Background
Spitzer was born and reared in Athens in Henderson County in East Texas, where his parents still reside.
Spitzer was born and reared in Athens in Henderson County in East Texas, where his parents still reside.
Spitzer graduated from Athens High School and Trinity Valley Community College in Athens.
Spitzer recalls as a youth having mowed baseball fields in the day and umpiring softball games at night. He helped a grandfather to plow cotton fields and hunted and fished on a family ranch in Central Texas. "From this upbringing, I learned respect for God, the outdoors, others, and a hard day"s work," he said.
He then obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from Southern Baptist-affiliated Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas.
Spitzer polled 5,545 votes (465 percent) to Gooden"s 6,385 votes (535 percent). Gooden was then unopposed in the November 6, 2012 general election for his second term.
In hi s second bid for the office on March 4, 2014, Doctor Spitzer unseated Gooden in the Republican primary. Spitzer polled 8,421 votes (51 percent) to Gooden"s 8,079 (49 percent).
Speaker Joe Straus of San Antonio made a campaign stop for Gooden"s behalf in Forney in Kaufman County, a month before the primary election.
Accompanying Straus to Forney was State Senator Bob Deuell, a pediatrician from Greenville in Hunt County. A few weeks later Duell was himself unseated in the May 27 runoff election by the Tea Party movement choice, Bob Hall of Van Zandt County. Spitzer lost a rematch with Lance Gooden in the Republican primary on March 1, 2016.
Gooden polled 14,500 votes (518 percent) to Spitzer"s 13,502 (482 percent).
In 2012, Spitzer ran for the House but lost the party nomination to the then one-term incumbent Lance Gooden.
Quotations: "From this upbringing, I learned respect for God, the outdoors, others, and a hard day"s work,".
