The Downtown Houston Pachyderm Club does it again. This Thursday’s speaker will be Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Todd Staples. Commissioner Staples is currently running for Lt. Gov. and is thought by many people, including me, to be the prime challenger to Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst. Here is his bio:

Staples is one of Texas’ youngest statewide Republican leaders. In addition to his current statewide post as Texas Commissioner of Agriculture, Staples has served as Mayor Pro Tem of his local city council, as a State Representative and as a Texas State Senator.

Consistently rated one of Texas’ top conservatives in the Texas legislature, Todd served as chair of the Republican Caucus, stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Governors Bush and Perry to pass record setting tax breaks, helped pass landmark lawsuit abuse reform, and sponsored and helped pass a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as being between one man and one woman.

As Commissioner of Agriculture, Staples has championed private property owner rights including passage of a 2009 state constitutional amendment protecting homeowners and landowners from eminent domain abuses. He also created an online website petition –www.protectyourhomeandland.com – to promote passage of SB 18, eminent domain reform, during the current Texas legislature. To date over 7,500 Texans have signed the petition and Governor Rick Perry recently signed the legislation into law.

Staples also challenged the Obama Administration to allocate adequate resources to secure the Texas border from the life-threatening dangers from drug dealers and human smugglers crossing Texas soil. While federal leaders repeatedly deny the threat and daily violence, Staples is documenting the dangers Texas farmers and ranchers face along the border. For his efforts, Todd has been recognized at the state and national level as an emerging national leader on protecting the Texas border.

A former rancher and businessman, Todd graduated with honors from Texas A&M with a degree in Agricultural Economics. Todd and his wife, Janet, have four children and three grandchildren. Palestine, Texas is their home, and Todd has served as deacon at his local church, Norwood Heights Baptist Church, for many years.

Don’t miss this chance to see Mr. Staples. You’ll gain firsthand knowledge of one of the leading candidates in this race. Plus, you’ll get to ask him questions, always the highlight of a Downtown Houston Pachyderm meeting. If you have a specific issue, there is no better way to get an answer from a candidate than to ask a question in front of a crowded room of people.

As a bonus, since this is the beginning of high season for the city elections and the 2014 primary, you’ll get to meet a lot of candidates for other positions. Maybe you’ll connect with one and volunteer to help them. Who knows?

And, you just can’t beat the food and atmosphere. The club meets upstairs at the Spaghetti Warehouse, starting at noon. There’s plenty of cheap parking and lots of room upstairs. Get there a few minutes early so that you can meet people and find out what is happening in Harris County Republican politics.