Smitherman (R) Announces Run for Attorney General

 Barry Smitherman Announces He Will Run for Texas Attorney General

AUSTIN – In a video released this morning on his website, Twitter and Facebook, current Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Barry Smitherman announced that he would be running for the open Texas Attorney General spot in the Republican Primary in 2014 saying, “I want to be your Attorney General,” and asking Texans to “join my conservative crusade to keep Texans safe and to vigorously defend the laws and the Constitution of the great State of Texas.”

Smitherman also points out that while he was the Chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission, “my administration issued more drilling permits and saw a dramatic increase in jobs.”  Highlighting his strong stand against federal intrusions’, he states, “I stood up to President Barack Obama and his job killing policies and sued Obama’s EPA seven times to protect Texas jobs and energy for our families.”

As a hunter, gun owner, and strong supporter of the 2^nd Amendment, Smitherman says, “I understand the precious right to bear arms.  We must continue to fight to protect that right.”

To battle illegal immigration, Smitherman says, “I’ll fight everyday to protect Texans, to secure the border, by prosecuting crimes along our border.”

Smitherman stipulated that he would only be running for Texas Attorney General if the current Attorney General, Greg Abbott, does not seek reelection.  “I do not intend to run against Greg Abbott and will only run for Attorney General if it is an open seat,” adding “like Greg Abbott, I want to use the powers of the Attorney General to defend conservative, Texas values against liberal policies of Washington D.C. and abroad.”

Smitherman spent 16 years in the private sector working in public finance helping to save state and local taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.  In 2004, Smitherman was appointed to the Public Utility Commission by Texas Governor Rick Perry and served as chairman until Governor Perry appointed him to the Railroad Commission in July of 2011.

Barry Smitherman has been married to his wife, Marijane, for twenty-six years and is the proud father of four children.  He was raised in Highlands, Texas on the east side of Harris County.  Barry graduated from Texas A&M University, The University of Texas Law School, and Harvard University.”