Dan Patrick (politician)

Dan Patrick (2007)

Dan Goeb Patrick (born April 4, 1950 in Baltimore , Maryland ) is an American politician . He has been Vice Governor of the state of Texas since January 2015 .

biography

Dan Patrick was born as Dannie Scott Goeb. He later changed his last name to Patrick. He studied at the University of Maryland and then worked in the TV industry in Scranton ( Pennsylvania ) and Washington, DC He then worked in Houston as a sports reporter for a television station. In the early 1980s he was involved in five bars, all of which went bankrupt, driving Patrick into private bankruptcy from which he was slow to recover. He stayed in the entertainment business and acquired a radio station in 2006. To this day he is the host of a radio talk show. In 2008 he produced the documentary The Heart of Texas . Politically, he joined the Republican Party . Between 2007 and 2015, he served in the Texas Senate , where he served on six committees and three subcommittees.

In 2014, Patrick was elected lieutenant governor of Texas alongside Greg Abbott . In the Republican primaries , he prevailed against incumbent David Dewhurst . In November of that year he triumphed over the Democrat Leticia van de Putte with 58% of the vote. On January 20, 2015, Patrick was sworn in as lieutenant governor. He is Deputy Governor and Chairman of the State Senate.

During the 2016 presidential campaign , he supported the Texan Senator Ted Cruz in the Republican primary , who later lost to Donald Trump .

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic at the end of March 2020, Patrick took the position that, for the good of the economy, seniors must be prepared to risk their lives. For himself there are worse things than dying shortly. This position has been widely criticized as repulsive and cynical.

Web links

• Web presence of the Office of the Vice Governor (English)
• Personal Website (English)
• Dan Patrick at Vote Smart (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Sacrifice Seniors to the US Economy? Texan Vice Governor causes excitement with statements. In: Stern. stern.de GmbH, March 24, 2020, accessed on March 30, 2020 . 
2. ↑ Jake Johnson: 'Repulsive': Outrage as Texas Lieutenant Gov. Says Seniors Willing to Risk Coronavirus Infection to Protect Economy. In: Common Dreams. Common Dreams, INC, February 24, 2020, accessed March 30, 2020 .