Rep. Ted Poe (R)

The congressman from the 2nd District is Ted Poe, a Republican first elected in 2004. A former prosecutor who served 22 years as a Houston-area district court judge, Poe became a publicity magnet and a judicial celebrity for meting out humiliating “Poe-tic justice” punishments to criminals. He required murderers to hang pictures of their victims in their prison cells and ordered drunken drivers and shoplifters to stand at the entrances to taverns and stores carrying signs publicizing their offenses. He also gained national recognition as a legal commentator on national television. In 2003, Poe stepped down as a judge to run for Congress. In a six-candidate Republican primary, Poe’s high name recognition and bench experience helped him win with 61% of the vote.

In the general election, Poe faced incumbent Democratic Rep. Nick Lampson, who was running in largely unfamiliar territory due to the 2003 Republican-engineered redistricting of Texas. Lampson had a moderate voting record, a low-key style and was a big booster of NASA. At first it was not clear whether Poe would be able to capitalize on the favorable redistricting. National Republicans fretted about his fundraising and his seemingly complacent campaign. Lampson also outspent Poe nearly 2-to-1. But on Election Day, the new district’s solid Republican bent was too much for the Democrat to overcome. Lampson led 68%-31% in Jefferson County, the area he had previously represented and where 36% of votes were cast. But Poe won 70%-28% in Harris County, where 58% of the votes were cast. Overall, Poe won 56%-43%.

In the House, Poe has had a relatively moderate voting record for a Republican from Texas. As a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in the 110th Congress (2007-08), he sought to reduce local noise from Houston’s international airport, and worked to restore funding to maintain and dredge the Sabine-Neches Waterway in his district. He joined a bipartisan group that in 2007 passed a House amendment to block the Bush administration from easing requirements for foreign ownership of U.S. airlines.

After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita led to a large migration of refugees to Texas in 2005, Poe filed legislation to create a national registry of convicted child molesters who have been released from prison to make it easier to identify newcomers who were criminals. He also has been a leader of the Immigration Reform Caucus, where he sought tighter enforcement at the border with Mexico. He successfully lobbied President George W. Bush to commute the prison terms of two border agents who were convicted for wounding a drug smuggler. He joined Democrats and libertarian Republicans in 2005 to restrict access to library records under the USA Patriot Act.

He often ends speeches on the House floor with his trademark, “And that’s just the way it is.” But he has also drawn negative attention for some of his remarks. He was criticized for a floor speech in which he quoted Nathan Bedford Forest, an early Ku Klux Klan leader. Arguing for more money for U.S. troops in Iraq, Poe said, “Nathan Bedford Forest, successful Confederate general, said it best about winning and victory and the means to do so. He said, ‘Get there firstest with the mostest.’ Congress needs to send the generals the mostest.”

Poe has not been seriously challenged for re-election.