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President-elect Donald Trump nominated former state House lawmaker Scott Turner to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development on Friday night, the first Texan to find a seat in Trump’s second Cabinet.
Turner previously represented Frisco in the Texas House from 2013 to 2017. He also served as executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council in the first Trump administration. If Turner wins confirmation, he will be in charge of leading HUD and advising the president on housing-related issues.
After graduating from the University of Illinois, Turner played in the NFL for several years for the then-Washington Redskins, the San Diego Chargers and the Denver Broncos. In 2006, he made a failed bid for Congress in California before winning his seat in the Texas Legislature in 2012, where he served until 2017.
In 2015, Turner challenged former Texas House Speaker Joe Straus for the gavel but was unsuccessful. He later declined to seek re-election.
Turner is a founder of the Community Engagement & Opportunity Council, which is focused on helping communities in America through sports, mentorship, and economic opportunity, and serves as a chair at the Center for Education Opportunity at America First Policy Institute, a Trump-aligned think tank.
“Scott will work alongside me to Make America Great Again for EVERY American,” Trump wrote in a statement.
Other Texans who have been nominated for positions in Trump’s administration are: former U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe for CIA director; Elon Musk for Department of Government Efficiency; and Tulsi Gabbard, a former U.S. representative for Hawaii and current Leander resident, for director of national intelligence.