The John McCain/Sarah Palin ticket might be running on a "maverick" platform, but in that arena they pale compared to Longview Republican Tommy Merritt.

As the District 7 state representative since 1996, Merritt's biggest challenges have come from within his own party.

Merritt is well known for his willingness to buck the leadership, and he has often crossed party lines to take stands that he thinks best reflect the views and the interests of East Texans.

Because of stands on issues ranging from school vouchers to congressional redistricting, Merritt has been targeted in Republican primaries several times by well-funded campaigns that have been as virulent as any partisan race.

Merritt is far from perfect. He has taken some stands that we have criticized on this page, and early in his career we found several reasons to rebuke his activities in Austin.

That said, Merritt has displayed a very principled streak and has willingly borne scorn from fellow lawmakers when he has taken unpopular stands.

This year, Merritt faced no challenge in the Republican primary — perhaps statewide Republicans finally figured out that East Texans vote their own minds. In the Nov. 4 election he faces novice Libertarian Party candidate Joey Stroman of Longview.

Stroman met with the Longview News-Journal this week and expresses a sincere interest in public affairs. The problem is that he lacks the knowledge of the issues and sufficient understanding of state government to be a legitimate option to represent East Texas in the Legislature.

Merritt has a credible track record in Austin and has shown a willingness to listen to the concerns of his constituents and voice them in the Legislature.

Because of his rebellious nature, Merritt might miss out on some plum assignments that should be coming to someone with his tenure, but that's OK. Because of that same rebellious nature, when he speaks, other lawmakers actually listen. They might not always agree with Merritt, but they hear him and because of that they hear us.

At a time when the splits in Austin are often more along urban vs. rural lines than they are along party lines, it's good to know that we have a rural voice that refuses to be quiet.