Kenneth Sheets, Republican candidate for Texas state representative, told students at Wednesday’s College Republicans meeting that he sees 2010 as an opportunity for revenge for Republicans by gaining a political majority.
Sheets is an alumnus of SMU’s Dedman School of Law who served in the United States Marin Corps and is now running against incumbent Democrat Allen Vaught.
The race for District 107 is Sheets’ entrance into politics. He was the guest speaker at Wednesday’s meeting, replacing Jonathan Neerman, Dallas County Republican Party chairman.
Sheets described Vaught as a faux moderate who votes down Democratic Party lines. Additionally, Sheets criticized Vaught’s support of a measure to require convenience stores to sell fruits and vegetables to aid areas without access to grocery stores.
He said that taxpayers will end up paying for it through government incentives or higher prices.
“People are pissed off in our district and, probably like most of you, they are fed up with what they see happening in Washington,” Sheets said.
This is what will give Republicans the lead, according to Sheets.
He said the race is winnable if voters maintain a “straight ballot edge” in Republican precincts.
Sheets said the most important issue of 2010—and why Republicans need a majority—is to draw district lines.
According to Sheets, if Democrats get control, “They’re going to draw the lines so that congressmen, like Pete Sessions and Jeb Hensarling, are going to have a harder time to win.”
Sheets spoke briefly to approximately 25 SMU students in the Varsity in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center before opening the floor to questions.
Junior history and political science major Charlie McCaslin wasted no time and asked Sheets about school vouchers, also known as educational vouchers.
Educational vouchers give parents the option of applying taxes that would go toward public school instead or toward private school tuition.
Sheets believes that giving Dallas ISD more money to pay administrators and librarians is not the answer. He compared DISD to Richardson ISD, saying the district spends less and does a better job.
He believes that in Dallas, spending needs to be re-evaluated and the “fat” must be trimmed.
SMU student Katherine Worwa said she attended the meeting because she agrees with a lot of Republican points and is impressed with the high quality of speakers who come to the meetings.
Sheets said that students need to be involved in the political process, whether they are liberal or conservative.
At the end of the meeting Sheets and Chad Cohen, president of College Republicans, urged students to volunteer for a block walk this Saturday, Sept. 11.
The kickoff is at 9 a.m. at the Ridgewood Recreation Center, about a mile east of SMU and will continue until noon.