“I grew up right here in the district, was raised in Denton and Argyle and went to high school in Denton. We raised horses growing up, so I have a horse and rodeo background. While growing up, I never wanted to do anything but be a cowboy,” said Rick Hagen, Republican candidate for Texas State Representative in District 64.
“In high school and college I rode bucking horses,” he said, adding “Now, my Harley Davidson is a palomino gelding named Sam, and I went back to roping calves, so, that’s my midlife crisis.” Hagen said he decided he wanted to run for the District 64 seat about 28 years ago when he worked for Rep. Jim Horn in the state legislature. “Twenty years ago Jim decided he wasn’t going to run again and he contacted me and Ronny Crownover and asked us both to run for the seat. Ronny and I met and I felt that he was in a better place in his life to serve the district, so I decided not to run at that time and just support the man I thought was best for the job. That was Ronny! He passed and Myra (Crownover) took over that seat.”
A few months ago Rep. Crownover, who has held the seat since 2000, decided not to run for another term. Mr. Hagen said, “I feel that my time is now.” Hagen said he spoke with his, thus far, only opponent, Reid King, and both agreed to run a clean, issue-based campaign. District 64 encompasses the entire City of Denton, including Robson Ranch; the Lake Cities of Corinth, Lake Dallas, Hickory Creek, Shady Shores; and Krum.
Hagen, an attorney with the Denton law firm of Jackson and Hagen, has been President of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, board certified in criminal law for 22 years, served on boards with the Texas board of legal specialization, and lectured to judges, prosecutors and lawyers on topics such as ethics, Constitutional rights and preventing government seizures.
On the issues, he believes that Texas must build a fence to stop illegal immigration and he’s against amnesty. He wants to keep taxes low to fuel economic growth. He’s a strong defender of the Second Amendment and believes in local control of schools. As for the controversial issue of fracking, Hagen said he felt the ban in Denton last November went too far and he was against it because he thought it would lead to draconian measures by the state. He was right, of course, because a few months ago the Texas Legislature ruled in House Bill 40 that municipalities have limited control over oil and gas drilling, and that no town or city can ban hydraulic fracturing. If elected, Hagen said he would work toward getting rid of HB-40 because he feels it also goes too far. “It’s going to take a couple of years to do. It wouldn’t happen immediately; it’s going to be a slow crawl.”
To learn more about Rick go to www.rickhagen.com. To hear directly from the candidate, please watch the video below. The Texas primary will be on March 1, 2016.
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