Undertaker aims for U.S. Senate seat

MAGNOLIA, Texas (KXAN) - If you watched this month's U.S. Senate debate in Austin, you would probably know him as the candidate often wielding a softback, travel-sized copy of the Constitution when speaking to the crowd. If you read up on him at some point, you would probably remember him as the funeral director in the race.

Glenn Addison , 50, is well-known to most families in Magnolia, a town of barely 2,000 just north of Houston. For the past decade, he has been consoling them and guiding their decisions when a loved one dies.

"It's really been a blessing to minister to families who are hurting,” Addison said, as he smoothed out the silky lining of a polished, wooden casket. The model was among several lining the walls for families to choose.

In 1988, he and his wife Lorie moved back to the town where Addison grew up. He raised a daughter and a son in Magnolia, where he ran an insurance business before switching careers.

"I especially as a small business person can relate to the heavy foot of the federal government being on my neck,” he said.

After winning five elections and serving on the local school board for 15 years, Addison felt he was ready to transition from mortician to politician. He retired from the board last month to dedicate more time to his U.S. Senate campaign.

"Government doesn't create jobs, but it certainly can cause manufacturers and companies to be frustrated enough to where they send their jobs to other countries,” he said.

He is running on a platform of states rights and reforming federal agencies he sees going against the weapon he is never without – the Constitution. The battles he wants to wage: the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), the National Labor Relations Board, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Education.

However, his opponents have more money and bigger names: Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst , former Solicitor General Ted Cruz , former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert , and former pro-football player and ESPN analyst Craig James .

Check out Josh's Political Blog for an in-depth look at these candidates.

Dave Beckwith, Dewhurst's campaign spokesman, said the lieutenant governor agrees the Senate needs more members with business experience, “not more lawyers or would-be Washington insiders.”

“Dewhurst is a longtime businessman - who remains active in his business even today, who didn’t seek his first political office until he was in his 50s,” Beckwith said. "Dewhurst is only intent on serving one term, and a maximum of two."

The campaign for Ted Cruz - who was solicitor general, a non-elected position - called KXAN back but chose not to comment.

Still, even with those well-known candidates, Addison held his own in the Austin debate, drawing comparisons to Ron Paul and grabbing the crowd's attention for his out-of-the ordinary occupation.

"Life is too short not to laugh,” he said, walking into the funeral chapel and flipping on the switch to the chandeliers overhead. “As a funeral director, I've got some good jokes. When Ted Cruz talked about throwing his body in front of the train of Obamacare. I said, 'Well, if you do that, you'll need to call me,' which prompted Craig James to say, 'Well, I want you to do my funeral, Glenn.'"

Even if elected, he said he will be back to doing funerals soon enough. Like Dewhurst, Addison intends to serve just one term, so voters will know he is focused on them and not re-election.