Tom Craddick
Thomas Russell Craddick is a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives representing the 82nd district. Craddick was the speaker of the Texas House of Representatives from January 2003 to January 2009. He was the first Republican to serve as Speaker since Reconstruction.
Craddick was first elected in 1968 at the age of twenty-five and, as of 2025, is the longest serving legislator in the history of the Texas House of Representatives and the longest serving incumbent state legislator in the United States.
On July 1, 2025, Craddick announced he would be running in 2026 for his 30th term.
Early life and career
Craddick was born in Beloit, Wisconsin to Russell F. Craddick and Beatrice Craddick. He lived in Beloit until he was nine years old. He became an Eagle Scout.Texas House of Representatives
While he was a doctoral student at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Craddick decided to run for the legislature to succeed the incumbent Republican Frank Kell Cahoon of Midland, who was not seeking a third two-year term. According to Craddick's official biography, even his father, businessman R.F. Craddick, warned him: "Texas is run by Democrats. You can't win." Although this part of Texas had been trending Republican at the national level for some time, Democrats continued to hold most local offices well into the 1980s.He was one of eight Republicans in the chamber at that time. His victory came on the same day that Richard M. Nixon was elected as U.S. President.
In 1975, Craddick was named chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, the first Republican to have chaired a Texas legislative committee in more than a century. At that time in Texas, a legislator did not need to be in the majority party in order to chair a committee.
Since 2011, as the longest serving member, Craddick has held the title of "Dean of the House". Since 2021, he has shared the title with Senfronia Thompson, the longest serving female representative.
In the general election held on November 6, 2018, Craddick won his 26th term in the legislature with 37,504 votes, he defeated the Democratic candidate, Spencer Bounds, who polled 9,207 votes.
On July 1, 2025, Craddick announced he would be running in 2026 for his 30th term and currently has no primary Republican challenger, as of July 2025.
Speaker of the House
On January 11, 2003, after thirty-four years in the House, Craddick became the first Republican Speaker in more than 130 years. He held the presiding officer's position for six years. During his speakership, the state went from $10 billion dollar budget deficit to $10 billion dollar surplus.In December 2006, Craddick faced credible challenges to his re-election as Speaker for the Eightieth Texas Legislature: Brian McCall, Jim Pitts, and Senfronia Thompson, all of whom announced candidacies for the speakership. In early January, McCall withdrew and endorsed Pitts.
Supporters of Pitts pressed for a secret ballot in order to avoid retribution should their efforts fail, while Craddick had maintained all along that he had more than the minimum number of votes needed for re-election. When the secret ballot measure failed, Pitts withdrew, and Craddick was re-elected to a third term as Speaker on January 9, 2007, by a vote of 121-27.
Removal Attempt
Craddick became increasingly unpopular with not only Democrats but those of his own party, and many called for a new Speaker to be elected. In the most extreme case, Craddick's political views and leadership compelled Kirk England to change parties and run for re-election as a Democrat in 2008.Chaos erupted in the Texas House of Representatives on Friday, May 25, 2007, when Fred Hill, a Republican from Richardson, attempted to raise a question of privilege to remove Craddick from office, but Craddick refused to Recognize him to make the motion. The attempts to oust Craddick continued through the weekend as other Republicans made additional motions, which were also disallowed for a time.
Craddick's close allies, such as Representative Phil King of Weatherford, said that the actions against the Speaker were an effort by Democrats to gain control of the legislature before the legislative and congressional redistricting process of 2011. However, then Representative Byron Cook said that the fight was about Craddick having consolidated power with lobbyists and having used campaign contributions to maintain control in the House: "This is about the convergence of money and power and influence," Cook said.
Specifically, Craddick recessed the legislature for two and a half hours after Representatives attempted to gain recognition to put the question of Craddick's removal to a vote. When Hill asked to vote to remove Mr. Craddick, the Speaker replied: "The Speaker's power of recognition on any matter cannot be appealed."
His parliamentarian, Denise Davis disagreed, stating that a question of privilege relating to the removal of a Speaker from office is such a highly privileged one that the Speaker may not refuse recognition. When Craddick shunned her advice, Davis and her assistant, Chris Griesel, resigned. Craddick immediately hired former Representative Terry Keel of Austin to the post as well as former Representative Ron Wilson as Keel's assistant. The new parliamentarians upheld Craddick's decision and the session resumed until 1 a.m. and despite further protests from members of the legislature, Craddick remained in his position as Speaker, and the session was recessed.
In January 2009, Craddick was not reelected as Speaker after nearly the entire Democratic Caucus and a number of Republicans broke ranks to vote for Joe Straus, a two-term moderate Republican from San Antonio. Straus remained speaker for five terms until his retirement from the House in January 2019. The last Texas House Speaker to be removed had also been a Republican, Ira Hobart Evans, who was rejected in 1871 for cooperating with Democrats on an elections bill. Craddick won reelection to his House seat in the general election on November 2, 2010.
Personal life
Craddick married the former Nadine Nayfa on September 9, 1969 in her hometown of Sweetwater in west Texas. She is of Lebanese descent. They have two children, a daughter Christi Craddick, and a son, Thomas Jr., as well as a grandson, Thomas Russell Craddick III. Craddick holds BBA and MBA degrees from the Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech.His wife is a Vice President of Craddick, Inc. Together they have founded several scholarship funds including: The Tom and Nadine Craddick Presidential Scholarship Endowment for the Texas Tech University System, the Nadine and Tom Craddick Distinguished Chair in Medical Science Endowment for The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and the Nadine Craddick Endowment Fund for the Midland Memorial Foundation at Midland Memorial Hospital. Nadine is also on the Board of Directors at the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute. Tom Craddick is president of Craddick, Inc., a sales representative for Horizon Mud Company and owns Craddick Properties. Craddick Inc. and Craddick Partners Ltd. are ran from his home in Midland.
On November 6, 2012, when Craddick won his 23rd term in the Texas House, his daughter Christi was easily elected as a Republican to the Texas Railroad Commission, the state's oil and gas regulatory body. After being reelected to a third six year term in 2024, she announced that she is running for Texas Comptroller in 2026.
Tom and Christi Craddick both have ownership interests in 360 oil and gas leases in the 22 counties across Texas, with a value of over $20 million. Craddick receives royalties of more than $2 million per year for brokering extraction lease sales, which are potential conflicts of interest as he sits on the committee that oversees the state's oil industry. Craddick sits on the board of directors of Mexco Energy Corporation, which brings the number of leases they are involved with to over 600. Craddick introduced a bill that would preserve the interests of holders of overriding royalties such as his own; he has reintroduced it after it was vetoed by Governor Abbott.
Craddick's picture is featured in the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum’s “Petroleum Hall of Fame.”
The Midland International Air and Space Port unveiled a sculpture of Tom and Nadine to honor them in January 2025.
Electoral history
Summary
Craddick has won 29 elections since 1968, being uncontested in all his primary runs, except 1968, and uncontested in the 1974, 1978-1982, 1986, 1992-1998, 2002-2006, 2010-2016, 2020 and 2022 general elections, or 17 out 29 elections. He routinely garnered at least 70% of the vote in his contested elections, with only two elections where he received less, being in 1970 when he received 52.2% and in 2008 when he received 62.12%.1960s
1968
On February 9, 1968, he entered the race the day after incumbent, Frank Kell Cahoon, announced that he would not run for re-election.Craddick ran against Joe S. Davis in the Republican primary. He ran against Democrat Ray O. Howard in the general election and won his first term.