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Wed Mar 07, 2012 at 04:02 PM CST
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| More negative fallout from the San Antonio panel's gerrymandered five-way split of Travis County: Austin-based foreign policy expert Dan Grant is no longer running against incumbent Republican Michael McCaul. The initial interim maps by the San Antonio panel made the 10th Congressional District a legitimate toss-up. That map drew out Tomball and added a chunk of southern Williamson County. Grant had a legitimate shot of winning, which clearly made McCaul nervous, as the Republican submitted his own version of an alternate map that was much safer for him.
However, the San Antonio panel's revised, Abbott-and-MALDEF-approved non-compromise maps hacked Travis into five districts, and made the 10th even more Republican than it is now. The district would have been a tough uphill climb at R+13 even for Grant, a strong campaigner with broad support and a populist message.
The new CD-10: West Austin, Central Austin, Tomball, Houston, and points in between. |
In a statement released by his campaign, Grant said, "In the latest version of Congressional maps the 10th District has been redrawn to solidly protect Congressman McCaul. This latest iteration of CD-10 is the same as in the illegal map drafted by the Republican-controlled state legislature last year whose primary goal was to disenfranchise minority voters, dilute Democratic voting strength, and protect Republican incumbents."
Grant's campaign had done an excellent job bringing national attention to McCaul's massive and frequent ethical lapses, from engaging in insider trading before voting to ban it, to hosting schmooze-fests with fat cat one-percenters on the taxpayer's dime. It's very telling that McCaul, the second-richest and perhaps most out-of-touch member of Congress, was protected by Abbott & Friends in this process. But then again, maybe it was just a favor to McCaul's father-in-law.
Quality candidates like Grant don't come along that often, and given that his wife gave birth to their second child just a few weeks ago, it is understandable that Grant doesn't want to spend the next 10 months away from his family, toiling in an unwinnable race. We wish Dan and his campaign staff the best of luck as they figure out their next steps.
The full statement from Grant is below the jump.
Previously on BOR:
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Dan Grant Will Not Seek Election in TX-10 Under New Interim Map
Austin, TX - Today, Dan Grant, Congressional candidate in the 10th District of Texas, announced he will withdraw from the race citing the most recent changes to the district lines made by the San Antonio Federal Court.
"In the latest version of Congressional maps the 10th District has been redrawn to solidly protect Congressman McCaul. This latest iteration of CD-10 is the same as in the illegal map drafted by the Republican-controlled state legislature last year whose primary goal was to disenfranchise minority voters, dilute Democratic voting strength, and protect Republican incumbents," Dan Grant said.
"I will continue to do all that I can to support the principles of our campaign: real representation for all Americans, a government that is focused on the people and not on personal politics, and working for the future of our great country. The support that our campaign received shows that all Texans are hungry for these principles, and I'll continue to work for them," he added.
"I cannot thank enough all the people who have made this effort possible: my family, friends, supporters and allies. This rested on their shoulders, and I'm deeply grateful for and humbled by what they've given."
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