Who is keeping score? The voters or special interests?
Lynn Stucky: I was burying my mother in Kansas when the attacks from this group first began — I hadn’t even been elected to office or taken a single vote as a lawmaker
We're less than a month away from the Republican Primary Runoff on May 28th in Denton and Wise Counties. It didn't take long after the primary for the attacks against me to start back up. It's been a continuation of the same lies and attacks about me that have been recycled again and again in your mailbox and on your smartphone.
Recently, friends have been asking me about Texans for Fiscal Responsibility (TFR) and their “Scorecard.” TFR is one of several names for a single organization that has targeted me even before I took office. The lies started before I even won the nomination and they haven't stopped since.
I wasn't a state rep when these attacks started. In fact, I wasn't even a nominee for state representative. I was burying my mother in Kansas when I got word of the first attacks from Michael Quinn Sullivan (MQS) and his group.
Under the mantle of Empower Texans, they have disgraced themselves many times over. TFR, the policy advocacy wing of this politically-focused special interest organization, has remained resilient against the disgusting behavior carried out by MQS and his underlings.
This group continues to fabricate lies about the work that my colleagues and I carry out during a legislative session. Before I had a voting record to attack, they chose to attack my career as a veterinarian who has proudly served North Texas families and ranchers for more than 41 years. These lies have led to threats of violence against my wife and daughters and death threats against me.
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It's where MQS and his team cherrypick votes (many procedural) that fit into their narrative attacking me as a "RINO." I have never earned above 60%, and I think that may be a good thing. Bryan Slaton is what MQS and the Texas Scorecard call a "Grade-A Conservative," earning the top “score” in the 2021 legislative session. Slaton was kicked out of office in 2023 after it was discovered that he gave one of his 19-year-old interns alcohol at his Austin apartment, had sex with her, and then proceeded to use his position to silence her. This was also while his wife and child were at home in the district. Slaton regularly received an A from Texas Scorecard.
If that's what it means to be a Grade-A Conservative at Texas Scorecard, I'm glad they gave me an F.
In January 2023, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility and my opponent Andy Hopper were backing Bryan Slaton as the most Conservative member in the Texas House, earning their highest score previously. By May 2023, Slaton had resigned in scandal after it was revealed he has been giving his 19-year-old intern alcohol and groomed her for sex. The resignation did little to stop the Texas House from officially expelling the HD 2 representative. Andy Hopper, seen above (top right) with Slaton, is making lowering the drinking age to 18 a major part of his policy platform. That is a concerning policy position given his previous support of Slaton as a model conservative. Current and former law enforcement officers have issued rebukes of Andy Hopper for supporting lowering the drinking age to allow high schoolers to purchase alcohol.
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They're funded by the same billionaire that is funding the dozens of PACs and advocacy groups created to lie about my record on border security, protecting the 2nd amendment, and protecting Texas children.
The latest PAC is called Texans United for a Conservative Majority, though they have previously been called Empower Texans and Defend Texas Liberty.
Since 2016, the people funding Texans United for a Conservative Majority have spent more than $4 million against me in Republican primaries. Do you know how much they've spent against Democrats running in HD 64? That's right! $0.
Taxpayers for Fiscal Responsibility is funded by the same billionaires that fund Texans United for a Conservative Majority, which has changed names several times since 2016 after multiple scandals. In that same time, the donors behind Texans United for a Conservative Majority have spent $0 against Democrats running in House District 64. Their dollars would appear to be united for a hand-picked puppet majority.
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In addition to the Scorecard, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility (texastaxpayers.com, Texas Scorecard, etc.) puts out their vote recommendations for the House and Senate. Did you know that I earned a 98% Taxpayer Champion Score? I supported all but one position on their taxpayer champion and protection bills, but somehow, that didn't make it into my Scorecard.
That's because they don't want to tell the truth about my record or what I have done to serve my Constituents. This is the same organization that recommended killing a bill I carried for first responders like firefighters and police officers to reduce highway deaths when they are responding to accidents (HB 898). If they're willing to kill policies that support the folks on the front lines of public safety, do they have our best interest in mind?
Who is keeping score? The billionaire donors who fund Texans for Fiscal Responsibility spend millions of dollars on mailpieces and TV ads trying to convince you that Lynn Stucky is not a conservative. Independently, the organizations above — the National Rifle Association, Texas Values Action, and Texas Alliance for Life — have given their scores for Dr. Stucky’s record. Unlike TFR, these groups are funded independently and support many different Republican candidates.
After the last regular session in 2023, MQS called to ask if he could interview me as a "mover-and-shaker in Austin," as he put it. I was playing with my grandson at the time and told him on the phone that I would have to call him back at another time. A few weeks later, MQS and his organization put out a fake news "documentary" attacking me for working with the Speaker of the House, who was elected by a vote of 147-3.
After the primary, his "reporter" emailed the campaign asking questions on various topics. But why would I respond to an organization that already attacked me with their fake news YouTube hit piece? I declined to answer. And surprise, surprise, they're attacking me for not engaging with their propaganda machine.
To the voters who want to know about the votes on the scorecard, you can freely review the public record at Texas Legislature Online. I am happy to answer your questions directly. Given the pace of the campaign, if you email me here, I will respond when I'm not engaging with voters on the trail.
God bless you all and God bless Texas!