Konni Lyn Burton (born April 15, 1963) is an American

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for ...

woman who is a Republican former member of the

Texas State 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 of the state of Texas. The Senate is made up of 31 members, where eac ...

for

District 10 District 10 may refer to: Places * District 10 (Ho Chi Minh city), Vietnam * District 10 (Zürich), in Switzerland * District 10, an electoral district of Malta * District 10, a police district of Malta * District 10 School, a historic school in ...

. Backed by the

Tea Party movement The Tea Party movement was an American fiscally conservative political movement within the Republican Party that began in 2007, catapulted into the mainstream by Congressman Ron Paul's presidential campaign. The movement expanded in resp ...

, Burton on January 13, 2015, succeeded Wendy R. Davis of

Fort Worth Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...

, who vacated the state Senate after her unsuccessful campaign as the Democratic

gubernatorial A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

nominee A candidate, or nominee, is a prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position. For example, one can be a candidate for membership in a group or election to an office, in which case a ...

in the

2014 Texas gubernatorial election The 2014 Texas gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 2014, to elect the governor of Texas. Incumbent Republican Party (United States), Republican governor Rick Perry, who had served since the resignation of then-Governor George W. Bu ...

Early life, education, and career

Burton holds a

Bachelor of Business Administration A Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) is an undergraduate degree in business administration awarded by colleges and universities after completion of four years and typically 120 credits of undergraduate study in the fundamentals of busine ...

degree from the

University of North Texas The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public university, public research university located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Its main campus is in Denton, Texas, Denton, with a satellite campus in Frisco, Texas, Frisco. It serves as the ...

.Sen. Konnie Burton, District 10 (R-Colleyville)
''Texas Tribune'' Ethics Explorer (last accessed January 2, 2017). Burton is a

homemaker Homemaking is mainly an American English, American and Canadian English, Canadian term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping, housewifery or household management. It is the act of overseeing the organizational ...

; she previously was the owner of a wedding consulting business.

Political career

Before running for office, Burton was vice president of the NE Tarrant Tea Party.

2014 election

In the 2014 elections, Burton was "considered a rock star in Republican circles."Anna M. Tinsley
Konni Burton reclaims Texas Senate District 10 for Republican Party
''Fort Worth Star-Telegram'' (November 4, 2014). In the March 4, 2014 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 ...

(and the May 27, 2014 primary runoff) for the state Senate, Burton was endorsed by

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

Ted Cruz Rafael Edward Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz was the solicitor general of Texas from 2003 ...

.Anna M. Tinsley
Ted Cruz stands in support of Konni Burton: Cruz said Konni Burton is the candidate needed to replace Wendy Davis in the Texas Senate
'' Fort Worth Star-Telegram'' (March 19, 2014). In the first round, Burton came in first place among the five-way Republican field, garnering 43% of the vote and advancing to a runoff against former

State Representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United St ...

Mark M. Shelton, who received 35 percent. In the primary runoff, Burton gained the Republican nomination; Burton received 17,435 votes (60%), while Shelton received 11,515 votes (40%). Burton then defeated the Democratic nominee, Libby Willis, who carried Wendy Davis's support, 95,484 votes (53%) to 80,806 (45%), retaking the Senate seat for the Republicans.

State Senate tenure

Burton is a member of the Higher Education, Criminal Justice, Nominations, and Veteran Affairs & Military Installations committees, and serves as vice-chair of the latter committee. A

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 ...

Baker Institute study of Texas Senate roll-call votes from January 2011 to May 2017 showed that Burton was the most conservative member of the Texas Senate. During the 2016 Republican presidential primaries, Burton was a staunch supporter of

.Anna M. Tinsley
High-profile Texans still can't support Donald Trump
''Fort Worth Star-Telegram'' (July 20, 2016).

Abortion

Burton is an opponent of abortion. She supported legislation to defund

Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is an American nonprofit organization

by cutting off its

Medicaid Medicaid is a government program in the United States that provides health insurance for adults and children with limited income and resources. The program is partially funded and primarily managed by U.S. state, state governments, which also h ...

funds, even for non-abortion general healthcare services. She opposed the

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...

's decision in '' Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt'' (which struck down Texas's restrictive abortion law as unconstitutional) saying that she was "extremely disappointed" in the ruling. Burton took office in January 2015 wearing

cowboy boots Cowboy boots are a specific style of riding boot, historically worn by cowboys. They have a high heel that is traditionally made of stacked leather, rounded to pointed toe, high shaft, and, traditionally, no lacing. Cowboy boots are normally m ...

bearing the phrase "Stand for Life," a fashion statement mirrored after Wendy Davis' choice of pink tennis shoes during 2013's abortion bill filibuster.Dave Montgomery
New Tarrant senator makes a statement with her footwear
''Fort Worth Star-Telegram'' (January 13, 2015).

Economy

Burton barred taxpayer-funded lobbyists (i.e., lobbyists representing governmental entities) from her office, and supported legislation to ban governmental entities from hiring lobbyists. Burton has supported limitations on local control in Texas, saying that the state should "step in" to restrict

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

from passing ordinances that regulate issues such as the

phase-out of lightweight plastic bags A plastic bag ban or charge is a law that restricts the use of lightweight plastic bags at retail establishments. In the early 21st century, there has been a global trend towards the phase-out of lightweight plastic bags. Single-use plastic shopp ...

and

Uber Uber Technologies, Inc. is an American multinational transportation company that provides Ridesharing company, ride-hailing services, courier services, food delivery, and freight transport. It is headquartered in San Francisco, California, a ...

. Burton also opposes local ordinances banning

texting while driving Texting while driving, also called texting and driving, is the act of composing, sending, or reading text messages on a mobile phone while driving, operating a motor vehicle. Texting while driving is considered traffic safety, extremely dangerous ...

. Burton has introduced legislation in the Senate to abolish

civil asset forfeiture Civil may refer to: *Civility, orderly behavior and politeness *Civic virtue, the cultivation of habits important for the success of a society *Civil (journalism) ''The Colorado Sun'' is an online news outlet based in Denver, Colorado. It lau ...

in the state.

Education

In November 2016, Burton introduced S.B. 242, which would amend state law to make a parent entitled to all of a school district's written records about their child's "general physical, psychological or emotional well-being" and provide that an attempt by a school employee to conceal or encourage a child to withhold information would be grounds for discipline.Carol Christian
Senator: Proposed bill wouldn't force schools to 'out' LGBTQ students
''Houston Chronicle'' (November 18, 2016). Burton introduced the bill in response to Fort Worth Independent School District guidelines (later rescinded) that sought to protect transgender students from being "

outed Outing is the act of disclosing an LGBTQ person's sexual orientation or gender identity without their consent. It is often done for political reasons, either to instrumentalize homophobia, biphobia, and/or transphobia in order to discredit politi ...

" to their parents.Mary Tuma
After Filing Bill Forcing Schools to Out LGBTQ Kids, Legislator Bullies Media
''Austin Chronicle'' (November 21, 2016). The bill was condemned by LGBT advocates such as

Equality Texas Equality Texas is a statewide political advocacy organization in Texas that advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) rights, including same-sex marriage. History Equality Texas was founded in 1989 as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit co ...

,Aliyya Swaby
Educators say parental rights bill could harm trust with students
''Texas Tribune'' (November 30, 2016). which issued a statement saying that "the legislation would essentially destroy protected communications between a student and an educator. The bill was also opposed by the Texas State Teachers Association and educators' groups, who said that the bill could harm trust between teachers and students and potentially force teachers to share "unsubstantiated rumors" with parents. According to the ''

Austin Chronicle Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

'', Burton refused to field questions from the press in regard to SB 242, directing them instead to her website. Amid the furor, Burton's chief of staff said that her legislation would not force schools to "

out Out or OUT may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films *Out (1957 film), ''Out'' (1957 film), a documentary short about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 *Out (1982 film), ''Out'' (1982 film), an American film directed by Eli Hollander *O ...

" LGBT students. On the other hand, supporters of Burton's bill have been quick to point out that the bill was created in response to a Fort Worth School District deciding to withhold information from parents (without any parental input). Additionally, Burton herself has stressed on numerous occasions that the words "sexuality" and "gender" are not listed in the bill. Instead, the bill would require the release of written documentation of a students "general physical, psychological or emotional well-being", which many people believe is a parental right and therefore cannot be circumvented by local school districts. On Friday February 9, 2018, Burton walked during a presentation by County Judge Glen Whitley of

Hurst Hurst may refer to: Places England * Hurst, Berkshire, a village * Hurst, Cumbria, a location * Hurst, Dorset, a location * Hurst, Greater Manchester, a location * Hurst, North Yorkshire, a hamlet * Hurst, Somerset, a settlement within the vi ...

. Whitley challenged that the reason that local property taxes were high is that the state was budgeting for a 14 percent local tax increase instead of increasing funds for education. Burton countered in an open letter posted on her official webpage that Whitley was " … was uninformed at best and willfully misleading at worst."

2018 re-election bid

Burton lost her bid for reelection in the general election held on November 6, 2018, to Democratic nominee

Beverly Powell Beverly Powell (born September 18, 1951), is an American politician from the state of Texas. A Democrat, she represented District 10 in the Texas Senate from 2019 to 2023. In 2018, Powell defeated incumbent Republican Senator Konni Burton by ...

, a businesswoman and a former president of the

Burleson Independent School District Burleson Independent School District is a public school district based in Burleson, Texas ( USA). The district was founded in 1909 by the citizens of Burleson. In addition to Burleson, the district also serves Briaroaks, Cross Timber, Fort ...

school board who carried the endorsement of the ''

Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation in 2022 of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885, by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ' ...

''. Powell unseated Burton, 148,544 (51.7 percent) to 138,695 (48.3 percent).

Later career

Following the election, Burton founded the online right wing website ''The Texan'' in 2019.

Personal life

Burton and her husband, Phil, have two adopted daughters.Bobby Cervantes
Dan Patrick, calling for more foster parents, says state elected officials 'have opened their homes'
PolitiFact Texas (October 28, 2016). Phil Burton is the vice president of the

McKinney, Texas McKinney is a city in and the county seat of Collin County, Texas, United States. It is Collin County's third-largest city, after Plano, Texas, Plano and Frisco, Texas, Frisco. A suburb of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, McKinney is about ...

branch of construction manufacturing company Simpson Strong-Tie. According to financial disclosure forms, in addition to their home in Colleyville, the Burtons own two condos in Port Aransas, which they rent out, and 107 acres in Hamilton County west of

Waco Waco ( ) is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a U.S. census estimated 2024 population of 146,608, making i ...

, Texas. The Burtons belong to the Calvary

Lutheran Church Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched the Reformation in 15 ...

in Richland Hills in Tarrant County; she is a former member of the church council.

References

External links

*
Konni Burton
topics at ''

The 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 T ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Burton, Konni Living people People from Kerrville, Texas People from Nueces County, Texas People from Colleyville, Texas Republican Party Texas state senators Businesspeople from Texas University of North Texas alumni American Lutherans American anti-abortion activists Tea Party movement activists Activists from Texas Christians from Texas 1963 births 21st-century members of the Texas Legislature