Cathie Adams
Encyclopedia
Cathie L. Adams is a homemaker
from Dallas
, Texas
, who is the former chairman of the Republican Party of Texas
. She won the post in a special meeting of the Republican State Executive Committee held on October 24, 2009, at party headquarters in Austin
. She was unseated in the state convention held in Dallas on June 12, 2010, by Stephen Peter "Steve" Munisteri
(born 1958), a retired attorney and businessman from Houston
.
Adams has been married since 1970 to Homer Charles Adams (born ca. 1948), a Dallas chiropractor
. They have one son and five grandchildren. The couple attends Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco
in the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex
.
to succeed former chairman Tina Benkiser
, a Houston attorney who stepped down on September 26 to join the reelection campaign of Governor
Rick Perry
. Adams' election as interim party chairman extended until the next Republican state convention on June 11–12, 2010. She indicated from the start that she would seek a full term at the state convention.
Under party rules, the chairman must be neutral during primary
campaigns. Perry defeated sitting U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
and two other contenders in the March 2, 2010, Republican primary
. Adams had earlier endorsed Perry prior to her election as chairman. She indicated that she could not in conscience withdraw the endorsement but would be impartial in her role as chairman during the campaign. She also urged Senator Hutchison to clarify when she will resign her Senate seat to campaign full-time for governor. The uncertainty of an exit time has made it difficult for Senate candidates to plan strategy and to conduct fund raising, Adams said. Hutchison subsequently changed her mind about resignation and will remain in the seat through the current term.
election judge and has been a member of district, state, and national resolutions or platform committees. Since 1988, Adams has been a delegate to each state senatorial convention and each state party convention held the first weekend of June in even years. She was a delegate to the Republican National Convention
s held in 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008. At the 2008 state convention, she was named Republican national committeewoman
from Texas. As state party chairman, she automatically remains a member of the RNC.Robin Armstrong
, an African American
physician
from Galveston County
, continued as vice chairman of the RPT under Adams' leadership. He was succeeded as vice chairman on June 12, 2010, by Melinda Fredricks.
Adams, strongly opposed to abortion
, was the director of a crisis pregnancy center
in Plano
in Collin County
, Texas, before she joined the board of the Dallas Eagle Forum
in the middle 1980s. Adams was the president of DEF for five years until 1993, when she was named Texas state president by Phyllis Schlafly
, the founder of the national organization based in St. Louis
, Missouri
. In 2005, as the Eagle Forum president, Adams questioned what she determined to be a lack of conservative state legislators even within the Republican Party. "Of the 181 elected Texas legislators [House and Senate] serving during the [79th] legislative session and special-called sessions in Austin
, only elevem legislators were commended for their conservative voting record."
In connection with her Eagle Forum and Republican activities, Adams has traveled throughout the world, including Rome, Istanbul
, Beijing, The Hague, Paris, Kyoto, and Buenos Aires. She serves on the advisory board of the Young Conservatives of Texas, a nonpartisan
youth organization committed to the preservation of individual liberties and freedom.
Adams has contributed financially to various Republican U.S. representatives in her area, including Joe Barton
and Sam Johnson
. In 1995, she supported then U.S. Senator Phil Gramm
of Texas for the Republican presidential nomination
. Gramm withdrew from the race early in 1996, and the nomination went to Senator Bob Dole
of Kansas
, who was then defeated by Bill Clinton
.
Shortly before she became state chairman, Adams said in an interview that she opposes divisive Republican primary fights: "I try and forget them as soon as I can, because they are so wrong. I don't like [personal attacks] at all and I don't think there’s a need in doing that...."
and the congressional Democrats led by Speaker
Nancy Pelosi
of California
and U.S. Senator Harry Reid
of Nevada
. Adams urged demonstrations at the offices of presumed undecided Democratic U.S. Representatives Ciro Rodriguez in San Antonio
, Chet Edwards
in Bryan
, and Solomon Ortiz in Corpus Christi
, both of whom were defeated for reelection in 2010. Adams stated that "extremists in their party . . . are trying to take over one-sixth of the American economy." She maintained that the Democratic package will "cost $1.3 trillion, or $500 million per page [2,000 total pages in the legislation], financed through massive debt and tax hikes; raise taxes 13 different ways, including forcing Americans to buy . . . health insurance
; increase insurance premiums and decrease access to health care; cost Texas at least 15,000 jobs by forcing doctor-owned hospitals to close, and provide for taxpayer-funded abortions."
Adams spoke strongly in her own defense at the convention about her 30-year fight against abortion, same-sex marriage
, the United Nations
, and for maintaining a Christian nation. Adams had angered some Republican voters by refusing to release financial information about the party. More recently, she said, "I'm saying 'no' to Barrack Hussein Obama," but she fell far short of victory for a full term.
Munisteri received support from 59 percent of the seven thousand convention delegates. His grass roots work in the party began in 1972, when he was a young organizer for gubernatorial nominee, the late State Senator Henry C. Grover
of Houston. Munisteri's partisan counterpart remains the Democratic state chairman Boyd Richie of Graham
in Young County
, west of Fort Worth
. The Democrat convention was held on June 26, 2010.
Melinda Fredericks, Adams's 2009 rival, meanwhile, was named state Republican vice chairman.
Homemaker
Homemaking is a mainly American term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping or household management...
from Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, who is the former chairman of the Republican Party of Texas
Republican Party of Texas
The Republican Party of Texas is one of the two major political parties in the U.S. State of Texas. It is affiliated with the United States Republican Party. The State Chairman is Steve Munisteri, a retired attorney and businessman from Houston, and the Vice-Chair is Melinda Fredricks of Conroe....
. She won the post in a special meeting of the Republican State Executive Committee held on October 24, 2009, at party headquarters in Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. She was unseated in the state convention held in Dallas on June 12, 2010, by Stephen Peter "Steve" Munisteri
Steve Munisteri
Stephen Peter Munisteri is a retired attorney from Houston, Texas, who was elected chairman of the Republican Party of Texas at the state convention held in Dallas on June 13, 2010. He unseated the incumbent Cathie L. Adams, the wife of a Dallas chiropractor, who had held the position for only...
(born 1958), a retired attorney and businessman from Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
.
Adams has been married since 1970 to Homer Charles Adams (born ca. 1948), a Dallas chiropractor
Chiropractor
A Chiropractor, according to the Association of Chiropractic Colleges , "focuses on the relationship between the body's main structures – the skeleton, the muscles and the nerves – and the patient's health. Chiropractors believe that health can be improved and preserved by making adjustments to...
. They have one son and five grandchildren. The couple attends Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco
Frisco, Texas
Frisco is an affluent city in Collin and Denton Counties in the U.S. state of Texas and a rapidly growing suburb of Dallas. As of the 2010 Census, 116,989 people were living in Frisco up from 33,714 in the previous census. Frisco was the fastest growing city in the United States in 2009, and also...
in the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex
Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex
The Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington Metropolitan Statistical Area, a title designated by the U.S. Census as of 2003, encompasses 12 counties within the U.S. state of Texas. The area is divided into two metropolitan divisions: Dallas–Plano–Irving and Fort Worth–Arlington. Residents of the area...
.
Election as interim chairman
By a vote of 36-25, Adams defeated Melinda Fredricks of ConroeConroe, Texas
Conroe is a suburban city 40 miles north of Houston in the gulf coastal plains/piney woods region of southeast Texas.It is the seat of Montgomery County and falls within the metropolitan area.As of the 2000 U.S...
to succeed former chairman Tina Benkiser
Tina Benkiser
Tina Renee Johns Benkiser is a Houston attorney who served as chairman of the Republican Party of Texas from 2003 to 2009. She became chairman on the resignation of Susan Weddington....
, a Houston attorney who stepped down on September 26 to join the reelection campaign of Governor
Governor of Texas
The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...
Rick Perry
Rick Perry
James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...
. Adams' election as interim party chairman extended until the next Republican state convention on June 11–12, 2010. She indicated from the start that she would seek a full term at the state convention.
Under party rules, the chairman must be neutral during primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
campaigns. Perry defeated sitting U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
Kay Bailey Hutchison
Kathryn Ann Bailey Hutchison, known as Kay Bailey Hutchison , is the senior United States Senator from Texas.She is a member of the Republican Party. In 2001, she was named one of the thirty most powerful women in America by Ladies Home Journal. The first woman to represent Texas in the U.S....
and two other contenders in the March 2, 2010, Republican primary
Texas gubernatorial election, 2010
The 2010 Texas gubernatorial election was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010, to elect the Governor of Texas, who will serve a four-year term beginning on January 18, 2011, and ending on January 20, 2015. Incumbent Republican Governor Rick Perry ran successfully for re-election to a third term. He...
. Adams had earlier endorsed Perry prior to her election as chairman. She indicated that she could not in conscience withdraw the endorsement but would be impartial in her role as chairman during the campaign. She also urged Senator Hutchison to clarify when she will resign her Senate seat to campaign full-time for governor. The uncertainty of an exit time has made it difficult for Senate candidates to plan strategy and to conduct fund raising, Adams said. Hutchison subsequently changed her mind about resignation and will remain in the seat through the current term.
Conservative politics
Adams has long been active in her party’s conservative wing. She started as a GOPRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
election judge and has been a member of district, state, and national resolutions or platform committees. Since 1988, Adams has been a delegate to each state senatorial convention and each state party convention held the first weekend of June in even years. She was a delegate to the Republican National Convention
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...
s held in 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008. At the 2008 state convention, she was named Republican national committeewoman
Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee is an American political committee that provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. It is...
from Texas. As state party chairman, she automatically remains a member of the RNC.Robin Armstrong
Robin Armstrong
Robin Armstrong is an African American politician and physician who served as vice chairman of the Republican Party of Texas from 2006-2010. Armstrong was elected at the state convention held in San Antonio on June 3, 2006, to succeed the term-limited David Barton, an historian from Aledo in...
, an African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
from Galveston County
Galveston County, Texas
Galveston County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population was 291,309. Its county seat is Galveston. League City is the largest city in Galveston County in terms of population; between...
, continued as vice chairman of the RPT under Adams' leadership. He was succeeded as vice chairman on June 12, 2010, by Melinda Fredricks.
Adams, strongly opposed to abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
, was the director of a crisis pregnancy center
Crisis pregnancy center
A crisis pregnancy center , sometimes called a pregnancy resource center , is a non-profit organization established to counsel pregnant women against having an abortion....
in Plano
Plano, Texas
Plano is a city in the state of Texas, located mostly within Collin County. The city's population was 259,841 at the 2010 census, making it the ninth-largest city in Texas and the 71st most populous city in the United States. Plano is located within the metropolitan area commonly referred to as...
in Collin County
Collin County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 491,675 people, 181,970 households, and 132,292 families residing in the county. The population density was 580 people per square mile . There were 194,892 housing units at an average density of 230 per square mile...
, Texas, before she joined the board of the Dallas Eagle Forum
Eagle Forum
Eagle Forum is a conservative interest group in the United States founded by Phyllis Schlafly in 1972 and is the parent organization that also includes the Eagle Forum Education and Legal Defense Fund and the Eagle Forum PAC. The Eagle Forum has been primarily focused on social issues; it describes...
in the middle 1980s. Adams was the president of DEF for five years until 1993, when she was named Texas state president by Phyllis Schlafly
Phyllis Schlafly
Phyllis McAlpin Stewart Schlafly is a Constitutional lawyer and an American politically conservative activist and author who founded the Eagle Forum. She is known for her opposition to modern feminism ideas and for her campaign against the proposed Equal Rights Amendment...
, the founder of the national organization based in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. In 2005, as the Eagle Forum president, Adams questioned what she determined to be a lack of conservative state legislators even within the Republican Party. "Of the 181 elected Texas legislators [House and Senate] serving during the [79th] legislative session and special-called sessions in Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, only elevem legislators were commended for their conservative voting record."
In connection with her Eagle Forum and Republican activities, Adams has traveled throughout the world, including Rome, Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Beijing, The Hague, Paris, Kyoto, and Buenos Aires. She serves on the advisory board of the Young Conservatives of Texas, a nonpartisan
Nonpartisan
In political science, nonpartisan denotes an election, event, organization or person in which there is no formally declared association with a political party affiliation....
youth organization committed to the preservation of individual liberties and freedom.
Adams has contributed financially to various Republican U.S. representatives in her area, including Joe Barton
Joe Barton
Joseph Linus "Joe" Barton is a Republican politician, representing in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1985, and a member of the Tea Party Caucus...
and Sam Johnson
Sam Johnson
Samuel Robert "Sam" Johnson is an American politician and a retired career U.S. Air Force officer and fighter pilot. He currently is a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the 3rd District of Texas...
. In 1995, she supported then U.S. Senator Phil Gramm
Phil Gramm
William Philip "Phil" Gramm is an American economist and politician, who has served as a Democratic Congressman , a Republican Congressman and a Republican Senator from Texas...
of Texas for the Republican presidential nomination
Nomination
Nomination is part of the process of selecting a candidate for either election to an office, or the bestowing of an honor or award.In the context of elections for public office, a candidate who has been selected by a political party is normally said to be the nominee of that party...
. Gramm withdrew from the race early in 1996, and the nomination went to Senator Bob Dole
Bob Dole
Robert Joseph "Bob" Dole is an American attorney and politician. Dole represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996, was Gerald Ford's Vice Presidential running mate in the 1976 presidential election, and was Senate Majority Leader from 1985 to 1987 and in 1995 and 1996...
of Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, who was then defeated by Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
.
Shortly before she became state chairman, Adams said in an interview that she opposes divisive Republican primary fights: "I try and forget them as soon as I can, because they are so wrong. I don't like [personal attacks] at all and I don't think there’s a need in doing that...."
Activities as chairman
On November 2, 2009, Adams announced that she will spearhead opposition in Texas to the health care proposals advanced by U.S. President Barack ObamaBarack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
and the congressional Democrats led by Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi is the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives and served as the 60th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011...
of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and U.S. Senator Harry Reid
Harry Reid
Harry Mason Reid is the senior United States Senator from Nevada, serving since 1987. A member of the Democratic Party, he has been the Senate Majority Leader since January 2007, having previously served as Minority Leader and Minority and Majority Whip.Previously, Reid was a member of the U.S...
of Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. Adams urged demonstrations at the offices of presumed undecided Democratic U.S. Representatives Ciro Rodriguez in San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, Chet Edwards
Chet Edwards
Thomas Chester "Chet" Edwards is a former member of the United States House of Representatives from Texas. He represented a district based in Waco, Texas from 1991 to 2011, and served in the Texas Senate from 1983 until 1990. He is a member of the Democratic Party...
in Bryan
Bryan, Texas
Bryan is a city in Brazos County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 76,201. It is the county seat of Brazos County and is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley . It shares its border with the city of College Station, which lies to its south...
, and Solomon Ortiz in Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...
, both of whom were defeated for reelection in 2010. Adams stated that "extremists in their party . . . are trying to take over one-sixth of the American economy." She maintained that the Democratic package will "cost $1.3 trillion, or $500 million per page [2,000 total pages in the legislation], financed through massive debt and tax hikes; raise taxes 13 different ways, including forcing Americans to buy . . . health insurance
Health insurance
Health insurance is insurance against the risk of incurring medical expenses among individuals. By estimating the overall risk of health care expenses among a targeted group, an insurer can develop a routine finance structure, such as a monthly premium or payroll tax, to ensure that money is...
; increase insurance premiums and decrease access to health care; cost Texas at least 15,000 jobs by forcing doctor-owned hospitals to close, and provide for taxpayer-funded abortions."
Adams spoke strongly in her own defense at the convention about her 30-year fight against abortion, same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
, the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, and for maintaining a Christian nation. Adams had angered some Republican voters by refusing to release financial information about the party. More recently, she said, "I'm saying 'no' to Barrack Hussein Obama," but she fell far short of victory for a full term.
Munisteri received support from 59 percent of the seven thousand convention delegates. His grass roots work in the party began in 1972, when he was a young organizer for gubernatorial nominee, the late State Senator Henry C. Grover
Henry Grover
Henry Cushing "Hank" Grover , was a conservative politician from the U.S. state of Texas best known for his relatively narrow defeat as the Republican gubernatorial nominee in 1972. Grover was born in Corpus Christi. He died in Houston of Alzheimer's disease.Grover lived as a youth in San Antonio...
of Houston. Munisteri's partisan counterpart remains the Democratic state chairman Boyd Richie of Graham
Graham, Texas
Graham is a city in north central Texas. It is the county seat of Young County, and as of the 2010 Census had a population of 8,903.-History:...
in Young County
Young County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 17,943 people, 7,167 households, and 5,081 families residing in the county. The population density was 20 people per square mile . There were 8,504 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile...
, west of Fort Worth
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
. The Democrat convention was held on June 26, 2010.
Melinda Fredericks, Adams's 2009 rival, meanwhile, was named state Republican vice chairman.