Jason Isaac 鈥96 and his wife, Carrie 鈥97, are conspicuously charming while seated in Jason鈥檚 Texas State Capitol office as they discuss the path that brought him to the Texas House of Representatives.
Seated in front of a wall covered in family portraits, Carrie鈥檚 floor-length blue gown and Jason鈥檚 stark black tuxedo, worn in anticipation of a formal gathering that evening, belie the couple鈥檚 down-to-earth disposition.
Then the pattern on Jason鈥檚 sock peeks out near his ankle, and you can鈥檛 help but grin at the patchwork of axes that pay homage to the couple鈥檚 alma mater.
鈥淕etting involved in organizations at 91直播 and accepting leadership roles there has helped tremendously here in the Capitol,鈥 Jason said. 鈥淚 encourage people to talk to me. I do try to spend a lot of time talking with people about why I鈥檝e made certain decisions or done certain things, and you can do all that by being civil.鈥
It鈥檚 these traits 鈥 openness and civility 鈥 that led Jason to accomplish a feat few politicians have achieved 鈥 election to office following their very first campaign.
鈥淗aving that patience and willingness to listen is something I learned in the classroom,鈥 Jason said. 鈥淒r. Tim Clipson [professor emeritus of business communication and legal studies] taught us the importance of communication, and the most important aspect of communication is listening.鈥
Life at 91直播
Jason was born in Spring, Texas 鈥 just a stone鈥檚 throw away from Humble where Carrie was raised. The couple didn鈥檛 meet, however, until both signed up for a history summer course at 91直播 with varying levels of enthusiasm.
鈥淚 saved the subjects I didn鈥檛 like for the summer, which is why I took history,鈥 Carrie laughed. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 like history."
Both Jason and Carrie were involved in student clubs and organizations throughout their time at 91直播. Carrie was on the water ski team and was vice president and treasurer of the Phi Upsilon Omicron National Honor Society in Family and Consumer Sciences, president and treasurer of the American Society of Interior Design Chapter, and a member of the Alpha Chi National College Honor Society.
Jason started 91直播鈥檚 intercollegiate club lacrosse team, which continues to this day. He also helped launch a chapter of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity in 1991. In his various roles with the organization, Jason employed the many marks of a good politician that would inevitably lead him into government.
鈥淚 was president of the fraternity my last year, and as you know fraternities have loud fundraisers from time to time,鈥 Jason said. 鈥淲e would do fundraisers for the women鈥檚 shelter and the East Texas Boy鈥檚 Ranch, and since those events could get loud, I asked members to walk around and talk to the neighbors to let them know we would be doing this loud event. We would even offer to buy them dinner at a restaurant and would assure them that we were going to pick up any trash."
Life as a Representative
The trucking industry served as the main catalyst for Jason鈥檚 entry into the political realm.
鈥淲hen I graduated college, I was actually living in Dallas and got a job with a company based out of Washington, D.C., that sold mobile communications technology to the trucking industry,鈥 Jason explained. 鈥淏ecause of that job, I got involved with a trucking association here in Texas.鈥
In 2005, he continued, the Texas Legislature had changed the taxing structure the state puts on businesses. Trucking businesses, Jason discovered, were not buying as many GPS and radio technologies because of increased taxes, meaning a downturn in Jason鈥檚 business. So in 2007, he decided to attend Trucking Day at the Capitol.
鈥淚 started to realize there were people in this pink dome in the middle of Austin who were making decisions that were impacting my life and my ability to provide for my family, so I came up here, and I met with people,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what my mom taught me: If you don鈥檛 like something, get involved and change it.鈥
Eventually, Jason and his family moved from the Dallas area to Dripping Springs, a quickly growing township just west of Austin. Pursuit of office wasn鈥檛 on Jason鈥檚 mind until someone he met while coaching lacrosse encouraged him to run for the House seat.
鈥淗e told me, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e not going to win. The person you鈥檙e going to run against is very well-funded and will beat you handily, but it might set you up for something in the future,鈥欌 Jason said. 鈥淎nd we saw him again the night of the election watch party, and he said, 鈥業 had no idea you were going to work that hard.鈥"
For 10 months and three days, Jason and Carrie spent all but two of those days walking door to door throughout Texas鈥 House District 45 introducing themselves to potential constituents.
鈥淭hose days, we literally left the house at 8 a.m. and didn鈥檛 get back until maybe midnight,鈥 Carrie said. 鈥淲e worked really hard. Our goal was to meet as many people as we could, and that鈥檚 what we did.鈥
Jason was elected in 2010 by a margin of 8 percentage points. He has since been re-elected three times and, looking back, understands that it was a unique achievement.
鈥淚t was an amazing night. I鈥檒l never forget the energy of that night,鈥 Carrie said.
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 supposed to happen,鈥 Jason added with a slight grin on his face. 鈥淣ow we understand a little bit more that was kind of a big deal.鈥
Peering around Jason鈥檚 Capitol office, it鈥檚 easy to see that the 91直播 business and marketing graduate has settled nicely into his role as a politician. He keeps himself surrounded by pictures of family and Texas-themed trinkets as reminders of what led him to work in the big pink dome in the middle of Austin.