Dwight Fullingim
United State Congress
District 19
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Dwight Fullingim
Democrat for
United States Congress
Congressional District 19
of Texas
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Pam Brink
806 747 9200
or
Dwight Fullingim
Email: dwight.fullingim@sbcglobal.net
http://www.dwight4congress.com
940 367 1522
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Dwight Fullingim Announces for United States
Congress,
19th Congressional District of Texas
Lubbock,
Texas (December 27, 2007)—Lubbock resident Dwight Fullingim
announced today for the March 4th Texas Primary election seeking to
represent the Democratic Party in its challenge to unseat the two-term
Republican incumbent in next year’s November election.
Fullingim
told media and well-wishers during same-day announcements in Lubbock and Abilene
that the goal of his campaign is to convince the voters of the 19th Congressional
District that a Democrat can exhibit all the so-called republican virtues of
hard work, thrift and decent values without saying “no,” to everything
that benefits the public.
“This
is a region known for big cotton, big education and big medicine,” he
said, “and we need a Congressman who will support our region’s
interests with his time, his attention, and most of all, his votes. He also
said water resource development, renewable energy research and expanded medical
insurance were on the horizon and would bring growth to the 19th District of
Texas.
Fullingim
said he felt like a true son of the South Plains since his family came here
as original settlers in the 1890s and had been widely known as cotton farmers,
bankers, lawyers, school teachers, preachers, local elected officials, insurance
agents, gospel singers and rodeo stars. He is a graduate of Lubbock High School
and Texas Tech University, and served two years on active duty as an officer
in the U.S. Army. His professional career spans more than 35 years in executive
positions mainly in the energy industry, including a 15-year stint overseas
with Aramco, the world’s largest oil company. He currently works as a
public affairs consultant to international clients and provides pro bono communications
counsel to non-profit organizations.
Fullingim
said he supports farm bill legislation to protect the owners of farming assets
and those who sell or service farming operations. “The result of any
unprotected drop in crop prices would be catastrophic for the region—with
a massive sell-off of devalued farm property, sinking property values generally,
and a severe impact on general business in the region,” he said. He also
said he would champion public participation in regional economic development. “It
took a lot of hard work, sweat and tears to create the economy we have out
here on the Plains,” he said, “but let’s not forget that
it was government working with people that brought a land rush equal to California’s
gold rush to settle the vast grid of 160-acre farms made available for homesteading.
Also government initiatives brought the railroads through right-of-way grants
and the highway transportation infrastructure that opened up the region for
development. We still need a vigorous public/private partnership to reach our
full potential,” he said.
Fullingim
pledged to hold the line on taxes and spending and work with bi-partisan efforts
to make real progress on balancing the budget. “A river of cash runs
through Washington and frankly the opposition party has been spending excessively
on projects that benefit mainly the narrow interests clustered around the White
House—and apparently has never seen a war it didn’t like,” he
said. “My corporate experience will come in handy in cutting through
the worn-out justifications for useless programs that benefit only narrow interests.
Fullingim noted that George Mahon was a gifted politician who could be progressive,
but conservative with the public purse at the same time. “I’d like
to be a politician in that mould,” he said.
Fullingim also said he would work with those
who have sensible solutions to the hot-button issues that vex society
at every level. “I will respect my constituents’ viewpoints
and be guided by them as long as they make sense,” he said. “I
have seen the big, wide world and there is much of value to be learned and
embraced—and probably much to be avoided. Our religious, moral and cultural
values are quite conservative and well known to me—and I recognize the
wisdom and survival value in them. In my years of living in Houston and Dallas,
I have observed a deep split between big-city and small-town values,” he
said. “Because I am well-versed in both, I can be a useful go-between
as our region develops and as I remind our urban friends just how extreme some
of their ideas and ways of living can be.”
The candidate also noted that politicians have
been in an ugly mood for several years now and seem to have lost the knack
of working together. “That’s a shame because no one politician
and no one political party has all the answers,” Fullingim said. “We
must try to convince each other of the value of our ideas and opinions,” he
said, and added that he wanted to go to Washington with a friendly disposition
and a black belt in persuasion. “My belief is that the voters of District
19 can be comfortable with a Democratic representative who will push for economic
development with the Democrat-controlled House—and yet not allow anyone
in Washington to disregard the deepest held values and beliefs of the region,” he
said.
Fullingim concluded his remarks by saying: “My
call to action to the voters of the 19th District is this—decide whether
you want to close your eyes and hope for the best from the political party
that has brought you an endless and ghastly expensive war—and one that
we didn’t absolutely have to fight—and has also brought lopsided
economic growth that favors a handful of interests connected to the White House.
Or whether you prefer balanced budgets, military engagements that are few and
effective, and a Congressman who will fight for your economic future.”
About Dwight Fullingim. The
candidate was born May 7, 1944, in Memphis, Hall County, Texas to Peyton
and Leo Fullingim, a Baptist minister and wife. He was raised in
a series of small Texas towns where his father was pastor of the
local Baptist church. The family returned to Lubbock in the 1960s
and Fullingim graduated from Lubbock High School in 1962. He graduated
from Texas Tech in 1966 and was commissioned as an officer in the
U.S. Army, serving two years on active duty, one of which was spent
in Korea.
His first professional job was with Random House/Alfred
A. Knopf publishing firm in New York, followed by work in collegiate public
relations in the Houston area. He built on these skills to become a communications
executive employed by energy and oilfield service firms in Houston and Dallas,
followed by a 15-year career with world-famous Aramco in Saudi Arabia. He was
a registered lobbyist with both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S.
Senate in the 1980s and presented information and viewpoints of the energy
industry to members of the House and Senate.
Fullingim is the husband of one wife, Frances
Yvonne Butler, since 1970 and they have one married daughter. He is a
member of the Sons of the American Revolution, the University of North Texas
Friends of the Library, the International Public Relations Association, and
St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church of Lubbock.
About the Texas 19th Congressional District. The
District has a population of 650,000 (all 32 Congressional Districts
of Texas have approximately the same population), with the largest
population centers being: Lubbock, Abilene, Levelland, Big Spring,
Hereford and Plainview. The District is comprised all or part of
27 counties: Deaf Smith, Archer, Parmer, Castro, Bailey, Lamb,
Hale, Floyd, Cochran, Hockley, Lubbock, Yoakum, Terry, Lynn, Garza,
Kent, Gaines, Borden, Howard, Fisher, Nolan, Taylor, Shackelford,
Callahan, Eastland, Stephens and Young Counties.
The District is known for its farming and ranching
activities, the excellence of its public and private colleges and universities,
and its scenic state and local parks and recreational areas.
About the Campaign. Campaign
treasurer is well-known Lubbock banker, Jay Matsler. Fullingim will accept
invitations to speak before groups either as a candidate or as someone well-versed
in the history, culture and political situation in the Middle East.
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