Debra Medina: Dark Horse in Texas

As the 2010 Texas Governor's race heats up, you've probably heard of at least two big names vying for the position: current Governor Rick Perry, who is running for an unprecedented third term, and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson. But you my not have heard of candidate Debra Medina, a favorite amongst conservatives and libertarians who are tired of the same old ways of doing things and looking for new leadership (and smaller government) in Texas.

Medina isn't your typical politician, running to further her own career. She is running to have an impact on the state of Texas and its people. Instead of a resume padded with fancy political titles that mean nothing, Medina brings to the table the determination, worth ethic, and the desire to return the role of government back to the "Constitutional Republic" the Founding Fathers meant it to be. At a recent Tea Party in Burleson, Texas, Medina spoke of just that,

"While many of the Tea Parties around Texas have focused on what's happening in Washington, DC, and that's easy to do, we see us as us and them as them...I've got to come on the heels of that and ask us to remember that government starts right here, first. It starts at the school boards and it starts at the city councils and it starts at the commissioner's courts. And we train our politicians as they serve us in those capacities how we want them to behave as elected officials. It's important for all of us to remember the proper role of government. Any of us that are students of history see that's what happening in Washington DC right now is not fixing the problem, it is making it worse...we need to remember what the proper role of government is and we need to start asking each other not just how we shift the tax burden from one place to another but what service is your local government providing that would be more appropriately provided by the family or the church or the community."

So who is Debra Medina? According to her website, Medina's hometown is Beeville, Texas and she is married with two children, ages 23 and 19. When she's not involved in politics, she enjoys cooking, gardening, horseback riding, and reading. Medina received a nursing degree from Baptist Memorial Hospital System in 1984 and a Bachelors degree in Business Management from Le Tourneau University in 1995. She is currently the President and CEP of Prudentia, Inc., a medical claims management and legal consulting firm. Medina serves as the Chairman of the Republican Party of Wharton County, Texas and is the State Coordinator for Ron Paul's "Campaign for Liberty." She is also a member of the Wharton Rotary Club.

Medina maintains a blog on her website where she stays in tough with her supporters by posting her thoughts on big issues - everything from taxes to the swine flu - and talks about her political ideology and other activities she is involved with. Recently, she has written about her displeasure with SB 855, a bill making its way through the Texas Senate. According to her blog, the bill

"allows local communities to call elections to raise taxes and fees to pay for light rail, roads, and hike & bike trails...the bill also establishes a progressive income funding structure, an income tax."

Medina asks her readers to keep this in mind when they go to the polls on the now passed May 9th election day and during future elections. You can watch the rest of her Tax Day Tea Party Speech here: