Drew Springer

Drew Alan Springer Jr. (born October 27, 1966)^[1] is an American businessman and politician who represented District 30 in the Texas Senate as a Republican from 2021 until 2025.

Springer announced on November 7, 2023 that he would not seek re-election in 2024 and would spend more time focused on managing the family money management firm.^[2]

Springer graduated from Weatherford High School in 1985. He then earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the University of North Texas.^[3]

A businessman, Springer is a former controller of a railcar company. He thereafter was a manager of three companies with a total of more than 1,000 employees. In 2005, he joined his father in business in the financial services industry.^[4]

Springer was first elected in 2012 when the incumbent Republican, Rick Hardcastle of Vernon,^[5] stepped down after fourteen years in office^[6] because of multiple sclerosis.^[7] Springer was appointed to the Agriculture and Livestock and the Land and Resource Management committees.^[8]

It initially appeared that Springer had lost the 2012 Republican primary election in a heavily rural district, when his chief opponent, Trent McKnight, finished with 49 percent of the vote.^[6][9] However, in the runoff election on July 31, with backing from two eliminated candidates in the primary, Springer topped McKnight, 8,434 (56.4 percent) to 6,521 (43.6 percent).^[10] Springer was unopposed in the 2012 general election in his heavily Republican district.

Springer noted that McKnight is a former Democrat who had never voted in a Republican primary election until his own race in 2012. The winner in eighteen of the twenty-two counties, McKnight blamed his loss on a high turnout in Cooke County, where there was also a competitive election for sheriff, and low participation in the counties in which McKnight led in the primary, despite the high-profile U.S. Senate primary between David Dewhurst and Ted Cruz. In addition to Cooke, Springer won in neighboring Montague as well as Garza and Floyd counties.^[11]

Springer represented the district 68th of the Texas House of Representatives from 2013 to 2021.^[12] The district, the second largest in the state in terms of square miles, includes a wide swath of twenty-two counties.^[6][8]

In 2013, Springer joined the large Republican majority in the Texas House in enacting H.B. 2 to restrict abortion. Springer co-sponsored the legislation.^[13] The legislation was subsequently struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt.^[14]

He and his wife, Lydia, who married in 1991, have three children. They reside in Muenster, Texas.^[4]