Free Republic

In a bizarre election marked by his opponent's past fondness for women's clothes, Burleson's Rob Orr convincingly captured the Republican nomination Tuesday for District 58 representative in the Legislature. Orr, who repeatedly denied leaking photographs that showed opponent Sam Walls dressed as a woman and that surfaced less than two weeks ago, won the runoff with 60 percent of the vote to Walls' 40 percent. Walls, the apparent front-runner after finishing first in the March 9 primary, said he is certain the cross-dressing revelations influenced the outcome of the election. But in an emotional concession speech at Johnson County Republican...

Photos Released Of State House Candidate In Drag Candidate Calls Photos Blackmail UPDATED: 5:34 PM CDT April 8, 2004 CLEBURNE, Texas -- Republican party leaders in Johnson County are debating what to do after photos of a leading candidate for the state House of Representatives surfaced showing him dressed as a woman. It is unclear how many photos there are, when they were taken or why this is all coming out so close to the April 13 Republican runoff election. The candidate, prominent businessman Sam Walls, doesn't deny dressing as a woman, but he calls the appearance of the...

CLEBURNE - In the heart of the Texas Bible belt, where a woman is being prosecuted for selling sex toys, a man with a cross-dressing past might seem like more fodder for a sermon full of fire and brimstone. But folks in Johnson County -- staunch conservatives at that -- don't seem to be rushing to criticize Sam Walls, who has acknowledged dressing up like a woman but has declined to say much else about it. Days before he faces voters in a hotly contested Republican runoff for a state House seat, Walls continued to shoo away the media, but...

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AUSTIN - His family made a fortune on men's work clothing. But it's Sam Walls' apparent fondness for women's apparel that is dividing the Johnson County Republican Party. Walls, 64, is in the April 13 GOP primary runoff against Burleson real estate broker Rob Orr for the House District 58 seat. As a leading businessman, former Republican Party chairman and benefactor of Harris Methodist Walls Regional Hospital, Walls seemed the odds-on favorite to win. The victor is likely to succeed Arlene Wohlgemuth in the Texas Legislature. But then pictures of Walls in women's clothing -- several of which were provided...

Cross-dressing heats up Texas Republican race Reuters News Service DALLAS - What started as a dull runoff race to field a Republican candidate for a seat in the Texas House of Representatives has heated up due to a controversy over cross-dressing. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Tuesday photographs of candidate Sam Walls dressed in women's clothes have circulated among political leaders in Johnson County, south of Fort Worth. Local Republican leaders confirmed separately that they had seen the photographs of Walls in a wig, dress and high heels. Walls, who has the endorsement of several leading Republicans in the state...