Nathaniel Moran became a Texan just a few months before he turned two years old when his parents moved to rural East Texas with other families of faith to help start a small Bible College in southern Smith County. His formative years were spent growing up in a single-wide trailer home on that Bible College campus, where he learned from his parents the values of hard work, service to others, and service to God. Nathaniel spent most of his childhood exploring the woods around the Bible College, riding bikes on bumpy county roads, and shooting snakes with his BB gun along the West Mud Creek. Nathaniel and his family eventually moved to Whitehouse, Texas, where Nathaniel attended Whitehouse I.S.D. and graduated in 1993, proudly serving as Senior Class President and Captain of the Wildcat football team. It was during Nathaniel’s fourth grade year at Whitehouse that a love for public service rooted itself in his heart, as he—guided by his father—closely followed Ronald Reagan’s bid for re-election as President. To this day, Nathaniel considers himself to be a Reagan Republican whose conservative values were shaped primarily by his father, President Reagan’s service, and by the strong, steady voice of Rush Limbaugh over the talk radio air waves for more than two decades.
After high school, Nathaniel attended the United States Military Academy at West Point for two years before transferring to Texas Tech University, where he ultimately earned a B.A. in Russian Language and Area Studies, an MBA, and a law degree. It was at Texas Tech that Nathaniel also met Kyna, whom he married just one week before starting law school. Upon graduation from law school, Kyna and Nathaniel moved to Tyler, where Nathaniel began practicing law and Kyna began teaching elementary school. For the past two decades, Nathaniel’s civil law practice has focused primarily on business and commercial litigation and transaction work. Nathaniel and Kyna have now been married for over twenty-three years and they four school-aged children, who serve as a primary motivation for his service in Congress.
Nathaniel began his elected public service as a member of the City Council for the City of Tyler, Texas from 2005-2009. In 2009, just after being re-elected to his third term on the Tyler City Council, Nathaniel was appointed as Mayor Pro Tem, but resigned immediately to move his family to Houston, Texas for three years so that his oldest son could attend a specialized school for the Deaf. The unexpected opportunity to relocate his family for this purpose led to the miracle of his son learning to speak by age seven, something they did not think was possible. Upon returning to Tyler, Nathaniel returned to the practice of law and began giving back to his community through service with numerous non-profit organizations, including the Boy Scouts of America, the Discovery Science Place, Cancer Foundation for Life, and Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce. He also helped start an education foundation for Whitehouse I.S.D. At varying times over the past two decades, he has also been a Sunday School teacher, church deacon, trombone player for the church worship team, and coach of his daughters’ basketball teams.
In 2016, Nathaniel was appointed as the Smith County Judge to fill a vacancy in that position. As Smith County Judge, Nathaniel served as the presiding officer of the Commissioners Court, Chief Budget Officer, judge of the Constitutional County Court (which had original jurisdiction over probate, guardianship, and civil mental health matters), chair of the Juvenile Board, head of emergency management, and chief administrative officer of the County. In 2018, he was elected to a full four-year term as County Judge and he continued in that role until he was elected to Congress in November 2022. Because of his work in the area of mental health, Nathaniel was appointed to the Texas Judicial Commission on Mental Health in 2021. Nathaniel is proud of his decades of volunteer and elected service to his community and looks forward to continuing to fulfill this calling of service in Congress. Ultimately, Nathaniel seeks to fulfill the Great Commandment found in Matthew 22: 36-40.
Sanctity of Life
Judge Moran believes life begins at conception. He is dedicated to protecting the life of every unborn child to the furthest extent possible so they can fulfill their specific calling in life. Judge Moran is a proud supporter of the recently passed Heartbeat Law in Texas and led the efforts to defend it when Planned Parenthood and others challenged it in Smith County. Judge Moran also believes that we can do more to support alternatives to abortion and to support mothers before and after the birth of a child so that families can grow stronger together.
Public Safety & Border Security
Judge Moran is a strong supporter of law enforcement. As Smith County Judge, he increased law enforcement salaries in a single budget cycle by an average of 14%, including a 25% pay raise for entry-level positions to ensure our law enforcement leaders can recruit and retain the very best. He is adamant that we should “re-fund” law enforcement; rather than defund it. Because he knows that the men and women in law enforcement are a primary line of defense for our life, liberty, and property. To them, he says “Thank you!” Judge Moran recognizes our safety and security depend on a secure border. Because the current administration refuses to act to secure our border, it is a full-scale national security issue. Judge Moran will take strong action to secure our border and stop the influx of drugs, human trafficking, and gang activity coming into our state. Nathaniel understands that we are a nation of laws and if our nation is to remain strong, we must stay true to the Rule of Law.
Pro-2nd Amendment
The rights enshrined in the Constitution must be protected. Judge Moran is a strong proponent of the 2nd Amendment and will oppose any effort to abridge the individual constitutional right to bear arms that is contrary to the intent of the founders of this great Nation. The right to bear arms serves as continual protection against assaults on our life, liberty, and property from others and from the government. As Smith County Judge, Moran presided over the effort to designate Smith County as a Sanctuary County for the 2nd Amendment, assuring all citizens that their constitutional rights are respected in Smith County.
Election Security
Election fraud is real. And, election integrity is critical to preserving our representative democracy. As Smith County Judge, Moran invested in new voting machines with tight security and paper backups, and he commissioned a comprehensive review of voter data to ensure the accuracy of ballots. In Congress, he will fight to ensure secure, accurate, legal, and transparent elections so our citizens can trust that their right to vote is protected.
Fiscal Responsibility
The federal deficit is out of control, creating serious threats from foreign creditors like China. Judge Moran knows that the government has no money – it all belongs to the taxpayers. As Smith County Judge, he took the unprecedented step of decreasing the Smith County property tax rate during the pandemic, allowing Smith County to enjoy one of the lowest property tax rates in the state. In Congress, Judge Moran will work hard to reduce government spending, cut waste, reduce the regulatory burden imposed by the government, and return freedom to the free market.
Pro-Liberty
As Smith County Judge, Moran worked hard to keep businesses open during the COVID-19 pandemic. Working closely with healthcare leaders across Smith County, Judge Moran took appropriate precautions while respecting the rights of individuals and businesses to make decisions that were best for themselves and their families. In Congress, Judge Moran will work hard to encourage local control because he knows that local government is the most responsive and most accountable level of government, and it is best suited to respond to the needs of a community in a manner consistent with the value of that community.
Stop Government Overreach
Ronald Reagan said it best when he stated, “…man is not free unless government is limited.” The current administration is trying to force its way into decisions that are best left to families and individuals. Judge Moran will fight to place personal liberty and family values at the center of our nation’s priorities. The family unit is the basic building block and institution for our nation. Government decisions ought to support the family institution and empower it.
Parental Rights & Education
Education should be reserved for states and local communities to manage. As we have seen through the push to teach critical race theory and other Marxist ideologies in our schools, decisions impacting education should be left to those we trust in our state government and in our local communities – not dictated by the federal government. In Congress, Judge Moran will work to ensure that parents are the ones who direct the education of their children and that the values of local communities do not get run over by a runaway federal government.