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Charles Schwertner

Charles Schwertner
President pro tempore of the Texas Senate
In office
May 29, 2023 – January 14, 2025
Preceded byKelly Hancock
Succeeded byBrandon Creighton
Member of the Texas Senate
from the 5th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 8, 2013
Preceded bySteve Ogden
Member of the Texas House of Representatives
from the 20th district
In office
January 11, 2011 – January 8, 2013
Preceded byDan Gattis
Succeeded byMarsha Farney
Personal details
Born
Charles Jeffrey Schwertner

(1970-05-29) May 29, 1970 (age 55)[1][2]
Tuscaloosa, Alabama, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseBelinda
EducationUniversity of Texas at Austin (BS)
University of Texas Medical Branch (MD)
Signature
WebsiteCampaign website

Charles Jeffrey Schwertner (born May 29, 1970) is an American orthopedic surgeon and politician who has represented the 5th district in the Texas Senate since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, he served as president pro tempore of the Texas Senate from 2023 to 2025 and represented the 20th district in the Texas House of Representatives from 2011 to 2013.

Schwertner serves as chairman of the Senate Committee on Business and Commerce.[3] He is also a member of the Senate Committees on Economic Development, Finance, State Affairs, and Disaster Preparedness and Flooding.[4]

Career

[edit]

Schwertner was first elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 2010.[5] He represented the 20th district in the Texas House from 2011 to 2013.[6] During his first term, he ran for Texas Senate and won the 2012 Texas Senate election with 72 percent of the vote.[7] In 2014, he was re-elected to the Texas Senate and served in the 84th Texas Legislature.[8] He was re-elected to the Senate again in 2018.[9]

In 2021, Senator Schwertner passed SB 3[10] to substantively reform the Texas power grid[11] in the aftermath of a series of major winter storms that left many Texans without power for several days.[12] These changes included requiring the weatherization of critical power generation, natural gas, and electrical transmission infrastructure;[13] instituting an emergency alert system to notify Texans about extended power outages;[14] and reforming the electric market to increase generation capacity and improve the reliability of the state’s power grid.[15]

In 2021, Senator Schwertner sponsored HB 1927,[16] also known as the "constitutional carry" law. The law allows anyone who can legally own a firearm to carry it – in a holster – in public, for the first time since Reconstruction. HB 1927 doesn't change eligibility for gun ownership; the law still requires that an individual be at least 18 years old and can not have served a sentence for a felony or family violence within the last five years. The law also adds some other misdemeanors to the list for those who want to carry, including assault causing bodily injury, deadly conduct, terroristic threat, and disorderly conduct with a firearm. Texas is now the 20th state to pass a "constitutional carry" law.[17]

In 2025, Schwertner introduced SB 21, a bill creating the Texas Strategic Bitcoin Reserve which allows the State of Texas to purchase digital cryptocurrency as a strategic reserve.[18] After passing the House and the Senate, the bill was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott on June 22, 2025.[19] Following Arizona and New Hampshire, Texas is the third state to enact legislation creating a bitcoin reserve on the state level.[20]

Personal life

[edit]

On October 8, 2018, the University of Texas at Austin hired Johnny Sutton, a former federal prosecutor, to investigate claims that Schwertner sent sexually-explicit text messages to a female graduate student and whether such harassment could be a violation of Title IX, a federal civil rights law.[21] The University of Texas ultimately concluded its investigation of Schwertner, stating that the “available evidence does not support a finding" that he had violated university policy or Title IX.[22] In February 2023, Schwertner was arrested for driving while intoxicated in Austin, Texas. The charges were dropped in July the same year.[23]

Election history

[edit]

2022

[edit]
Texas general election, 2022: Senate District 5[24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Charles Schwertner (incumbent) 192,146 71.6
Libertarian Tommy Estes 76,317 28.4
Total votes 268,463 100.0
Republican hold

2018

[edit]
Texas general election, 2018: Senate District 5
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Charles Schwertner (incumbent) 182,550 55.34 −9.63
Democratic Meg Walsh 136,792 41.47 +10.24
Libertarian Amy Lyons 10,500 3.18 −0.61
Total votes 329,842 100.0
Republican hold

2014

[edit]
Texas general election, 2014: Senate District 5[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Charles Schwertner 112,930 64.97 −12.16
Democratic Joel Shapiro 54,286 31.23 +31.23
Libertarian Matthew Whittington 6,595 3.79 −19.07
Turnout 173,811

2012

[edit]
Texas general election, 2012: Senate District 5[25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Charles J. Schwertner 182,554 77.14
Libertarian Jeffery Fox 54,107 22.86
Majority 128,447 54.28
Turnout 236,661
Republican hold

2010

[edit]
Texas general election, 2010: House District 20[26]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Charles J. Schwertner 44,901 82.55
Libertarian David Floyd 9,490 17.45
Majority 35,411 65.1
Turnout 54,391
Republican hold

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "State Senator Charles J. Schwertner's Statistics". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2013-05-29.
  2. ^ Jones, Abigail; Ramkissoon, Jaclyn; Winkle, Kate (2023-02-07). "Austin police arrest Texas senator on DWI charge, records show". KXAN Austin. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  3. ^ "The Texas State Senate – Senate Committee on Business & Commerce". senate.texas.gov. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
  4. ^ Services, Texas Senate Media. "The Texas State Senate: District 5". www.schwertner.senate.state.tx.us. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
  5. ^ Hu, Elise (2 March 2010). "HD-20: AP Calls it for Schwertner". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  6. ^ "Senator Charles J. Schwertner's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved 2013-05-29.
  7. ^ Wade, Beth (25 May 2012). "Schwertner claims victory in Senat District 5 race". Austin Community Impact. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  8. ^ a b "Race Summary Report - 2014 General Election". Office of the Secretary of State. 2014-11-04.
  9. ^ "Sen. Charles Schwertner wins re-election amid investigation". Austin American-Statesman. 5 November 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  10. ^ "Texas Legislature Online - 87(R) History for SB 3". capitol.texas.gov. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
  11. ^ Douglas, Shawn Mulcahy and Erin (2021-03-29). "Sweeping legislation to overhaul state's electricity market in response to winter storm heads to Texas House after Senate's unanimous approval". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
  12. ^ Eric Levenson, Travis Caldwell and Amir Vera (18 February 2021). "Texas governor says he is responsible for the status of ERCOT, vows reforms". CNN. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
  13. ^ Ferman, Erin Douglas and Mitchell (2021-05-27). "Texas Legislature approves bills to require power plants to "weatherize," among other measures to overhaul electric grid". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
  14. ^ Mekelburg, Madlin. "Texas Senate approves sweeping bill to address power grid failures". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
  15. ^ Patel, Sonal (2021-06-09). "Texas Governor Enacts Grid Reliability Measures, Including Power Plant Weatherization, ERCOT Reforms". POWER Magazine. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
  16. ^ "Texas Legislature Online - 87(R) History for HB 1927". capitol.texas.gov. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
  17. ^ Martin, Florian (2021-08-24). "Permitless Carry Becomes Legal In Texas Next Week. Here's What You Need To Know". Houston Public Media. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
  18. ^ Rouner, Jef (17 January 2025). "Bill to Create Texas Bitcoin Reserve Filed Despite Risks". Reform Austin. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  19. ^ Williams, Zach (22 June 2025). "Texas Gov. Abbott Signs Bill to Create State Bitcoin Reserve". Bloomberg Government. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  20. ^ Tsiaperas, Tasha; Dale, Brady (28 May 2025). "Strategic bitcoin reserve bill clears hurdle in Texas Legislature". Axios. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  21. ^ Walsh, Sean (October 8, 2018). "Confirmed: University of Texas investigating if Sen. Charles Schwertner sent lewd image". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  22. ^ Najmabadi, Shannon (2018-12-18). "UT-Austin says evidence "does not support a finding" that Charles Schwertner violated Title IX by sending lewd texts". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
  23. ^ Schneid, Rebecca (18 July 2023). "Travis County won't pursue driving while intoxicated charges against State Sen. Charles Schwertner". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  24. ^ Astudillo, Carla (7 November 2022). "Election results: How Texas voted in the November 2022 midterms". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  25. ^ "Texas Senate District 5". The Texas Tribune.
  26. ^ "Race Summary Report 2010 General Election". Secretary of State of Texas. November 2, 2010.
Texas Senate
Preceded by President pro tempore of the Texas Senate
2023–2025 		Succeeded by