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Joseph "Joe" Deshotel and Christian 'Manuel' Hayes
The seat for Texas House District 22, representing Jefferson County, is opening up due to retirement. The Examiner is endorsing the only candidate running for the vacancy in the Democratic Primary who has spent more than a decade working in that very office – Christian “Manuel” Hayes.
After more than 20 years of service to Southeast Texas as our voice in the House of Representatives, Joseph “Joe” Deshotel is retiring – but, as he was making his plans to enter the next phase of his life, the veteran public servant was also making plans to leave the Southeast Texas community he’s served in good hands. At the same time that Deshotel announced his intent to retire at the end of this term, he immediately threw his support behind longtime Chief of Staff, Christian “Manuel” Hayes. As Joe says, Christian is a proven organizer, leader and legislative strategist.
Hayes has been an integral member of the State Representative’s office, and can hit the ground running with knowledge that can’t be bought, borrowed or bartered. He’s spent countless hours learning the functions of the office, and mentor Deshotel invested the 20-plus years of lessons he’s learned on Capitol Hill into the man he hoped would step up and step in to the Southeast Texas-centric public service District 22 constituents have come to expect from its state rep.
Since his teenage years, Hayes has been working behind the scenes in Deshotel’s office, facilitating many of the amenities we currently enjoy. When a local church’s Sunday service was routinely interrupted by train whistles while trying to worship, it was Christian who networked, spent hours on the phone and miles on his shoes from office to office until he secured a deal to cease the constant whistles. He worked to pass legislative bills to prevent abuse victims from being evicted and finessed deals to merge both sides of the aisle to facilitate bi-partisan needs.
“Manuel,” listed as a nickname on Hayes’ campaign finance reports, is actually an adopted surname bestowed on Christian in his youth by his stepfather, the man he calls “Dad,” a 33-year retired Coast Guard serviceman, and the father figure who took care of Christian in his youth even after the marriage to Hayes’ mom dissolved.
Genetic family ties are strong, too, for Christian. Mother, Terry Savoy is a retired schoolteacher and community activist that has followed in the path of the family’s history-making matriarch, Hargie Faye Savoy. In her youth, Hargie Savoy marched alongside Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and still champions the advancement of King’s dream through the Southeast Texas MLK Support Group’s activities and annual MLK Brunch in Port Arthur. Now, Hargie Savoy stumps for Christian, who she believes has the wherewithal to continue to keep Southeast Texans’ interests served in Austin. In addition to her support, Hargie Savoy also handed down a stellar work ethic, compassionate center, and a calling to community service to her grandson, as well, which can be seen through Christian’s consistent energy and effervescent personality.
Hayes, if elected, would indeed be a freshman state representative, but he would be a veteran of the field, well versed in negotiation, compromise and connections necessary to represent his constituents in Southeast Texas.
Whether it’s running the day-to-day functions of a state office, rallying a railroad company to stop blowing whistles during church, penning legislation protecting victims of abuse and exploitation, participating in events that are important to Southeast Texas constituents, or any number of tasks that befall the District 22 State Representative, Hayes is the only candidate with the experience to prove success in the office. Experience matters, and there’s no candidate for District 22 Representative more experienced that Christian “Manuel” Hayes.