Incumbent Matt Schaefer takes Texas House District 6 in landslide victory

Published 9:49 pm Tuesday, November 3, 2020

In a landslide victory, Matt Schaefer was named to a fifth term as the District 6 Representative in the Texas House on Tuesday evening.

The election was called about 8:15 p.m., with Schaefer winning 50,002 votes to Democratic challenger Julie Gobble’s 23,336.

At a watch party held at Rick’s on the Square, Schaefer, surrounded by loved ones and supporters, said he felt honored and privileged to be named to another term.

“I look forward to representing all of East Texas,” Schaefer said. “It doesn’t always make the headlines, but when it comes down to it, the Republicans and Democrats do work together. We’ll roll up our sleeves to get things done.”

Schaefer, who faced criticism from his opponent for an inability to work within the Republican party and across the aisle to introduce successful bills, cited a number of accomplishments, including his work in expanding vocational training offerings in public schools, improving health care facilities and advocating for smaller government, as points of pride over his past four terms.

Moving into the next session, Schaefer wants to continue those efforts, reducing red tape in vocational training and growing pathways for professionals to teach their trades to interested students.

“I really want to restore vocational training to a place of respect and prominence,” he said.

As the COVID-19 crisis continues, Schaefer said he also remains committed to curtailing the shutdowns and restrictive regulations that are damaging to small businesses.

“Getting East Texans back on their feet from what happened with COVID, helping these families and businesses, those are priorities,” Schaefer said. “We’ve got a lot to do.”

Gobble, who kept her eye on national news at a private residence, maintained good spirits despite her loss.

“Here’s my thing,” she said. “We are the first Democrat to challenge this seat in 20 years, and we moved the needle forward by 8 points. My overall sentiment from that is yes, we lost the election, but we gained new voters and built a broad coalition of support across parties. We gave a voice to the people that have, historically, been left out of the voting process.”

Gobble said that her goal has always been to let local voters know that they deserve more at the state level, and she feels confident saying she accomplished at least that much.

“Those people believed in that message, and they cast our ballots for us,” Gobble said.

Whether she runs for office again, she will spend her life fighting for a better East Texas and, overall, a better future for all, she said.

“The democracy that we live in is not about winning,” Gobble said. “It is about showing up. It is about having your voice heard. Keep going. Keep fighting. At the end of the day, if you know you did your best, that is all you can do.”

Schaefer, a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve, is also self-employed working in real estate and law. He said he is looking forward to another term.