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Alumnus poised to take seat in Texas House

After a stunning victory in the District 93 Republican primaries, alumnus Matt Krause (’07, Liberty University School of Law) is poised to take a seat in the Texas House of Representatives this January, which would make him the first Liberty law graduate to hold a statewide political office.

A few weeks before the election, polls predicted Krause would bottom out the three-challenger ticket with about 12 percent of the vote. Krause’s aggressive campaign, which knocked on over 5,500 doors, came through however, taking 50.7 percent of the vote on May 29, ousting the incumbent and giving him the GOP nomination.

Matt Krause, who recently won the Republican primary for the Texas House of Representatives in District 93, with his wife, Jennie, and children Jeremiah (5), Hannah Sue (3) and James Reagan (6 months).

Krause credits his experience at Liberty University School of Law for preparing him for a political career.

“Being a constitutional lawyer had great appeal to a lot of the people here in the district and I think that gave me a lot of credibility and it gave me a lot of knowledge about some of the issues I would be facing,” Krause said.

Krause was a member of the School of Law’s inaugural class, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and third in the class, and was the first recipient of the Spirit of Liberty Award, given to a graduate who demonstrates academic excellence and models Liberty’s mission.

While attending Liberty, Krause was heavily involved outside the classroom, participating with the school’s Law Review and Moot Court program.

He served as an intern with Liberty Counsel while in law school and went on to open its first office in Texas.

It was while interning with Liberty Counsel that Krause vividly remembers being reminded of his calling to serve in the political arena.

He said he remembers watching Mat Staver, dean of Liberty University School of Law, give an oral argument in front of a congressional committee in Washington, D.C., and thinking to himself that one day he would like to be in one of those seats, listening to the argument.

Pending an improbable turn of events, Krause will be doing just that in the Texas House.

“We are on this earth for a very short time and we need to do all we can to maximize our effectiveness and our ability to impact the culture while we are here, and I feel like public office is a great way to do that,” Krause said. “Through being involved in the political process you can put in for policies and advocate for policies that will not only help you and your family, but help those around you and many more for future generations. … It is a great sense of purpose to know that you have accomplished a lot and that you are leaving the country better than when you got here.”

Krause, a native of Texas, said he has always had “a passion for the Constitution, the founding of our country, law and politics,” and knew by his junior year at San Diego Christian College that politics was the path the Lord wanted him to follow.

In 2004 he was prepared to start law school in Ohio. Liberty founder Dr. Jerry Falwell, Sr. visited Krause’s church in San Diego shortly before he was going to leave. Falwell heard from Krause’s pastor, Dr. David Jeremiah, that Krause was going to law school and, as Falwell often did, told Jeremiah, “Tell him not to go to that school, tell him to go to Liberty!”

A few weeks later, Krause, who was in the process of packing up a moving van to head for Ohio, received a phone call from Bruce Green, who was dean of the law school at that time, asking him if he would consider Liberty. Krause said yes, faxed an application and three hours later was accepted. Krause said he and his wife printed maps to Lynchburg instead of Ohio and have not regretted the decision since.

Krause said that though he knows God could have used anything else, he feels that he would not be where he is today without Liberty’s law school, and that God specifically used that to prepare him to seek political office in Texas.

He fondly remembers getting to know Falwell, Sr. while at Liberty.

“He said ‘Christians should strive for excellence in everything that they do.’ That’s always inspired and motivated me to not just settle for things,” Krause said. “I don’t think you could be around Dr. Falwell very much without catching that vision and leadership.”

On Mother’s Day 2007, two days before Falwell passed away, Krause and his wife dedicated their firstborn son at Thomas Road Baptist Church. As they were walking off the stage Falwell looked at Matt and said, “Now get out there and go change the world.”

“That is something that has always stuck with me. I have taken that as a charge. I know he had the confidence and belief in what the Lord was going to do in our lives and we just want to be faithful to that,” Krause said.

Krause continues to work for Liberty Counsel in Texas and has served as an adjunct professor of government and criminal justice for Liberty University Online. He and his wife, Jennie (’08, M.A. Counseling and Human Services), have three children: Jeremiah (5), Hannah Sue (3), and James Reagan (6 months).

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