Jeffrey Harold Cason (born April 10, 1953) is an American businessman and politician who served a single term in the Texas House of Representatives, from January 2021 to January 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected from District 92.

Jeff Cason
Member of the Texas House of Representatives
from the 92nd district
In office
January 12, 2021 – January 10, 2023
Preceded byJonathan Stickland
Succeeded bySalman Bhojani
Personal details
Born
Jeffrey Harold Cason

(1953-04-10) April 10, 1953 (age 71)
Political partyRepublican
SpouseWendy
Children5
Residence(s)Bedford, Texas, U.S.
OccupationBusinessman
Websitehttps://jeffcason.com/

Career

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Cason was a member of the Bedford, Texas city council.[1] After leaving the council, he unsuccessfully ran against state Representative Todd Smith of Euless in the 2010 Republican primary election.[1][2]

Cason was a sales manager for Höganäs AB and H.C. Starck GmbH. After retiring, Cason was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in November 2020 and assumed office on January 4, 2021.[3] He was assigned to the County Affairs Committee and Criminal Jurisprudence Committees.[4]

In the state House, Cason was among the most conservative members,[3][5] although, like fellow hardline right-winger Bryan Slaton, he chose not to join the House Freedom Caucus.[5] As a freshman representative, Cason rebelled on his first vote, by voting against Republican Dade Phelan as speaker of the House. Phelan was elected on a 143–2 vote. Cason, who was among the chamber's most conservative members, objected to Phelan's plan to appoint Democrats to chair some committees.[3] This act, as well as Cason repeatedly forcing recorded votes after voice votes, alienated him from Republican leaders, and in the redistricting cycle, his heavily Republican district centered on Hurst-Euless-Bedford was redrawn to a majority Democratic seat.[3]

In April 2021, during a debate on legislation to allow handguns to be carried without a permit, Cason offered an amendment to lowered the minimum age for permitless carry from 21 to 18 years. Cason's amendment failed overwhelmingly, with 12 representatives voting yes and 121 voting no.[6] In May 2021, Cason voted for the Texas six-week abortion ban.[7]

Cason did not seek reelection in 2022.[3]

Personal life

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Cason lives in Bedford, Texas with his wife, Wendy. Both had children from prior marriages.[8][9]

References

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  1. ^ a b Emily Ramshaw, Surprise! How the 2010 Texas Primary Races Turned Out, Texas Tribune (March 4, 2010).
  2. ^ Ross Ramsey, 2010: Secret Admirers, Texas Tribune (October 18, 2010).
  3. ^ a b c d e Dave Lieber, After rebelling, Texas lawmaker loses seat in redistricting, Dallas Morning News (January 14, 2022).
  4. ^ "Jeff Cason, Texas Representative". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Patrick Svitek and Cassandra Pollock, Four years in, the Freedom Caucus finds a less contentious role in the Texas House, Texas House (February 3, 2021).
  6. ^ Cassandra Pollock, Texas House approves bill that would allow people to carry a handgun without a license, Texas Tribune (April 15, 2021).
  7. ^ Here's who voted for (and against) Texas' new abortion law in the House and Senate, Austin American-Statesman (September 3, 2021).
  8. ^ "Rep. Cason, Jeff District 92". www.house.texas.gov. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  9. ^ "Jeff Cason". Ballotpedia. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
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Texas House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the
Texas House of Representatives
from the 92nd district

2021–2023
Succeeded by