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Charles Brandon Creighton (born August 5, 1970) is an American lawyer and politician who has represented the 4th district in the
Texas Senate The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature, with the Texas House of Representatives functioning as the lower house. Together, they form the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the state of Texas. The Senate ...
since 2014. A member of the Republican Party, he previously represented the 16th district in the
Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. There are no Term limits in the United States, term limits. The ...
from 2007 to 2014. Creighton served as president pro tempore of the Texas Senate in 2025.


Background

Brandon Creighton was born in
Conroe, Texas Conroe is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Texas, Montgomery County, Texas, United States, about north of Houston. It is a principal city in the metropolitan area. As of 2024, the population was 114,581. Since 2007, t ...
to Patricia (née Kincannon) and Morris Creighton. He is the youngest of their three children. He is a long-term member of the First
Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...
Church of Conroe. He is an eighth-generation Montgomery County resident, where he resides with his family. Creighton graduated from Conroe High School, and holds a
Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
degree from the
University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...
and a
Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...
from Oklahoma City University School of Law in
Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...
,
Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
. While he was a student at the University of Texas, Creighton worked as a Senate Messenger and is the first Senate Messenger ever to go on to serve as a State Senator. He also served as a policy advisor in the Texas Senate. Creighton is vice president and general counsel of the Signorelli Company, a home and office building development firm in Conroe. He is also a rancher.


Political career

Creighton's first campaign was for the Texas House District 16 in 2002 (based entirely in
suburban A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...
Montgomery County, near
Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
in the southeastern portion of the state). He lost to the incumbent, attorney Ruben W. Hope, Jr., 6,126 (55.6 percent) to 4,884 (44.4 percent). In 2006, Hope decided to retire and not seek re-election.Fernandez, Lucretia
Ruben Hope: The time is right to retire from District 16 seat
''
Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. ...
'', December 22, 2006. Accessed July 21, 2019.
In 2006 after Hope's decision to retire, Creighton joined two intraparty rivals, Dale Inman and Vicky Rudy, in the Republican primary. Creighton won the Republican nomination for House District 16 with 56.6 percent of the vote. In the 2006 general election, Creighton defeated the Democrat Pat Poland, 23,945 (75 percent) to 7,963 (25 percent). Since first winning the seat in 2006, Creighton has faced no further primary or general election opponents. While serving in the Texas House of Representatives for the 80th Legislative Session, Creighton was appointed to serve as Vice Chair of General Investigating and Ethics, Vice Chair of Local Government Ways and Means, Natural Resources and State Water Funding. Creighton ran unopposed in 2008, and won re-election with 49,263 votes. In 2009, during the 81st Texas Legislative Session, Creighton was appointed to serve as a Member of the Appropriations Committee, the Calendars Committee, General Investigating and Ethics and Natural Resources. Creighton again did not draw a challenger in the 2010 election, and was re-elected for a 3rd term to the Texas House of Representatives. In 2011, Creighton served as Chair of the Committee on State Sovereignty, Vice Chair of General Investigating and Ethics, and appointed to serve on Natural Resources and the Pensions, Investments and Financial Services Committee. He was also appointed to the Medicaid Reform Waiver Legislative Oversight Committee and Texas Response to Sequestration Interim Committee. On January 11, 2019, Creighton filed Senate Bill 345 with the 86th Legislature and entitled it the Jones Forest Preservation Act ("Jones Forest Act"). The Jones Forest Act protects the 1,722 acre William Goodrich Jones State Forest from development. In 2018,
Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...
suggested that the university would develop a Texas A&M campus on the land, which sits next to
The Woodlands, Texas The Woodlands is a Special district (United States), special-purpose district and census-designated place (CDP) in the U.S. state of Texas in the Greater Houston, Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan statistical area. The Woodlands ...
. Neighborhood associations in the area complained that the development would add to traffic congestion and eliminate a forest that has been part of Texas heritage since 1923. In January 2023, during the 88th Texas Legislative Session, Creighton was appointed to serve as Chairman of the Education Committee of the Senate and as Chair of the Higher Education Subcommittee. He was also appointed as a member of various committees, which included Business & Commerce, Finance, Jurisprudence, and the special committee on Redistricting.


2014 elections

On October 3, 2013, State Senator Tommy Williams said he would not run again in the State Senate Republican
primary election Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pr ...
scheduled for March 4, 2014. In May 10, 2014, special election to fill the Senate seat that Williams left, Creighton came in first place with 45 percent of the vote.Ramsey, Ross
Updated: Special Election to Fill Empty Senate Seat
''
Texas Tribune ''The Texas Tribune'' is a nonprofit politics and public policy news website headquartered in Austin, Texas, United States. Its stated aim is to promote civic engagement through original, explanatory journalism and public events. ''The Texas Tr ...
'', May 10, 2014.
Creighton received 45.2 percent, Toth 23.7 percent, Bunch 21.8 percent, and Galloway 9.3 percent. Creighton and Toth faced other in a runoff election on August 5, 2014. Creighton won the August 5, 2014,
special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...
runoff for the District 4 seat in the Texas Senate, 67 to 33 percent, over fellow former state representative Republican Steve Toth of The Woodlands.Creighton win District 4 State Senate runoff election with commanding lead
WoodslandsOnline, August 5, 2014.
Rice University William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University, is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. Established in 1912, the university spans 300 acres. Rice University comp ...
political science professor Mark Jones said both Creighton and Toth "are significantly more conservative than Williams."


Views


Abortion

In 2017, he sponsored, in the State Senate, House Bill 214, which limited insurance coverage for abortion procedures in Texas. This law bans private and public health insurance plans from offering coverage for abortion except through the purchase of an optional rider, which insurance companies, HMOs, and employers are not required to provide and which must be purchased prior to pregnancy.


Confederate monuments

In 2017, Creighton introduced legislation, SB 112, which would forbid local governments from moving or changing memorials that have stood on public lands for more than 40 years. Monuments older than 20 years and less than 40 years old could be moved only with legislative approval, and under the legislation those monuments would need to be placed in "a prominent location." Monuments less than 20 years old could be moved if approved by the Texas legislature, the Texas Historical Commission, or the State Preservation Board. The measure would prevent
San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...
officials from removing the
obelisk An obelisk (; , diminutive of (') ' spit, nail, pointed pillar') is a tall, slender, tapered monument with four sides and a pyramidal or pyramidion top. Originally constructed by Ancient Egyptians and called ''tekhenu'', the Greeks used th ...
statue of an unnamed Confederate soldier in the downtown Travis Park.


LGBTQ rights

In 2019, Creighton sponsored SB 15, which weakens anti-discrimination laws passed by Texas cities. Creighton said it stood for "Texas values."


Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

In 2023, Creighton authored SB 17 which prohibited diversity, equity, and inclusion activities at Texas public institutions of higher education. This bill resulted in the termination of programs such as the multicultural engagement, support for undocumented students, and gender & sexuality centers. Additionally, hundreds of jobs were slashed across Texas public colleges and universities in response. Additionally, he authored Senate Bill 37 which promotes censorship of topics (such as race and gender) in core courses of higher education.https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/pdf/SB00037I.pdf


Election results

;2022 general election for Texas Senate, 4th district ;2020 general election for Texas Senate, 4th district ;2016 general election for Texas Senate, 4th district ;2014 Special Election ;2006 general election for Texas Representative, 16th district


References


External links


Official webpage
on Texas Senate
CreightonForTX
on Twitter
CreightonForTX
on Facebook * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Creighton, Brandon 1970 births 21st-century members of the Texas Legislature Baptists from Texas Businesspeople from Texas Living people Oklahoma City University School of Law alumni Oklahoma lawyers People from Conroe, Texas Ranchers from Texas Republican Party members of the Texas House of Representatives Republican Party Texas state senators Texas lawyers University of Texas at Austin alumni