Sen. Tan Parker has already begun preparing for the general election in November since he does not have a challenger in the upcoming Republican primary, telling The Dallas Express that he was confident his background and connection to key issues will help propel him to victory.
The Republican incumbent has represented Texas Senate District 12 since January 2023, replacing Jane Nelson, who went on to assume the position of secretary of state.
Parker (Flower Mound) previously served in the Texas House of Representatives as the representative for House District 63 from 2007 to 2023.
The senator states on his website that his life has been “shaped by hard work, independence, and focusing on finding solutions,” noting further that he has “deep roots in farming and entrepreneurship” and builds “upon faith, community, and a belief in the greatness of our country.”
Parker said that his experience in business has helped him tremendously during his time as a lawmaker, saying that it has equipped him to “understand the challenges that small businesses face.”
“So being a small business person, understanding the importance of business to our economy, the job creation, to keeping Texas economically strong and viable, all of that is directly correlated from my personal experience in the life that I bring to the legislature,” Parker told DX.
Although still months away, Parker said he has already begun looking toward the general election, telling DX that he wants to win to ensure Texas remains “the leading state in America for liberty and for freedom of all kinds.”
“You know, be it religious freedom, to freedom of speech, to all the trappings of liberty that we have, I want our people to have those and to experience them in unique ways,” he said.
“I believe passionately that Texas is really where the American dream still exists. The American dream, in my assessment, really only exists still in Texas,” he said.
Parker said that voters should look at his track record to see why he would be the best option to represent District 12, pointing to legislation he helped pass to increase homestead exemptions and secure the southern border.
“We took that Homestead exemption from $40,000 to $100,000 for every citizen that is 65 and under. If you are above 65, we took that Homestead exemption from $40,000 to $110,000. That’s going to give real people real relief in this Biden inflationary environment that we find ourselves in today,” he said.
“But we’re also, you know, obviously working to build the wall and to build additional barriers. And we obviously have passed additional legislation in the special session that enables us now to be able to take folks that come across and take them back to the bridge to allow them to walk back over. So we are very much working on every level to secure Texas and secure the country,” he added.
Parker said he will continue to focus on the needs and desires of his district, telling DX that every vote he takes is a “direct reflection of [his] constituency.”
“And, you know, so many of the incredible pieces of legislation over the years that I’ve been blessed to carry and pass and lead for Texas are policy ideas that have come from my constituency. As a legislator, you’re only as good as the feedback that you get from your constituency,” he said. “So it’s extraordinarily important to me that I am well connected to the folks I’m blessed to represent.”
Parker said that he hosts monthly office hours to hear directly from those in his district because it is “vitally important that a legislator is in touch with the needs of the district.”
The location of these office hours changes each month due to the geographical span of the district, but Parker is available to speak to anyone without an appointment on the first Saturday of each month from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
While it is still unclear who will challenge Parker in the general election, the incumbent senator said he will “continue to fight the good fight” because “the future of our country depends on a strong Texas.”
