121: Candidate Forum for Texas Governor

Dates of Candidate Interviews
Don Huffines- January 14, 2022
Danny Harrison- January 17, 2022
Chad Prather- January 18, 2022
Allen West- February 3, 2022 (Cancelled due to ice storm)

Campaign Websites
Don Huffines- https://donhuffines.com
Danny Harrison- https://dannyharrisonfortexas.com
Chad Prather- https://prather2022.com
Allen West- https://west4texas.com

To jump to questions that most interest you, click the timecode next to the candidate’s name.

Bunker Bob’s Comments
0:59 Regarding Candidate Allen West
4:09 Regarding Incumbent Governor Greg Abbott
5:21 Regarding other Republican Challengers

Candidate introductions & bio’s.
7:43 Chad Prather
9:29 Danny Harrison
10:23 Don Huffines

1. What makes you the best choice for Texas Conservatives to elect for Governor of Texas over incumbent Governor Gregg Abbot and the many Republican challengers that are in the race?
12:57 –Don Huffines
23:04 Danny Harrison
26:05 Chad Prather

2. Do you have a faith & if so, what is it and how will it/does it guide you if elected/re-elected?
37:50 Chad Prather
44:33 Don Huffines
45:55 Danny Harrison

3. The COVID pandemic has demonstrated how fragile our God-given rights are to the executive authority of the Texas Governor. Even though both the U.S. & Texas Constitutions affirm those rights, most liberty-loving conservatives, who trusted Governor Abbot to protect us, were blindsided by his actions, which stripped away some of those rights. As a result, last year Texas voters overwhelmingly reaffirmed and amplified the responsibility of government at every level to protect the right of citizens to assemble for worship, without exception. So, if elected as our state’s 46th Governor, what criteria will you use to determine when it is permissible to take executive authority to strip citizens of fundamental rights that are recognized by the U.S. & Texas Constitutions?
47:35 Chad Prather
53:48 Danny Harrison
57:03 Don Huffines

4. Citizens of Texas never truly own their property since all privately held property is obligated to annually pay taxes based on the value that the state places on that property each year. This has resulted in many Texans’ losing their home to the state, even when mortgage free, because they are unable to pay the taxes on it due to the ever-increasing value assessed each year. So, when do you think Texans should finally own their own property? In other words, do you support an end to state property taxes and if so, how would you go about making this a reality without adding a state income tax?
57:49 Don Huffines
1:10:09 Chad Prather
1:18:15 Danny Harrison

5. The federal government is responsible for protecting our nation’s borders, including between Mexico & Texas, however, nowhere in the US Constitution or any Congressional statute is immigration enforcement granted solely to the federal government. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia expressed this same view by stating, “it seems to me entirely appropriate when the State uses the federal law (as it must) as the criterion for the exercise of its own power, and the implementation of its own policies of excluding those who do not belong there.” Therefore, most constitutional conservatives have argued that the state of Texas, as a sovereign political entity, has the inherent authority to enforce its own borders and protect its citizens. Article four, section 4 of the U.S. Constitution guarantees that the federal government shall protect each state of the Union against invasion. Yet despite the fact that former vice president Biden has ignored this constitutional mandate, the framers added another guarantee for the states under Article 1, Section 10, Clause 3, where the states reserved their sovereign authority to act in the protection of their citizens when threatened by “invasion or imminent harm.” So, do you believe that the state of Texas is being threatened by invasion or imminent harm and if so, how will you work to secure our border and crack down on human traffickers and cartels that bring violent crime to Texas. If not, what must happen for you to support state-initiated action to secure our border?
1:37:36 Danny Harrison
1:41:23 Chad Prather
1:50:21 Don Huffines

6. What will be your top five priorities as Governor in your first four years? [We would like to include a bulleted visual list of your priorities as you introduce them (this will be done in post-production during editing). We will keep each bullet to less than five words that you can expand upon as you answer.]
1:55:15 Don Huffines
1:57:41 Danny Harrison
2:00:27 Chad Prather

7. Closing
2:04:57 Chad Prather
2:07:49 Danny Harrison
2:10:27 Don Huffines

2:13:13 Bunker Bob’s Closing Comments