Stuart Spitzer

Stuart Keith Spitzer (born 1967) is a general surgeon from Kaufman, Texas, who is a former Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 4, which encompasses Kaufman County and part of Spitzer's native Henderson County east of Dallas.

Stuart Keith Spitzer, M.D.
Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 4th district
In office January 13, 2015 – January 10, 2017
Preceded by	Lance Gooden
Succeeded by	Lance Gooden
Personal details
Born	1967 (age 52–53) Athens, Texas, U.S.
Nationality	American
Spouse(s)	Shari Jo Knight Spitzer
Children	2
Residence	Kaufman, Kaufman County, Texas
Alma mater	Athens High School Trinity Valley Community College Baylor University University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Occupation	Surgeon

Background

Spitzer was born and reared in Athens in Henderson County in East Texas, where his parents still reside. Spitzer recalls as a youth having mowed baseball fields in the day and umpiring softball games at night. He helped a grandfather to plow cotton fields and hunted and fished on a family ranch in Central Texas. "From this upbringing, I learned respect for God, the outdoors, others, and a hard day's work," he said.[1]

Spitzer graduated from Athens High School and Trinity Valley Community College in Athens. He then obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from Southern Baptist-affiliated Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and his M.D. degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas.

Political life

In 2012, Spitzer ran for the House but lost the party nomination to the then incumbent Lance Gooden. Spitzer polled 5,545 votes (46.5 percent) to Gooden's 6,385 votes (53.5 percent).[2] Gooden was then unopposed in the November 6, 2012 general election for his second term.

In his second bid for the office on March 4, 2014, Spitzer unseated Gooden in the Republican primary. Spitzer polled 8,421 votes (51 percent) to Gooden's 8,079 (49 percent).[3] Speaker Joe Straus of San Antonio made a campaign stop for Gooden's behalf in Forney in Kaufman County, a month before the primary election. Accompanying Straus to Forney was State Senator Bob Deuell, a pediatrician from Greenville in Hunt County.[4] A few weeks later Duell was himself unseated in the May 27 runoff election by the Tea Party movement choice, Bob Hall of Van Zandt County.

Spitzer lost a rematch with Lance Gooden in the Republican primary held on March 1, 2016.[5] Gooden polled 14,500 votes (51.8 percent) to Spitzer's 13,502 (48.2 percent).[6]

Spitzer has promoted abstinence only education as a means of HIV and STD prevention, citing his Baptist belief that everyone should remain abstinent from sexual activity until marriage.[7][8][9]

Personal life

Spitzer and his wife, the former Shari Jo Knight, have two children, Lilly and Luke.[1]

References

1. "About Stuart Spitzer". stuartspitzer.com. Archived from the original on April 4, 2015. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
2. "Republican primary election returns, May 29, 2012". enr.sos.state.tx.us. Archived from the original on June 10, 2012. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
3. "Republican primary election returns, March 4, 2014". enr.sos.state.tx.us. Archived from the original on March 5, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
4. "Denise Bell, "Texas Speaker of the House Straus Visits Forney to Endorse Rep. Gooden," February 4, 2014". The Forney Post. Archived from the original on March 6, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
5. "2016 Filed Primary Candidates". texasgop.org. Archived from the original on January 19, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
6. "Republican primary returns". Texas Secretary of State. March 1, 2016. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
7. Ratcliffe, R.G. (April 1, 2015). "Dr. Spitzer May Abstain, But Teens in His District Don't". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
8. Nicholson, Eric (April 2, 2015). "Texas House Strips $3 Mil From HIV Prevention to Promote Abstinence, Is Incredibly Dumb". Dallas Observer.
9. Hershaw, Eva (April 1, 2015). "Tense Debate as House Shifts HIV Funding to Abstinence Education". The Texas Tribune.

Texas House of Representatives
Preceded by Lance Gooden	Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 4th district 2015–2017	Succeeded by Lance Gooden