Robert Lee Hall III, known as Bob Hall (born March 5, 1942), is an American politician who is a Republican member of the Texas State Senate. Aligned with the Tea Party movement, he succeeded fellow Republican Bob Deuell, whom he unseated by three hundred votes in the Republican runoff election held on May 27, 2014.
Bob Hall | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Texas Senate from the 2nd district | |
| Assumed office January 13, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Bob Deuell |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Robert Lee Hall III March 5, 1942 Tampa, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Sarah Kay Smith Hall |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence(s) | Edgewood, Texas, U.S. |
| Alma mater | The Citadel (BS) |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service | United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1964–1969 |
| Rank |  Captain |
| Unit | Space and Missiles Systems Division |
Early life and education
editHall graduated in 1960 from George D. Chamberlain High School in Tampa, Florida.[1] In 1964, Hall received a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from The Citadel.[2]
Political career
editHall ran against incumbent State Senator Bob Deuell in 2012 but failed to meet constitutional residency requirements.[3] He ran again in 2014.[3] He unseated Deuell in a Republican primary runoff election, 18,230 votes (50.4 percent) to 17,930 (49.6 percent).[4][5] Hall defeated Libertarian Party nominee, Don Bates, in the November 4 general election.
In the 2018 Republican primary, Hall was challenged by state representative Cindy Burkett, who ran as a politically moderate alternative to him. Hall defeated her in the March 6, 2018, primary election.[6][7] Hall won his second state Senate term in the general election held on November 6, 2018. With 152,659 votes (59.4 percent), he defeated Kendall Scudder, who finished with 104,528 (40.6 percent).[8]
In 2019, Hall became chairman of the Agriculture committee.[9]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Hall promoted misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines, including the debunked conspiracy theory that COVID-19 vaccines skipped animal testing.[10] He encouraged people to not take the vaccine.[11]
Personal life
editHall and his wife, the former Sarah Kay Smith, a native of Ladonia in Fannin County in East Texas, live in Tailwind Airpark in Edgewood, a community for pilots and aviation enthusiasts which has its own runway and hangars. The couple is Southern Baptist and has three adult sons.[12]
Electoral history
edit| Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✓ | Bob Hall | 35,561 | 53.2 | |
| Cindy Burkett | 31,239 | 46.8 | ||
| Majority | ||||
| Turnout | 66,800 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bob Hall | 99,868 | 83.6 | ||
| Libertarian | Don Bates | 19,609 | 16.4 | ||
| Majority | |||||
| Turnout | 119,477 | ||||
| Republican hold | |||||
| Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✓ | Bob Hall | 18,230 | 50.4 | |
| Bob Deuell | 17,930 | 49.6 | ||
| Majority | ||||
| Turnout | 36,160 | |||
| Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✓ | Bob Hall | 19,085 | 38.8 | |
| ✓ | Bob Deuell | 23,847 | 48.5 | |
| Mark Thompson | 6,240 | 12.7 | ||
| Majority | ||||
| Turnout | 49,172 | |||
References
edit- ^ Totem Yearbook (Volume 3 ed.). Tampa, Florida: Bryn Alan. 1960. p. 25.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ "More About Bob Hall". votebobhall.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2014. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
- ^ a b "State Senate candidate Bob Hall disqualified by GOP from running against Deuell – The Rockwall News | The Rockwall News". Myrockwallnews.com. Archived from the original on 2017-12-22. Retrieved 2017-12-22.
- ^ "2014 Republican Party Primary Runoff: Election Night Returns". Texas Secretary of State. Archived from the original on May 29, 2014. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
- ^ Leszcynski, Ray. Bob Hall ousts District 2 incumbent Deuell, Dallas Morning News, May 27, 2014.
- ^ Leszcynski, Ray (March 6, 2018). "Sen. Bob Hall Wins District 2 Republican Primary, Beats Back Challenge from Four-Term Rep. Cindy Burkett". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
- ^ Formby, Brandon; Greene, Sydney (March 6, 2018). "GOP State Sen. Craig Estes Ousted; Sen. Bob Hall Defeats Burkett". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
- ^ "Election Returns". Texas Secretary of State. November 6, 2018. Archived from the original on November 10, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
- ^ Lt. Gov. Appoints Sen. Bob Hall as Senate Ag Committee Chair, KAMR-TV, Amarillo, Texas, January 23, 2019.
- ^ "Texas GOP state senator urged use of unproven hydroxychloroquine treatment for COVID-19. Now he's spreading doubt about vaccines". 17 May 2021.
- ^ "Texas Republican state Sen. Bob Hall says people should avoid the COVID-19 vaccine". Dallas News. 2021-11-11. Retrieved 2021-11-14.
- ^ "Meet Bob Hall, the Tea Party True Believer Headed to the Senate". The Texas Observer. May 30, 2014. Retrieved November 27, 2014.