Hardaway says lifelong calling led him to House District 71 race

BIG COUNTRY, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Jay Hardaway, a former Abilene City Council member, has entered the race for Texas House District 71 State Representative. Hardaway, who worked with U.S. Rep. Jodey Arrington and outgoing State Rep. Stan Lambert, says this campaign is the fulfillment of a lifelong calling.

“It’s been something I’ve been interested in since I was a child. I’ve always loved following elections and following what’s happening in DC and Austin, and locally. I’ve been privileged in my career… to either work for an elected official or advocate on behalf of policy issues, or even serve an elected office myself as a member of the city council,” Hardaway explained.

Hardaway says his council experience helped prepare him for a legislative role. He pointed to work on the Cedar Ridge Reservoir as an example, noting the connection between local projects and state priorities, such as the billions recently approved for water infrastructure.

“Many of the things that we did on council had a state Nexus. Ordinances that we would pass often had to be updated to be in compliance with new laws passed by the legislature, and so being aware of what was happening in Austin was key,” Hardaway explained. “There’s also the campaigning piece and the public advocacy piece, where you are meeting constantly with constituents and with groups in Abilene and beyond, businesses things like that, and they have expectations, and they want certain things done, and they want things improved, whether it’s infrastructure, whether it’s responsiveness to stakeholders and taxpayers in the community, and you’re seeing that same thing play out, not only in Austin, but in DC as well.”

In the last election, current HD 71 Representative Stan Lambert faced backlash from Austin officials over his previous stance against school vouchers. Hardaway says when disagreements arise in the Legislature, a representative must put the district first.

“First, your priority always is the best interest and the wishes of your district, and you then have to balance that out with other players in Austin, whether it’s the governor or other legislators or other elected officials… But it doesn’t always work that way. Not everything is a collaboration. Sometimes you have to be willing to go your own way because you believe it’s in the best interest of your district. To me, you do that, and you come home, and you’re held accountable,” Hardaway explained.

Professor of Political Science at McMurry University, Dr. Paul Fabrizio, recently said on Big Country Politics that there are no hot-topic issues in the race so far. Hardaway disagrees, pointing to recurring concerns such as water, the electricity grid, and the border.

“I think those issues will be really pressing. We hope that those issues get solved, but that is a long process, and that’s something we’re going to always have to be vigilant about, I think, specific to this situation, to right now. We’ve been in this kind of weird limbo of special sessions,” Hardaway said.

He added that redistricting, property taxes, and flood mitigation could also be on the table. One newer issue he highlighted is the role of data centers in West Texas.

“I think it caught a lot of people off guard locally when the President said Abilene on the air and talked about the Stargate Project. I think that was for a lot of people, the first time they’d really heard about it. I think being abreast on those issues and knowing the players, and being aware of the impact that those projects can have locally is going to be huge, because to the extent that they’re an economic boon for rural Texas,” Hardaway shared.

Hardaway says his career experiences, both locally and beyond, have been building toward this role.

“I want to be an advocate for everyone in HD 71, whether you’re in Abilene, whether you’re in Nolan County, Callahan County, Jones County, if you live in South Taylor County, if you live in Merkel, any of those areas, I want to be your voice, and I’m going to fight for you,” Hardaway expressed. “When I’m not fighting for you, I’m going to be here listening to you and living under the same laws that get passed that you are. I’m in it for the long haul. We’re raising our family here. We’re involved in the community, and we’re not going anywhere. It would be an honor to get to represent the voters of HD 71, and I’m excited for the opportunity. I look forward to being everywhere in this district. I’m on an extended job interview, and it’d be my honor to get to be your voice in Austin.”