Wayne Faircloth
Fennis Wayne Faircloth, known as Wayne Faircloth (born March 10, 1953), is a State Farm insurance agent from Dickinson, Texas, who served two terms as a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives for District 23, which encompasses a portion of Galveston County. He was defeated in the GOP primary election held on March 6, 2018, by Mayes Middleton, who assumed the seat in January 2019. Background. A graduate of Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, Faircloth is a former educator and coach. He has lived in Galveston County since 1979. He is a former member  of the Dickinson City Council and a past president of the Galveston County Water District. He is an active member of the Coastal Community Church in Galveston. Political career. In the November 4, 2014, general election, the veteran incumbent Democratic state representative, Craig Eiland, did not seek reelection to a ninth term. Faircloth instead defeated Democratic nominee, Susan Elizabeth Criss, a state district court judge from Galveston, 17,702 (54.6) to 14,716 (45.4 percent). In the earlier Republican primary on March 4, Faircloth had defeated Bob Senter, 6,112 votes (66.1 percent) to 3,134 votes (33.9 percent). Faircloth carried the backing of  most of the state and local Republican leaders, including both U.S. Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, and Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts Susan Combs and her successor, outgoing State Senator Glenn Hegar. Faircloth won a second term in the state House in 2016, when, with 36,501 votes (58.9 percent), he defeated the Democratic former state representative Lloyd Criss, a lawyer who had served in the House from 1979 to 1991 and the father of Faircloth's previous opponent, Susan Criss. Faircloth won 59% of the vote. Faircloth was defeated for re-nomination by Mayes Middleton in the 2018 Republican  primary. Middleton then won the general election held on November 6, 2018. With 32,533 votes (56.8 percent), he defeated the Democrat Amanda Jamrok, who polled 23,580 votes (41.1 percent). Another 1,218 ballots (2.1 percent) went to the Libertarian Party candidate, Lawrence Johnson.