Matt Shaheen
Republican | Texas
Candidate Profile*
Conservative
BIOGRAPHY
EDUCATION
Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, VA, BA, 1987
SMU, Dallas, TX, MA, 2003
WORK & MILITARY
(Candidate did not provide)
AFFILIATIONS
Prestonwood Baptist Church, Deacon
Prestonwood Pregnancy Center, Board Member
Golden Corridor Republican Women, Associate Member
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Commissioner, Collin County Precinct 1, 2009-2014
Texas State Representative, Distrcit 66, 2015-present
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
(Candidate did not provide)
SCORECARDS
CONSERVATIVE ORGANIZATIONS
2024-2025
100%
2025 (most current)
98%
2025
88%, 91%†
2025
91%
2025
87%
2023
86%
2025
81%
2025
78%
2023
B
2025
B
2024-2025
|100%
2025 (most current)
|98%
2025
|88%, 91%†
2025
|91%
2025
|87%
2023
|86%
2025
|81%
2025
|78%
2023
|B
2025
|B
LIBERAL ORGANIZATIONS
2025
40%, 26%†
2025
21%
2025
20%
2023
F
2019
0%
2019
0%
2025
|40%, 26%†
2025
|21%
2025
|20%
2023
|F
2019
|0%
2019
|0%
ENDORSEMENTS*
CONSERVATIVE (8)
National Rifle Association NRA-PVF
Texas Home School Coalition THSC PAC
Texas Values Action
Life PAC
National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Texas
LIBERAL (1)
Houston Police Officers Union PAC
OTHER (5)
Greg Abbott
Texas Oil and Gas Association TXOGA PAC
Texas Association of Business TXBIZ PAC
Texas Alliance for Life TAL PAC
*Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas CLEAT PAC
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (36)
Local, County, District Republican Organizations (2026)
Mayes Middleton (2026)
Republican Womens Organizations (2026)
Terri Leo Wilson (2026)
Will Metcalf (2026)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (71)
Harlan & Katherine Crow (2026)
Jeff Leach (2026)
Texas Conservative Coalition (2026)
Henry Ross Perot (2025)
Christina Melton Crain (2024)
LIBERAL
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (1)
Toni Rose (2023)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (3)
Unite America (2025)
American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (2024)
Leticia Van De Putte (2023)
OTHER INFORMATION
The 2025 Texas House from right to left according to analysis by Rice University’s James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy.
The 2023 Texas House from right to left according to analysis by Rice University’s James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy.
Candidate graded F by pro-marijuana group NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws).
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive taxpayer funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Strongly Agree
Under what circumstances should an elective abortion be allowed?
Life of the mother, that's the only exception I've supported. I fought to end abortion in Texas because I believe life begins at conception and deserves protection under the law. Texas's current statute reflects that: an elective abortion isn't permissible, but doctors can act to save a mother's life when it's medically necessary.
Human life deserves legal protection from conception until natural death.
Strongly Agree
The lives of human embryos created through artificial methods ought to be protected from purposeful destruction.
Strongly Agree
The Comstock Act, which bans interstate transportation of abortion-inducing drugs, should be enforced.
Strongly Agree
ECONOMY
What is your position on the minimum wage?
Wages should be set by the free market, not mandated by government. That's how Texas has built the strongest job market in the country. I'd oppose raising the state minimum wage or letting cities impose their own, and support keeping that
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
List your top 3-5 priorities to eliminate government waste.
As a member of the Sunset Advisory Commission, here are my three priorities: first, every agency should have to justify its full existence and funding each review cycle, not just on last year's baseline. Second, eliminating duplicative or outdated programs and consolidating agencies whose missions overlap, so taxpayers aren't funding the same function twice. Third, tying every agency's continued funding to measurable performance outcomes, not just activity.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
What does "separation of church and state" mean to you?
Separation of church and state means government can't establish an official religion. What it doesn't mean is stripping faith out of our schools, courthouses, and public life. Our Constitution protects freedom of religion, not freedom from it, and I'll always defend Texans' right to live out their values in public.
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Strongly Disagree
HEALTHCARE
What most closely matches your view on healthcare: A) Healthcare for all should be guaranteed and funded by the government with no private healthcare option. (includes "universal healthcare," "medicare for all," etc.) B) Healthcare insurance funded by the government should be available for all who want it, along with private healthcare options. C) Medicaid and Medicare should remain available, but no other taxpayer-funded programs are necessary. D) Taxpayer funded health care should be abolished in all forms, and Medicaid and Medicare should be defunded.
(C) Medicaid and Medicare serve as a safety net millions of Texans rely on, and I support maintaining that infrastructure. But government shouldn't be expanding into new taxpayer-funded programs or acting as the nation's insurer. The system isn't perfect long term, I want a pathway that shrinks government's role in healthcare and restores market-driven solutions, not more entitlement spending.
The government should keep a database of people with various ongoing medical illnesses to assess the economic burden of treatment.
Strongly Disagree
Absolutely not. A government database tracking citizens' medical conditions is a dangerous slope toward surveillance, not sound policy. We saw the same nonsense with COVID vaccine passports. Texans rightly rejected being forced to carry a government-issued health ID just to live their lives. Medical privacy is fundamental, and I'll never support mass data collection on Texans.
NATIONAL SECURITY
The Chinese Communist Party poses serious military, cyber security, intellectual property, and global economic threats to the United States.
Strongly Agree
Absolutely, yes. This is actually one area where we have real documented action to point to: I've supported Texas legislation restricting foreign adversaries, including Chinese Communist Party-linked entities, from purchasing Texas land, which reflects real concern about CCP influence here at home.
Is the United States' relationship with Israel important, and if so why?
Yes, without question. I've seen firsthand how vital that relationship is. Recently, I have the pleasure to travel to Israel, and standing there only deepened my conviction. Israel is our strongest democratic ally in a region full of instability, a partner in fighting terrorism, and a nation whose people share our values of freedom and self-determination. I'm a strong supporter of the Jewish community and the State of Israel, and that support isn't political for me - it's rooted in faith.
IMMIGRATION
I support the existence of sanctuary cities to protect undocumented persons.
Strongly Disagree
Sanctuary cities openly defy federal and state law, and that's unacceptable. The law exists to be enforced, not cherry-picked by local officials who disagree with it. I opposed sanctuary city policies because they undermine public safety and the rule of law. That's why Texas passed SB4, banning them statewide. Every jurisdiction must cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. No city gets to pick which laws apply.
EDUCATION
I support eliminating the U.S. Department of Education and giving control back to states and communities.
Strongly Agree
Foreign governments should be prohibited from funding American education.
Strongly Agree
Our education system should serve American students and American values, not foreign influence campaigns. Foreign adversaries have no business funding American classrooms. Any nation actively working against U.S. interests through espionage, propaganda, or economic warfare should be barred from funneling money into our schools and universities.
VALUES
Government should recognize and support the fundamental right and essential duty of parents to direct their child's health and educational well-being.
Strongly Agree
Attempts to physically or socially transition a child to the opposite sex constitute child abuse.
Strongly Agree
Marriage is a God-ordained, sacred and legal union of one man and one woman. No government has the authority to alter this definition.
Strongly Agree
I support the expansion of gambling in my state.
Strongly Disagree
I lead efforts to stop the expansion of gambling in Texas and am a target of the casino lobbyists. Casinos and predatory gambling operations don't build strong communities; they extract money from families who can least afford it and bring crime and social costs that far outweigh any tax revenue promised. Texas has thrived without opening the door to Las Vegas-style gaming interests, and I intend to keep it that way.
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
My mother led me to Christ as a young man. Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior, and he gives me confidence and freedom to live according to His plan and purpose for my life.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
You need photo ID to check out a library book — why not to vote? As Elections Chair, Texas has passed the most election integrity legislation in recent history. I champion voter ID because secure elections build trust and the ballot box deserves at least the verification standard of a library card. Election integrity isn't partisan, it's the foundation of self-government.
EQUALITY
Reparations should be given to people on the basis of race.
Strongly Disagree
Biological males should not be allowed to participate in women's sports or occupy biological women's spaces whether it be bathrooms, locker rooms, sorority houses, women's shelters, or prison.
Strongly Agree
Protecting women's spaces means protecting women, period. Sports, locker rooms, shelters, and prisons exist to keep women safe and give them fair competition — that requires spaces defined by biological sex, not gender identity. I've backed Texas laws affirming that biological reality, because fairness and safety for women and girls aren't negotiable. This isn't about excluding anyone from dignity; it's about ensuring women don't lose hard-won protections and opportunities they've earned.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Man-made climate change is a global threat and requires urgent political action.
Strongly Disagree
What do you believe is the most reliable energy source that will supply the growing demand for electricity?
Natural gas and nuclear are the backbone of a reliable grid. Dispatchable power that won't quit when the wind or sun does. I've backed expanding both, plus the Texas Grid Security Commission, to keep power stable as demand grows.
ABOUT YOU
When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and religious liberty, which of the following best describes you overall?
Very Conservative
Have you ever been penalized for sexual misconduct in either civil or criminal court? If so, please explain.
NO, Never!
Have you ever been convicted of a felony? If so, please explain.
NO, Never!
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
What should be the goal of the criminal justice system?
Justice means accountability. Those convicted of crimes must be punished and removed from our streets to keep communities safe. Incarceration should also give offenders the chance to reflect and reform — but public safety comes first, which is why I've backed tougher bail standards for violent offenders. Rehabilitation matters, but never at the expense of victims or law-abiding Texans.
Government has a responsibility to protect children from sexual exploitation during online activities.
Strongly Agree
Protecting children online isn't optional. Predators exploit the internet's anonymity to target our kids, and the state must act. I've passed legislation cracking down on child exploitation and requiring age verification on sites hosting harmful content. My age verification legislation survived a United States Supreme Court Challenge. Parents deserve partners in Austin who take this seriously, and I'll keep fighting to keep our children safe from online predators.
Sharia law should not be accepted or incorporated in any form within the legal framework of the United States.
Strongly Agree
No foreign or religious legal code should ever supersede the U.S. Constitution — that includes Sharia. Americans of any faith are free to worship as they choose, and I'll always defend that religious liberty. But our civic and legal system must rest solely on the Constitution and American law. Protecting faith and protecting our legal framework aren't in conflict, they go hand in hand.
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
The Second Amendment is not up for negotiation. Public safety comes from enforcing existing laws against criminals, strengthening mental health resources, and holding violent offenders accountable, not by stripping rights from law-abiding gun owners. I'll always defend Texans' right to keep and bear arms.
