Byron Cook is an American businessman, rancher, and Republican politician from his native Corsicana in east central Texas, who is a former state representative for District 8, which encompasses the counties of Anderson, Freestone, Hill, and Navarro.
During the 2015 Texas legislative session, Cook, who is generally considered to be a moderate Republican, filed a bill to allow illegal immigrants to obtain one-year driving permits, which received pushback from lawmakers within the state.
[5] Cook is one of two named investor victims in securities fraud charges filed against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in 2015.
[6] On March 22, 2017, Cook asked an activist from Waxahachie to leave the Texas State Capitol as she was filming a governmental meeting.
[7] In the March 2016 Republican primary, Cook defeated Thomas McNutt, a Tea Party challenger and an heir of the Collin Street Bakery in Corsicana.