Franklin for Texas House District 68

03/17/2022

Before we deactivate this page for now, please let us know if you have signs we need to collect from you.

03/02/2022

Well, the evening didn’t turn out quite like we had hoped, although I am proud of running a low-budget, cordial race on issues facing District 68. My “team” and I learned a lot because this was a real education about what it takes to be competitive in Texas politics. Last night, I send Representative Spiller congratulations on winning and wished him a safe and rewarding two years in Austin.
We got into this race very late in the game, so at times we really felt like we were playing catch-up. But through two weeks of bad weather coupled with a household that battled some minor illness, we had a wonderful time getting to travel through what parts of the district that we able to visit. We didn’t get to all of them like we wanted and that did hurt us some. But we met some wonderful people on our journey, some of whom have become friends and all of whom care deeply about Texas remaining Texas.
For those of you who supported us, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts and hope to see you all this year at county party meetings and other places.
P.S - if you have signs we need to pick up, send Beth a PM and we will arrange a time to come get them.
Gary and Beth Franklin

03/01/2022

You only have an hour and a half until the polls close. If you haven’t voted, please do so and consider sending a true conservative Republican to be your voice in Austin.

03/01/2022

Don’t forget to vote today. Voting for me means I am your voice in Austin and not the voice of big money donors and special interest groups.

03/01/2022

I am proud to be a Republican and will strive to enact the Republican Party platform. Although, he calls himself a Republican, one of my opponents has publicly distanced himself from the party’s stance on school funding. It would be good to know if there were other elements of the party platform he opposes.

02/28/2022

God forbid the situation in Texas and the USA ever approaches what we are seeing in Europe and Ukraine. That is all the more reason to support NO weakening of the Second Amendment. A country should never have to pass out weapons to a disarmed population so they can defend it. Use your vote to ensure a free future. Get rid of special interest and big-money donor politics. Use your vote to ensure your voice will be heard in Austin.

02/28/2022

One thing I have learned in this very educational campaign experience is that words don’t mean anything at all to some people. Some candidates will say one thing to people in Gainesville and the polar opposite to people in Brownwood if they think it will get them a vote. When I say something, I mean it and you can count on my word.

02/28/2022

If you have not already voted, when you do, do not look at what candidates say. Look at what they have done. Look at the sum total of their lives. Look at what they have achieved and how they achieved it. Deeds are more important than words.

02/28/2022

On this eve of the 2022 primary election, I can’t help but think back to the fall of 2005 Iraqi elections. It has been 16 years, but it almost seems like yesterday that I was moving concrete bunkers and barricades around in places like Hit, Hadithah, Rawah, and Al Q**m to provide safe polling places. So, if you haven’t voted yet, when you go into the voting booth tomorrow, go knowing that your vote counts for so many reasons. If you have already voted, thank you and I hope you considered voting for me.

02/28/2022

Tomorrow is general Election Day. If you have not voted, please consider voting for me.
*Conservative
*Republican
*Veteran
*Not bought and paid for by special interest groups so I will be your voice in Austin, not theirs
*22 years of leadership in the Army means I can work with people to come up with common sense solutions to problems
*Have actually worked to secure the border, not just made a photo opp and then talked like I was concerned about border security
*Experience with water conservation and water rights issues
*Pro Second Amendment

02/26/2022

I’m sitting here, watching the mess Brandon has made of what was once Ukraine, thinking about what should be expected of anybody elected to any office.

Consistency. Our elected officials, from dog catcher to president, ought to be consistent in word and deed.

I made a comment to that effect in a candidate forum; that maybe it was the Army influence, but I was a firm believer in saying what I mean and meaning what I say.

Term limits are a great example. Apparently, every candidate for House District 68 believes in term limits for elected officials. Allegedly, two of the candidates have gone so far as to sign a pledge saying they’ll vote for term limits.

Here’s what has me perplexed: one of those candidates advocating term limits served twenty six (26) years on the Jacksboro ISD school board.

So…….let’s get this straight. Was he against term limits but then got converted and started being for them? Or was he only for term limits on elected offices he wasn’t occupying? Or maybe there just wasn’t a single solitary other person in the Jacksboro ISD capable of serving as a school board trustee. Trying to figure all this out is like trying to decipher Mayan petroglyphs.

Consistency. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Don’t act like part of the ruling elite and tell voters just enough lies to capture their vote. I said early on in this campaign I wouldn’t try to camouflage my opinions to get votes. I think the voter should be wary of candidates where the official position doesn’t match past behavior.

02/25/2022

The role of the state legislature is not to pick winners and losers. It is to serve as the referee, making sure the big one does not eat all the little ones. On my main opponent’s FB page, he invites you to help him close down our southern border. Do you really believe that’s what he wants? Look at his big money donor list (check out transparencyusa.org or ballotpedia or similar sites). He has taken tons of money from organizations with a vested interest in continuing to have a steady supply of really cheap labor.
Another thing that a legislature should do is this: provide the governor with the resources he/she needs so they can do their job. Here’s my example: the federal government issues, via executive orders, a vaccine mandate. The governor of Texas says that Texans are able to decide for themselves and that he needs the legislature to make that point clear. The state senate responds with a bill to outlaw vaccine mandates in the state of Texas. The state house, on the other hand, allowed a similar bill to die in committee. It just so happens that a group called Texans for Lawsuit Reform opposed this vaccine-mandate-killing bill. These same folks gave nearly $100,000 to my principal opponent. Just how serious do you think he can be in fighting to oppose vaccine mandates after accepting that big of a donation?

THE ANSWERS YOU NEED ABOUT THE MONEY IN STATE POLITICS