Bill Flores

Bill Flores
Bill Flores
	File:Bill Flores official portrait 112th Congress.jpg Official portrait, 2011
Born	February 25, 1954 (age 72); F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Cheyenne, Wyoming, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, politician
Years active	1990–present
Known for	U.S. Representative for Texas's 17th congressional district (2011–2021)
Notable work	CEO of Phoenix Exploration Company; Vice Chair and interim Chair of ERCOT

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Bill Flores, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 11 August 2025

William Hose Flores Sr. (; born February 25, 1954) is a prominent American entrepreneur currently serving as Vice Chair and interim Chair of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT).

Flores represented Texas's 17th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 through 2021. After completing five terms, he opted not to run for re-election in 2020 and was succeeded by former congressman Pete Sessions. Affiliated with the Republican Party, Flores previously held the position of CEO at Phoenix Exploration Company, an enterprise specializing in oil and natural gas.

Early life and education

Born at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where his father was stationed, Flores was raised in Stratford, Texas, located in the Texas Panhandle. His paternal lineage traces back to Spanish settlers who arrived in Texas in 1725. Flores has remarked, "My family came from Spain in 1725, and if people want to consider me Hispanic, they can, but I didn't advertise that way, and I'm an American first."

He graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting from Texas A&M University in 1976. During his university years, he actively participated in the Corps of Cadets, MSC Student Conference on National Affairs, Ross Volunteer Company, and held the role of Student Body Vice-President of Finance. Flores has been a licensed Certified Public Accountant since 1978 and earned a Master of Business Administration from Houston Baptist University in 1985.

Business career

Between 1990 and 1998, Flores served as chief financial officer (CFO) at two publicly traded energy service companies: Marine Drilling Companies, Inc. (1990–1997) followed by Western Atlas Inc. (1997–1998). He later assumed the role of Senior Vice President and CFO at Gryphon Exploration Company from 2002 until 2005.

In 2006, Flores spearheaded a consortium of five oil and gas executives to establish Phoenix Exploration Company, backed by $350 million in capital commitments from private equity investors such as Riverstone Holdings and Pinebrook Partners. The firm concentrated on exploration activities within the Gulf Coast and Gulf of Mexico regions. Flores remained on the board until his retirement in December 2009 to pursue a career in public service.

Appointed by Governor Rick Perry, Flores served as commissioner of the Texas Real Estate Commission and previously chaired the Association of Former Students at Texas A&M University. His board memberships have included Phoenix Exploration Company, Marine Drilling Companies, FreeBirds, The PARC, Inc., and Houston's Alley Theater. Currently, he holds positions on the board of the Private Enterprise Research Center at Texas A&M University and acts as Vice Chair on the board of trustees at Houston Baptist University.

2010 election

Flores launched his campaign for Texas's 17th District Republican nomination in late 2009 against incumbent Democrat Chet Edwards, who had served ten terms. Driven by concerns about preserving "the American dream," Flores invested $500,000 of his own resources into his campaign.

He won the Republican primary runoff against Rob Curnock decisively with 64% of the vote—a notable margin given Curnock's prior strong showing. Flores earned endorsements from prominent figures including former Senator Phil Gramm, former President George H. W. Bush, John McCain, Mitt Romney, and Mike Huckabee.

By December 2010, his campaign had raised $3.5 million—$1.49 million coming from his personal funds—and expended approximately $3.3 million overall.

On November 2, 2010, Flores defeated Edwards with a commanding 62% share of votes—the largest margin by which a Democratic incumbent was unseated during that election cycle.

Flores secured reelection for a fourth term in 2016 with 60.8% of votes against Democrat William Matta and Libertarian Clark Patterson.

He won a fifth term in 2018 with 56.9%, defeating Democrat Rick Kennedy and Libertarian Peter Churchman.

Political positions

When sworn into office, Flores became the first Republican to represent Waco in the U.S. Congress since the Reconstruction era. His platform emphasizes reducing government size, cutting taxes, terminating expenditures linked to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, making permanent the tax cuts initiated during the Bush administration, supporting anti-abortion measures, and enhancing border security along the U.S.–Mexico frontier. Flores advocates for the construction of additional nuclear power facilities to advance American energy independence and promotes incentives for expanding solar and wind energy initiatives. He holds memberships in both the Conservative Republican Study Committee and the Congressional Hispanic Conference.

National security

Flores endorsed President Donald Trump’s 2017 executive order that temporarily restricted Muslim immigration as a way to strengthen vetting processes, describing it as a cautious approach to safeguarding national security.

Texas v. Pennsylvania

In December 2020, Flores was among 126 House Republicans who signed an amicus brief backing Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit contesting the 2020 presidential election results that favored Joe Biden over Donald Trump. The Supreme Court ultimately refused to hear the case, citing Texas’s lack of standing to challenge election procedures in other states.

Republican Study Committee

On November 18, 2014, Flores was chosen as Chairman of the House Republican Study Committee, securing 84 votes on the second ballot compared to South Carolina Representative Mick Mulvaney’s 57.

Social media

Throughout his time in Congress, Flores has blocked certain constituents from reaching him through social media platforms.

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Legislation sponsored

On July 18, 2013, Flores introduced the Protecting States’ Rights to Promote American Energy Security Act (H.R. 2728; 113th Congress), legislation mandating federal respect for state regulations concerning hydraulic fracturing. The House passed this bill on November 20, 2013.

Personal life

Flores is married to Gina, whom he met during their high school years. Together they have two sons. He is an active member of Central Church located in Bryan, Texas.

His involvement with Texas A&M University includes service on the Mays Business School Advisory Board, the Corps of Cadets Development Council, and the Houston A&M Club among other university groups. In recognition of his contributions, he was named an outstanding alumnus of Mays Business School in 2003 and received the 'Distinguished Alumnus' award from Texas A&M University in 2010.

External links

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