects they are working on and which projects they are planning to identify funding needs and funding categories at the state level.

A4: The most consistent problem I've heard from voters is high property taxes. Texans need and deserve property tax relief and I look forward to working with other members and leadership on solutions to continue to provide that relief.

Steve Russell Party affiliation:

Democrat

Age: 68

Occupation: Church pastor and self-employed airport shuttle business Highest level of education pursued or completed:

Obtained Bachelor of Arts from Stephen F. Austin State University in 1975 with double majors in history and English; Obtained a Master's Degree in 1980 General Pastoral Ministry from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Volunteer work, endorsements or previously held elected office:

· Texas Parks and Wildlife Department volunteer hunter education instructor Hall of Fame inductee 2014

· No endorsement sought, trying to represent everyone, not select groups and their special interests.

· No previous political offices.

A1: I would support legislation to make abortions legal, very safe, very early and very rare through expanded, comprehensive health care for women, including methods of birth control and family planning.

Abortion should be a last resort after healthy contraceptive measures fail. I would support more education and a variety of venues for delivering the message of intentional family planning instead of "recreational" sexual activity. And I would support loosening of adoption laws for live births. Most of us who have raised children have done so in homes that would rank about 3 1/2 stars out of 5 and our kids have done all right.

It's time for adoption rules to quit requiring 6-star homes and get our children into less than perfect homes with parents who will love them.

A2: I have proposed that responsible gun owners like myself participate in mass shooting prevention conversations.

Among our Second Amendment rights, the right to ignore the problem is not among them. I have proposed that we repeal "constitutional carry" and replace it with "responsible carry" with additional training and background checks for those who desire expansion of how and where firearms may be carried.

But more than any other measure, I think it is time for schools to hire trained law enforcement personnel, just like they would teachers, paid for by state funds based on the public schools' student populations. Teachers should never be armed defenders of a school. They have enough responsibilities.

And we need to restore character education to our schools.

A3: Should the state become a flood insurance provider? No. The state might create an "emergency fund" for unexpected catastrophes of all kinds.

A4: The most salient challenge facing Texans everywhere is illegal immigration because it has so many tentacles reaching into so many aspects of our society. I favor the total revamping of our federal immigration laws, a "guest worker" program when needed and rejecting the flow of illegal immigrants.

Immigration is a national problem; Texas just happens to be on the border.

For that reason, until the federal government revises immigration laws, I totally support Gov. Abbott's transfer of illegals back to their home countries or to other parts of the U.S. where resources are not strained.

Desarae Lindsey Lindsey did not return multiple requests for comment.

Information taken from Texas Secretary of State 2022 General Election candidate information and Lindsey's campaign website included comment on school safety and flood mitigation:

Party affiliation:

Libertarian

Occupation: Escrow Officer Abortion Issue: "Our bodies are not your choice! We all stand in solidarity! On September 1, 2021, SB 8 went into effect here in Texas, essentially banning abortions beyond 6 weeks.

Most women don't know they're pregnant until 9 to 12 weeks. SB8 and SB315 are collectively a dystopian and misogynistic war on women.

Our bodily autonomy cannot be left to the whims of the state. Bureaucrats in Austin and Washington, D.C. do not represent us; they are bought and sold by malignant corporate interests at the expense of the least economically privileged. SB8 provides for private citizens to sue other private citizens and medical providers who assist anyone anywhere in any way in obtaining an abortion after six weeks. Most women don't know they're pregnant until between 10 and 12 weeks. This dystopian move will serve to further divide the public; we Texans have the potential to face untold consequences from neighbor spying on neighbor and family turning in family.

In other misogynistic deeds by out of touch men who purport to serve the public but, again, cause grave harm, thousands of Texans found themselves suddenly and unexpectedly unemployed this past spring. A new law, SB315 found many young people suddenly and unexpectedly unemployed.

A prohibition on any sexually oriented business employing workers under 21 took effect. This includes, but is not limited to, exotic dancers, cocktail waitresses, and even bartenders, barbacks, valets, etc. Candidate Lindsey was a stripper from ages 19 - 22.

She stands with workers of all types, particularly those most oppressed by the state. Senate District 3 incumbent Robert Nichols, who voted for SB8 and was a primary sponsor for SB315, has had a long record of backing terrible bills that trample the rights of women." Platform's Mission:

"We must work to ensure equal freedoms, rights, and opportunities for ALL individuals and to protect our home, Mother Earth. We must take bold stands. We must love and protect ourselves and one another.

Government can no longer serve as a barrier for anyone seeking to improve their lives and those of their families and their neighbors. The state, in its current form, must be called to stop pitting us against one another or true progress will never be ensured for every single individual.

Until our goals are realized, we stand and we fight. Together. WITH and FOR one another, always."