Staples Steps Down from Ag Commissioner Post

AUSTIN — When Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples decided to forgo a third term and run for lieutenant governor, he knew it was a gamble. After he failed to win the Republican primary, his just-completed tour of duty became his final term. Staples remarks, “When I was sworn in as agriculture commissioner for my second term in 2011, I knew the next few years would be a terrific ride, and it certainly has been.” Staples left office Friday to become president of the Texas Oil and Gas Association. Staples began his political career in his hometown of Palestine, serving as a state legislator before becoming ag commissioner in 2007.