Dan Patrick (politician) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dan Patrick
Patrick in 2017
42nd Lieutenant Governor of Texas
Incumbent
Assumed office January 20, 2015
Governor	Greg Abbott
Preceded by	David Dewhurst
Member of the Texas Senate from the 7th district
In office January 9, 2007 – January 13, 2015
Preceded by	Jon Lindsay
Succeeded by	Paul Bettencourt
Personal details
Born	Dannie Scott Goeb (1950-04-04) April 4, 1950 (age 75) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Jan Rankin ​ (m. 1975)​
Children	2, including Ryan
Education	University of Maryland, Baltimore County (BA)

Dan Goeb Patrick (born Dannie Scott Goeb on April 4, 1950) is an American politician, radio host, and TV broadcaster. He has been the 42nd Lieutenant Governor of Texas since January 2015. He serves alongside Governor Greg Abbott.

Patrick grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. He started his career in radio and television. Later, he became a conservative radio talk show host. From 2007 to 2015, Patrick was a Republican member of the Texas Senate. He represented the 7th District, which includes parts of Houston.

In 2014, Patrick won the election for lieutenant governor. He defeated David Dewhurst in the primary election. He then won the main election in the fall. He was re-elected in 2018 and 2022.

Early Life and Education

Dan Patrick was born Dannie Scott Goeb in Baltimore, Maryland, on April 4, 1950. He grew up in a working-class neighborhood. His parents were Vilma Jean Marshall and Charles Anthony Goeb. His father worked for The Baltimore Sun newspaper.

Patrick was the first in his family to go to college. He earned a degree in English from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. After college, he changed his name to Dan Goeb Patrick. He did this to honor his wife's family.

Broadcasting and Business Career

Starting in Radio and TV

Patrick began his first radio job when he was 18 years old in 1968. In 1977, he became a TV broadcaster in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He later worked in Washington, D.C., and then became a lead sportscaster at KHOU-TV in Houston.

As a sportscaster, Patrick was known for fun stunts. He once painted himself blue to support the Houston Oilers football team. He also wore a large cowboy hat. By 1983, he was a very popular TV personality in Houston. He left KHOU in the mid-1980s.

Opening Sports Bars

In 1983, Patrick and some partners opened one of the first sports bars in the U.S. They called it Dan and Nick's Sportsmarket. The bar did well at first, and they opened five sports bars in Houston.

However, Houston's economy slowed down in the mid-1980s. This caused Patrick's sports bar chain to have financial problems. In 1986, the sports bars failed. Patrick openly talks about this time. He says it helped shape his conservative beliefs.

Becoming a Conservative Radio Host

After his business struggles, Patrick started a new career in the 1990s. He became a conservative talk radio host. He bought time on a radio station in 1987. He first hosted a sports radio show. By 1988, he took over the radio station and switched to politics.

His show, Dan Patrick & Friends, became popular in Houston and Dallas. He used the name Dan Scott at first, but later changed it to Dan Patrick. Through his radio career, Patrick became well-known. He spoke about fiscal conservatism (saving money in government) and evangelical Christian values. He also spoke against illegal immigration.

Patrick's radio career helped him become a politician. He even signed Rush Limbaugh, a famous national talk show host, to air on his station in 1989. This helped his radio station's ratings grow. Patrick still owns radio stations today.

Other Projects

In 2008, Patrick worked on a movie called The Heart of Texas. It was based on a true story. The movie was released on DVD in 2009.

Patrick has also been involved in boycotts. He called for a boycott of Bill Maher's TV show after some controversial statements. He also announced a boycott of the Houston Chronicle newspaper in 2004. He even had a blog that criticized the newspaper.

Early Political Career

Patrick first thought about running for the United States House of Representatives in 2004.

Serving in the Texas Senate

Patrick at a 2013 press conference on education

Patrick was first elected to the Texas State Senate in 2006. He won with a large number of votes. His term began on January 9, 2007.

In 2010, Patrick was re-elected. He also supported Rick Perry for governor that year. After winning re-election, Patrick helped create a Tea Party Caucus in the Texas Legislature. This group had 48 members.

During his time in the Senate, Patrick worked for a very conservative plan. He was seen as one of the most powerful Republican politicians in Texas.

Senate Committees

Patrick served on several important committees in the Texas Senate:

• Committee on Education (Chair)
• Committee on Criminal Justice
• Committee on Finance
• Committee on Health & Human Services
• Committee on Intergovernmental Relations

Lieutenant Governor of Texas

2014 Election Campaign

On June 26, 2013, Patrick announced he would run for lieutenant governor. He challenged the person already in office, David Dewhurst. Patrick said he decided to run after Dewhurst could not stop a filibuster (a long speech to delay a vote) by Senator Wendy Davis.

Patrick won the Republican primary election with the most votes. In the runoff election on May 27, 2014, Patrick won again. He defeated Dewhurst with 65.1% of the votes. This victory was important for the Tea Party movement.

On November 4, 2014, Patrick won the main election. He defeated Democrat Leticia Van de Putte. He became the lieutenant governor-elect of Texas. Republicans won all statewide offices that year.

2018 Election Campaign

On January 9, 2017, Patrick announced he would run for re-election in 2018. He wanted to stop rumors that he would run for governor or U.S. Senator. Patrick easily won the Republican primary election on March 6, 2018.

Patrick also helped other Republican candidates win their primary races. He donated money to a candidate named Pete Flores. Flores won his election, which helped Patrick keep a strong Republican majority in the Senate.

On November 6, 2018, Patrick won re-election for his second term. He defeated Democratic challenger Mike Collier. Patrick won about 51% of the vote.

2022 Election Campaign

In the 2022 election, Patrick again defeated Democratic challenger Mike Collier. Patrick won with about 53.8% of the vote.

On January 25, 2023, Patrick said he plans to run for re-election again in 2026.

Time in Office

Patrick, third from left, attending an October 2017 meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, and FEMA officials, on Hurricane Harvey relief and recovery efforts.

Patrick became lieutenant governor on January 20, 2015. Soon after, the Texas Senate changed a rule. They made it easier to vote on bills. Before, two-thirds of senators had to agree to consider a bill. Now, only three-fifths are needed.

During his time, Patrick helped pass several major laws. These include laws allowing campus carry (carrying guns on college campuses) and open carry (carrying guns openly). He also supported a bill allowing pastors to refuse to marry couples if it goes against their beliefs. He also supported stronger border security.

In 2017, Patrick made it a priority to pass a law protecting pastors' sermons. This law stops the government from demanding copies of sermons. Governor Abbott signed this bill into law.

In 2021, Patrick focused on laws requiring the U.S. national anthem at state-funded events. He also worked on laws to protect "election integrity" in Texas. Many people see Patrick as a very influential and conservative leader in Texas.

Political Views

Education

Patrick supports having more charter schools in Texas. These are public schools that are run differently from traditional public schools.

In 2011, Patrick suggested cutting non-teaching jobs in public schools. He believed there were too many "math department supervisors" or "curriculum experts."

Patrick has supported teaching creationism in public schools. This is the belief that the universe and life were created by a divine being. However, courts have ruled that this goes against the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

In 2019, Patrick pushed to increase Texas teachers' paychecks by $5,000.

In 2021, Patrick supported a law to prevent public schools from requiring students to read writings by certain civil rights figures. This was for topics like women’s suffrage and the civil rights movement.

In 2022, Patrick said he wants to end tenure for new professors at Texas public universities. Tenure gives professors job security. He also said he wants to remove tenure for professors who teach critical race theory.

Gun Laws

Patrick generally supports gun rights.

In 2019, he first suggested requiring background checks for gun sales between strangers. However, he later changed his mind. He then supported laws to expand gun rights, including constitutional carry. This means people can carry guns without a permit.

Immigration Laws

Patrick is against illegal immigration. As a radio host, he often spoke strongly about this topic. He supported a law in Arizona that allows local police to ask about immigration status. He wants a similar law in Texas.

As Lieutenant Governor, Patrick wanted to keep National Guard troops at the Texas-Mexico border. He wanted them there for a longer time than planned. In 2015, he pushed for spending $815 million on border security. Governor Greg Abbott signed this into law.

Voting Rights

In 2020, Patrick said that efforts to expand vote-by-mail during the COVID-19 pandemic were a "scam by Democrats to steal the election."

In 2021, Patrick helped pass a law in the Texas Senate that restricted voting rights. This included stopping local groups from sending applications for mail-in ballots to voters.

In 2022, Patrick's campaign sent out mail with incorrect instructions for absentee ballots. The mail told voters to send requests to the wrong address. His campaign said it gave voters "added comfort" not to send mail to "Blue County election officials."

Domestic Partner Benefits

In 2012, Patrick asked the Texas attorney general to look into whether government groups could offer benefits to domestic partners. A Texas law from 2005 limits marriage to only heterosexual relationships. Patrick did not say his own views on same-sex marriage.

Confederate Monuments

Patrick strongly supports keeping Confederate monuments on public display. These monuments honor the Confederacy from the American Civil War. Some groups oppose these statues because they see them as supporting slavery.

Personal Life

Lt. Gov Dan Patrick of Texas speaking to the Montgomery County Texas Tea Party in The Woodlands, Texas on November 7, 2022.

Patrick's wife is Janetlea "Jan" Patricia Rankin. She used to be a teacher. They married in 1975 and live in Cypress. They have two children, Ryan and Shane. Ryan served as a judge. In 2017, Ryan Patrick became a U.S. Attorney for Southern Texas.

Religious Views

Patrick was not very religious growing up. After moving to Houston, he and his wife started attending a Baptist church. Patrick says he became a Christian in 1994. After this, his faith became very important to him.

Patrick is an evangelical Christian. He is a member of Christian groups like the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He has also been a guest pastor at his church, the Second Baptist Church Houston. He often talks about his Christian faith. In his inauguration speech, he said, "I am a Christian first, a conservative second and a Republican third." In 2016, Patrick was baptized in the Jordan River during a trip to Israel.

Electoral History

2022 Election Results

2018 Election Results

2014 Election Results

2010 Election Results

2006 Election Results

Works

• Patrick, Dan (2002). The Second Most Important Book You Will Ever Read: A Personal Challenge to Read the Bible, Publisher: Thomas Nelson, Inc., ISBN: 0-7852-6286-5
• The Heart of Texas (film). Heart Of Texas The Movie. Dan Patrick, Executive Producer. 2009 Plaid Shirt Pictures and Media Tech, Inc.