Former Texas State Representative Joe Heflin Won't Run For His Old Seat
By: Rachel Spangenthal
Updated: March 14, 2012
"You know when you run for the job you say I'm going to do that your job suffers, your career suffers," said Joe Heflin.
Weeks after the state legislature came to an agreement on Texas redistricting, former District 85 Representative Joe Heflin says he won't be in the race to win back his old seat.
"There was so much confusion about where the districts gonna be, when we can sign up, when we can not sign up," Heflin said.
The biggest cause of the confusion: changes to the counties in his district.
"My district before went from Plainview down to just north of Abilene in Jones County then it went around to nearly to San Angelo and then back over to Big Spring and that area. Now it goes from Cook to Montego County straight east about one county wide then it goes north to Wheeler County," said Heflin.
And that makes it difficult for any representative.
"It's hard for somebody from Crosbyton or Floyd County or Garza County to call up their state and representative and say, "Hey, can you come out and speak at our chamber banquet?" Well, no it's 340 miles away, I'm not driving out there for that," Heflin said.
With the bulk of the population to the east, Heflin says the eastern part of the South Plains is guaranteed to be represented by someone from the Metroplex.
"What do we have in common with people from the Metroplex? They don't have cotton they don't have the same type of agriculture we have," Heflin said.
He believes the size of the population within the individual counties will impact the election results.
"So you basically can win 20 of the 22 counties and lose," Heflin said.
Heflin says he'll focus on his family and his law firm, and reconsider his options in the next couple of years.
Weeks after the state legislature came to an agreement on Texas redistricting, former District 85 Representative Joe Heflin says he won't be in the race to win back his old seat.
"There was so much confusion about where the districts gonna be, when we can sign up, when we can not sign up," Heflin said.
The biggest cause of the confusion: changes to the counties in his district.
"My district before went from Plainview down to just north of Abilene in Jones County then it went around to nearly to San Angelo and then back over to Big Spring and that area. Now it goes from Cook to Montego County straight east about one county wide then it goes north to Wheeler County," said Heflin.
And that makes it difficult for any representative.
"It's hard for somebody from Crosbyton or Floyd County or Garza County to call up their state and representative and say, "Hey, can you come out and speak at our chamber banquet?" Well, no it's 340 miles away, I'm not driving out there for that," Heflin said.
With the bulk of the population to the east, Heflin says the eastern part of the South Plains is guaranteed to be represented by someone from the Metroplex.
"What do we have in common with people from the Metroplex? They don't have cotton they don't have the same type of agriculture we have," Heflin said.
He believes the size of the population within the individual counties will impact the election results.
"So you basically can win 20 of the 22 counties and lose," Heflin said.
Heflin says he'll focus on his family and his law firm, and reconsider his options in the next couple of years.
