Burnt Orange Report

State House Race Updates

By Byron LaMasters

The Austin American Statesman ran a story today on the two Democratic State Representatives with strong challenges in their primary races, Ron Wilson and Allan Ritter. Both are being challenged from the left. Wilson, who sided with Republicans in the redistricting debate is being challenged by State Board of Education member Alma Allen. She seems like a great candidate worthy of support. Ritter is being challenged by former State Sen. David Bernsen in part because Ritter supported tort reform that Bernsen opposed. I don't really have too much of an opinion on that race. I was a strong supporter of Bernsen in his race for Land Commissioner last year, but Ritter was a Killer D and despite voting for tort reform, he seems to have a solid Democratic record. Here's what the Statesman says:

In Houston, Rep. Ron Wilson, a 26-year incumbent and perhaps the most influential Democrat in the House, is being challenged in the primary by State Board of Education member Alma Allen.

Allen has the unusual advantage of being supported by the state Democratic chairman, who traditionally remains neutral in primary battles.

In another experiment in the nontraditional, former state Sen. David Bernsen of Beaumont — last seen as the Democrats' unsuccessful 2002 candidate for state land commissioner — is running for an entry-level legislative post.

Bernsen is trying to knock off Rep. Allan Ritter, D-Nederland, a former ally whom Bernsen recruited to run in 1998.

[...]

In the Bernsen-Ritter and Allen-Wilson races, party loyalty is the primary issue.

"Some of the things Ron Wilson has done are not acceptable, in my opinion, to the Democratic Party," state party Chairman Charles Soechting said in explaining his support of Allen. "And for that reason alone, if I had a yard in that district, it would have a bunch of signs, and I would be voting for her."

A healthy dose of Wilson's influence stems from his ties to the GOP leadership, including Speaker Tom Craddick of Midland, who named Wilson chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.

Soechting and other Democrats are peeved at Wilson, an African American, for siding with Republicans in last year's congressional redistricting battle. Wilson has argued that the plan increases the chances for an additional African American in the state's U.S. House delegation.

Wilson on Monday accused Soechting of having "a personal agenda that does not include the interests of African American voters in this state."

"I think his problem is, he thinks he is running a plantation," Wilson said.

Great. Now Ron Wilson is comparing our state party chairman to a slave owner. We need him out. It gets more outrageous every day.