Supporters of J.D. Sheffield, DO, donned fluorescent green T-shirts and carried signs to campaign for him in his second run for the Texas District 59 House seat.
opened up many new opportunities for change. The redrawn maps prompted some lawmakers to retire, pushed others into different districts or created new ones, and gave some sitting lawmakers the chance to trade a House position for one in the Senate.
FRESH BLOOD The shake-up created unique opportunities for several fresh
physician faces to jump into the races and for medicine to continue to prime the pipeline with candidates who can edu- cate lawmakers on key health policy issues and communicate medicine’s agenda. “The more new faces we have active, the more we have to
build on into the future,” said Corpus Christi ophthalmologist Jerry Hunsaker, MD, who chairs TEXPAC’s Candidate Evalua- tion Committee. Neurosurgeon Greg Bonnen, MD (R-Friendswood), is one of those newcomers. He’s seeking an open seat in the general election for House District 24 in Galveston County. As a solo practitioner, a faculty member at The University of
Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, and a cofounder of Hous- ton Physicians’ Hospital, a specialty hospital in Webster, Dr. Bonnen has participated in the health care arena from nearly every capacity imaginable, from physician to purchaser to fa- cility-owner, and from private practice to academics. “There’s no question that not only in our communities and on the campaign trail, but also in the legislature, doctors have the ability to effectively articulate and explain some complex issues that those with different backgrounds may not as quick-
ly be able to diagnose,” he said. Despite the high count of medical candidates in this election, he said, “compared with the number of attorneys or insurance agents or other profes- sions running for office, we don’t have enough doctors doing the same.” Other rookies include ophthalmologist/emergency room physician Donna Campbell, MD (R-New Braunfels), who is competing in the general election for the District 25 Senate seat after ousting incumbent Sen. Jeff Wentworth. Alliance member Sonal Bhuchar (R-Sugar Land), wife of TMA member Subodh K. Bhuchar MD, lost in her bid for the House Dis- trict 26 seat in a crowded Republican primary, after serving as president of her local school board. Similarly, Susan Todd (R-Fort Worth), a former president of both the TMA and AMA alliances and wife of TEXPAC Chair Dr. Todd, was bested in her inaugural race for the District 97 House seat in Tarrant County. Pediatrician Mark Shelton, MD, vacated that seat when he opted to run for the Senate seat in District 10. Ms. Todd hoped to preserve another medicine- friendly face in Dr. Shelton’s spot. She does not plan to run again. Nevertheless, the loss came with a silver lining. Thanks to the grassroots efforts of the alliance and TEXPAC,
Ms. Todd’s district had a record voter turnout from the medical community in the May 29 primary, with roughly 50 percent of physicians and their spouses in the community casting their votes. That was despite a low overall turnout of only 11 per- cent of eligible voters in Tarrant County. “Having been a novice at this and never run before, the support of TEXPAC and the alliance made me more credible
November 2012 TEXAS MEDICINE 19
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