Truncale
Beaumont attorney Michael Truncale, who recently announced his Republican candidacy for U.S. Congress, said he will push for Texas-style tort reforms on a national level if elected.
On Aug. 3, after nearly three weeks of testing the waters, Truncale, 53, declared his candidacy for the new Texas Gulf Coast Congressional District 14.
"As a lifelong conservative, I am running to ensure we have strong Republican and TEA Party values in the U.S. Congress," Truncale said in a press release.
"Our campaign team is open to all District 14 neighbors who share a commitment to improving America, lowering taxes, defending our constitution, protecting individual freedoms, and preserving our conservative values. Together, we plan to win a person-to-person grassroots campaign focused on straightforward conservative issues."
If elected, as part of those conservative issues, Truncale will seize "any opportunity to pursue" tort reform on a national level, said Keats Norfleet, a spokesperson working on Truncale's campaign.
During an Aug. 15 interview, Norfleet told the Southeast Texas Record that Truncale has always been "very pro tort reform" and is a huge supporter of Texas' past and recent tort reform efforts.
He added that as a District 14 representative, Truncale would support tort reform efforts on a national level when the opportunities manifest.
A lifelong resident of Southeast Texas, Truncale currently serves on the State Republican Executive Committee (SREC) and as a Regent of the Texas State University System.
Congressional District 14 -- a newly created district based on 2010 Census information -- includes all of Galveston and Jefferson Counties, a portion of Brazoria County and a small area in Harris County.
A former delegate to the National Republican Convention, Truncale also serves as an appointee of both U.S. Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn on the Federal Judicial Selection Committee.
According to the press release, Truncale and his wife, Denise, have two children and a son-in-law and are active members at St. Mark's Episcopal Church.