Keith Self was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1953.[1] He earned a bachelor's degree in engineering from the United States Military Academy in 1975 and a graduate degree from the University of Southern California in 1981.[2][3] Self served in the U.S. Army from 1975 to 2003. He also worked as a defense contractor. He was a county judge for Collin County, Texas, from 2007 to 2018.[1]
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I am a Texan, graduate of West Point, 25-year Army veteran, 12-year County Judge. I served in Airborne Infantry, Special Forces, and Joint assignments on four continents. My wife and I have lived overseas for a decade in Europe and the Middle East. I was stationed in Germany twice, Belgium, and Egypt. I served in the Pentagon in waived Special Access Programs. In elected office, I presided over the Commissioners Court for 12 years, cutting the tax rate by almost thirty percent, reducing the cost of the pension plan to the taxpayer, putting the checkbook on line first among the 3100 counties across the nation. I am a fiscal, social, and national security conservative.
Two British politicians. Winston Churchill because he led Great Britain through WWII, Maggie Thatcher because she and Ronald Reagan led the Western World through a tumultuous period. Thatcher was the Iron Lady.
I term-limited myself out of the County Judge position after 12 years. I believe in term limits, but in the case of the US Congress, the enormous committee staffs would then be the de facto lawmakers. Staffs should be returned to staff level, not agency level.
A WWII veteran who apologized to me that his discharge paper listed him as a cook when he fought across Northern Europe as an infantryman. Reading his papers, it was true, but he certainly had nothing to apologize for. I have studied all my life what that man actually did.
Cutting spending. As Ronald Reagan said, "The closest thing to eternal life on earth is a government program." Every spending line has a constituency, but hard choices must be made.
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The Texas border with Mexico is open and in chaos, and the Biden administration’s open border policy is an intentional act of destabilization. Keith believes in going after cartel money in every banking institution where it is stashed, stopping non-governmental organizations from supporting the actual crossing operations, deploying sufficient Texas National Guard members to actually defend US sovereign territory, and if necessary, closing commercial traffic across the border in order to pressure Mexico to take stronger measures to stop the movement of illegal immigrants across their country.
BIG TECH:
Twitter allowed the Taliban to tweet, but banned an American president. Clearly, Big Tech poses a clear and present danger to freedom of speech and public debate in America. Selective censorship using shifting criteria must stop. Keith will fight to end the sweeping immunity given to the tech industry so that consumers have more legal tools to protect themselves.
COVID:
Too many politicians—along with their allies in the media—have used COVID as an excuse to abuse their power and impose their will on American citizens. Keith opposes mask and vaccine mandates and trusts individuals to make decisions for themselves and their families. Keith also believes that doctors should be allowed and encouraged to prescribe proven treatments that do not meet the narrative of the progressive establishment.
ELECTION INTEGRITY:
Despite numerous irregularities and outright fraud in the 2020 election in multiple states, Van Taylor voted to certify the election results. Keith will demand a full forensic audit is conducted in Texas. He believes that elections must remain under state control, he supports election integrity laws such as requiring a photo ID to vote, and he insists that all future voting machines include a paper trail.
HISTORY & HERITAGE:
Van Taylor voted to strip our nation’s history from the United States Capitol. Keith is not ashamed of our nation’s past, and he believes that our history and our heritage—both the good and the bad—deserve to be preserved and protected for future generations. We learn from history, we don’t bury it.
2ND AMENDMENT:
Keith hunted in the Texas panhandle as a boy, and he served with Airborne Infantry, Special Forces units and Joint units on four continents. He is a life-member of the National Rifle Association. Keith understands that gun ownership and self-defense are foundational to the American way of life, and he will fight all efforts by the left to curtail our Constitutional rights.
PRO-LIFE:
Keith believes in the sanctity and value of every human life. The sonogram is the greatest tool in our fight against the barbarism and child sacrifice of the abortion industry. In Congress, Keith will fight to protect the Hyde Amendment and finally defund Planned Parenthood.[7]
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Keith Self campaign contribution history
Year
Office
Status
Contributions
Expenditures
2026*
U.S. House Texas District 3
On the Ballot primary
$249,448
$94,253
2024
U.S. House Texas District 3
Won general
$735,661
$651,234
2022
U.S. House Texas District 3
Won general
$592,899
$563,985
Grand total
$1,578,007
$1,309,472
Sources: OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
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Ballotpedia monitors legislation that receives a vote and highlights the ones that we consider to be key to understanding where elected officials stand on the issues. To read more about how we identify key votes, click here.
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024
The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (H.R. 2670) was a bill passed by the 118th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on December 22, 2023, authorizing Department of Defense activities and programs for fiscal year 2024. The bill required a two-thirds majority vote in the House to pass the bill as amended by a Senate and House conference report.[9]
To terminate the requirement imposed by the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for proof of COVID-19 vaccination for foreign travelers, and for other purposes.
H.R. 185 (To terminate the requirement imposed by the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for proof of COVID-19 vaccination for foreign travelers, and for other purposes.) was a bill approved by the House of Representatives that sought to nullify a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) order restricting the entry of foreign citizens to the United States unless the individual was vaccinated against the coronavirus or attested they would take public health measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House.[11]
The Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023 (H.R. 2811) was a bill approved by the House of Representatives that sought to raise the federal debt limit before a June 5, 2023, deadline. The bill also sought to repeal certain green energy tax credits, increase domestic natural gas and oil production, expand work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program, and nullify President Joe Biden's (D) proposed student loan debt cancellation program. This bill was not taken up in the Senate, and the debt limit was instead raised through the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. This bill required a simple majority vote in the House.[13]
H.Con.Res. 9 (Denouncing the horrors of socialism.) was a resolution approved by the House of Representatives denouncing socialism and opposing the implementation of socialist policies in the United States. The resolution required a simple majority vote in the House.[15]
The Lower Energy Costs Act (H.R. 1) was a bill approved by the House of Representatives that sought to increase domestic energy production and exports by increasing the production of oil, natural gas, and coal, reducing permitting restrictions for pipelines, refineries, and other energy projects, and increase the production of minerals used in electronics, among other energy production-related policies. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House.[17]
Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to "Prudence and Loyalty in Selecting Plan Investments and Exercising Shareholder Rights".
H.J.Res. 30 (Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to "Prudence and Loyalty in Selecting Plan Investments and Exercising Shareholder Rights".) was a joint resolution of disapproval under the terms of the Congressional Review Act (CRA) passed by the 118th Congress and vetoed by President Joe Biden (D) on March 20, 2023. This was Biden's first veto of his presidency. The resolution sought to nullify a Department of Labor rule that amended the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to allow retirement plans to consider certain environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) factors in investment-related decisions. The resolution required a simple majority vote in the House.[19]Click here to read more.
Relating to a national emergency declared by the President on March 13, 2020.
H.J.Res. 7 (Relating to a national emergency declared by the President on March 13, 2020.) was a joint resolution of disapproval under the terms of the Congressional Review Act (CRA) passed by the 118th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on April 10, 2023. The resolution ended the national coronavirus state of emergency, which began on March 13, 2020. The resolution required a simple majority vote in the House.[21]Click here to read more.
The Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (H.R. 3746) was a bill passed by the 118th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on June 3, 2023. The bill raised the federal debt limit until January 2025. The bill also capped non-defense spending in fiscal year 2024, rescinded unspent coronavirus relief funding, rescinded some Internal Revenue Service (IRS) funding, enhanced work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program (TANF), simplified environmental reviews for energy projects, and ended the student loan debt repayment pause in August 2023. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House.[23]Click here to read more.
Speaker of the House election (January 2023) - 15th vote
In January 2023, the House of Representatives held its regular election for Speaker of the House at the start of the 118th Congress. Voting began on January 3, and ended on January 7. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was elected speaker of the House in a 216-212 vote during the 15th round of voting. In order to elect a Speaker of the House, a majority of votes cast for a person by name was required.[25]Click here to read more.
Declaring the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives to be vacant.
H.Res. 757 (Declaring the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives to be vacant.) was a resolution passed by the House of Representatives that removed Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from his position as Speaker of the House. The resolution required a simple majority vote in the House.[26]Click here to read more.
Speaker of the House election (October 2023) - 4th vote
In October 2023, following Rep. Kevin McCarthy's (R-Calif.) removal as Speaker of the House, the House of Representatives held another election for the position. Voting began on October 17 and ended on October 25. Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) was elected Speaker of the House in a 220-209 vote in the fourth round of voting. In order to elect a Speaker of the House, a majority of votes cast for a person by name was required.[28]Click here to read more.
Directing certain committees to continue their ongoing investigations as part of the existing House of Representatives inquiry into whether sufficient grounds exist for the House of Representatives to exercise its Constitutional power to impeach Joseph Biden, President of the United States of America, and for other purposes.
H.Res. 918 (Directing certain committees to continue their ongoing investigations as part of the existing House of Representatives inquiry into whether sufficient grounds exist for the House of Representatives to exercise its Constitutional power to impeach Joseph Biden, President of the United States of America, and for other purposes.) was a resolution passed by the House of Representatives that formally authorized an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden (D). The inquiry focused on allegations that Biden used his influence as vice president from 2009 to 2017 to improperly profit from his son Hunter Biden's business dealings. The resolution required a simple majority vote in the House.[29]Click here to read more.
Providing for the expulsion of Representative George Santos from the United States House of Representatives.
H.Res. 878 (Providing for the expulsion of Representative George Santos from the United States House of Representatives.) was a resolution passed by the House of Representatives that removed Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) from office following a House Ethics Committee investigation that determined there was substantial evidence that Santos violated the law during his 2020 and 2022 campaigns. The resolution required a simple majority vote in the House.[31]
The Social Security Fairness Act of 2023 (H.R. 82) was a bill passed by the 118th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on January 5, 2025, that reduced Social Security benefits for individuals who received other pensions from state or local governments. It also eliminated an offset that would reduce benefits for spouses and widows of individuals with government pensions. It also eliminated a provision that reduced benefits for an individual who received a pension or disability benefit from an employer that did not withhold Social Security taxes. This bill required a 2/3rds majority vote to pass.[33]
The Secure the Border Act of 2023 (H.R. 2) was passed by the U.S. House on May 11, 2024. This bill would have introduced limits to asylum eligibility and required employers to use electronic verification of employee's legal eligibility to work. This bill required a simple majority vote.[35]
The Consolidated Appropriations Act 2024 (H.R. 4366) was a bill passed by the 118th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on March 9, 2024, authorizing appropriations for various government departments for the fiscal year 2024. The bill required a majority vote to pass.[37]
Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024
The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024 (H.R. 7024) was a bill passed by the U.S. House on January 31, 2024, that would have modified the U.S. tax code, increasing how much money can be given back in credits and what is exempt. This bill required a 2/3rds majority vote to pass.[39]
Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025
The Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (H.R. 8070) was passed by the U.S. House on June 14, 2024. The bill would have modified defense spending in the fiscal year 2025. The bill required a two-thirds majority vote in the House to pass the bill as amended by a Senate and House conference report. [41]
The Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023 (H.R. 6090) was passed by the U.S. House on May 1, 2024. This bill made it so the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights could have the authority to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism when investigating cases of discrimination. This bill required a simple majority vote to pass.[43]
The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 (H.R.3935) was a bill passed by the 118th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on May 16, 2024, that reauthorized Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) funding until fiscal year 2028. The bill also made other modifications to address various department-related issues. The bill required a two-thirds majority vote in the House to pass the bill as amended by a Senate and House conference report.[45]
Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act
The Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act (H.R. 9495) was passed by the U.S. House on November 21, 2024. The bill would have postponed U.S. tax deadlines for citizens who were wrongfully detained abroad. This bill required a simple majority to pass.[47]
H.Res.863, Impeaching Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security, for high crimes and misdemeanors, passed the U.S. House on February 13, 2024. The resolution impeached U.S. Secretary of Homeland SecurityAlejandro Mayorkas (D) for high crimes and misdemeanors. The motion to impeach required a majority in the House and a 2/3rds vote in the Senate.[49]
Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025
H.R.9747, the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, was passed by the 118th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on September 26, 2024, providing funding to federal agencies, including the Secret Service, and federal programs for the 2025 fiscal year. The bill required a two-thirds majority vote in the House to pass the bill as amended by a Senate and House conference report.[51]