Burnt Orange Report's Guide to Texas's 2012 Democratic State House Primaries

by: Katherine Haenschen

Sat May 12, 2012 at 10:00 AM CDT

There's plenty of good news for the Democrats in the State House races this year. In our contested swing districts that will be a big focus in November, only one race first features a hot primary before a heated general election. That's great for saving Democratic resources and energy to channel into maximum gains. By and large, the winners of these Democratic primaries will have only token opposition (or none at all) come November.

On the Legislative level, the Democrats good going into the primary season that begins Monday. Due to redistricting, several seats in the Valley and the Metroplex were reconfigured, creating new Democratic seats that have brought back a few familiar faces. Additionally, the GOP's inability to protect Hispanic Republicans like Jose Aliseda, Aaron Pena and Raul Torres have given rise to some strong Democratic districts in South Texas, which have solid fields of candidates vying for a few open seats.

Democrats don't have a slew of nasty, internecine primaries pitting warring factions of our party against each other, unlike the Texas GOP. Part of that, alas, is due to the bloodbath Democrats suffered in 2010 and the fact that our party wasn't faced with trying to draw lines to hold 101 seats. But on the upside, we're poised to make significant gains this cycle -- somewhere between 10 and 20 seats depending on how all of the races shake out -- and we won't have to battle until July 31 to determine who our nominees are in the swing districts, unlike the GOP in many instances. And in a sign of long-term good news for Texas Democrats, many of our open seats have drawn multiple qualified, progressive, talented, and best of all young candidates who will be excellent representatives if elected.

Below we preview the 22 contested Democratic primary races on the ballot across the state in Texas. Early voting runs May 14 to May 25. Election Day is Tuesday, May 29. Any necessary run-offs are July 31.  

Endorsements Guide
Endorsements were culled from several groups that tend to endorse in a broad range of organizations. Additionally, I visited candidates' websites to see what other endorsements might be listed. Feel free to add more endorsements (with links) in the comments. I've also included media endorsements that have been released to date, and will update as needed. Again, feel free to post links in the comments to anything I may have missed.
AFL-CIO: Statewide labor organization
Annie's List: Dedicated to electing pro-choice female candidates
CLEAT: Combined Law Enforcement Agencies of Texas
TSTA: Texas State Teachers Association
TSEU: Texas State Employees Union
TxAFT: Texas American Federation of Teachers

Fundraising:
All numbers were culled from the 30-Day reports due on April 30, so they show the total raised from the beginning of the year through April 19 and the cash on hand as of the report. I rounded roughly to the nearest thousand. We couldn't find reports for everyone.

Note: These do not constitute Burnt Orange Report endorsements. We will endorse in select State House primaries this week. This is for informational purposes only, and again, if you've got other information, add it to the comments.

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Burnt Orange Report's Guide to the 2012 Contested Democratic Primary State House Races
District	Democratic Candidates	Republican Candidates	Orgs	Media	Fundraising:	08PREZ 08SCOTX SSVR%
HD-35	Oscar Longoria Gus Ruiz	N/A	AFL-CIO: Longoria		Oscar Longoria: Raise $34K; COH $42K Gus Ruiz: Raise $11K; COH $2K	D+27.5% D+33.7% 73.7%
Notes: Two young lawyers are vying for this South Texas seat. There doesn't appear to be a clear favorite here. Ruiz is a veteran, attorney, and former Harlingen city commissioner. His wife is a teacher. He's running a grassroots-oriented campaign. Longoria is an attorney who is active in several local legal groups. He has the support of many local elected officials as well as the endorsement of the Texas Association of Realtors. Both appear to be solid, upstanding citizens.
HD-37	Alejandro Dominguez Rene Oliveira	N/A	AFL-CIO: Oliveira CLEAT: Oliveira TSTA: Oliveira TxAFT: Oliveira		Alejandro Dominguez: Raise $7K; COH $2K Rene Oliveira: Raise $86K; COH $99K	D+36.1% D+43.8% 77.2%
Notes: Oliveira has represented South Texas since 1991, and is Chairman of the House Land and Resource Management Committee. He's won a wide range of Legislator of the Year awards from the Texas Association of Counties and the Texas Municipal League. He ranks 5th in seniority in the lower chamber. Dominquez is a first-time candidate who runs his own law firm and is a former Cameron Co. Assistant DA. (No word whether or not he's connected to current DA Armando Villalobos' racketeering charges.) He serves as President of Los Diez Education Foundation, which provides scholarships to high school seniors.
HD-39	Joseph Campos Mando Martinez*	Joel De Los Santos	AFL-CIO: Martinez CLEAT: Martinez TSTA: Martinez TxAFT: Martinez		Jose Campos: Raise $19K; COH 0 Mando Martinez: Raise $50K; COH $11K	D+45.4% D+51.8% 81.4%
Notes: Martinez is a solid Democratic official who is a good team player in the Democratic caucus. Campos was arrested for $7500 of back child support, and got out of jail just in time to mount his campaign. There are also rumors that he could be a stalking-horse for the Republican party.
HD-40	T.C. Betancourt Terry Canales Augustin "Auggie" Hernandez, Jr. Robert Peña	N/A	AFL-CIO: Canales		T.C. Betancourt: Raise $6K; COH 0 Terry Canales: Raise $4K; COH 0 Augustin Martinez: Raise $30K; COH $1K Robert Pena: Raise $7K; COH $10K	D+50.3% D+57.7% 85.4%
Notes: This is another South Texas race without a clear favorite or much in the way of institutional endorsements to guide the voters. All four are relative newcomers. all would be solid members of the Legislature and a grand improvement on the current officeholder, Aaron Pena. T.C. Betancourt is an Edinburg businessman who comes from a family of migrant workers. He earned his MBA from UT Pan-Am and runs an occupational therapy clinic with his wife Ana. Terry Canales is an attorney running on jobs and education. He has the backing of the trial lawyers and the AFL-CIO, and is reportedly running a competent and professional campaign. I'd also argue that he has the sexiest Facebook banner of any candidate this cycle. Augustin "Gus" Hernandez, Jr. is an attorney with a strong grassroots base of support. Robert Peña is an Edinburg ISD trustee running on education. He's a businessman and veteran of the Desert Storm operation who graduated from Texas Tech. All seem like decent Democrats, so this race may well come down to shoe leather and sweat equity.
HD-43	Yvonne Gonzalez Toureilles Gabriel Zamora	J.M. Lozano* Bill Wilson, II William "Willie" Vaden	AFL-CIO: Gonzales Toureilles Annie's List: Gonzales Toureilles TSTA: Gonzales Toureilles TxAFT: Gonzales Toureilles		Yvonne Gonzales Toureilles: Raise $23K; COH $3K Gabriel Zamora: Raise $3K; COH $741 J.M. Lozano: Raise $84K; COH $55K William Vaden: Raise 0; COH $5K	R+03.5% D+10.2% 57.5%
Notes: Incumbent JM Lozano switched parties to become a Republican, an odd choice in a Democratic, Hispanic district where Lozano will have a hard time even surviving his primary. Former State Rep. Gonzalez Toureilles filed for the race after Lozano shot himself in the foot by switching to the GOP. Gonzalez Toureilles is a three-term former State Rep. who barely lost in the 2010 Republican wave to Jose Aliseda. An attorney, she earned a solid reputation in the House as a hard worker, and rose to chair the House Agricultural and Livestock Committee in 2009. Her primary opponent, Gabriel Zamora, can't seem to stop talking about what a conservative Democrat he is. For instance, he supports Photo ID. If elected, don't expect Zamora to be a good "team player" for the D's.
HD-74	Robert Garza Efrain V.  Valdez Poncho Nevarez	Dora Alcala Thomas Kincaid	AFL-CIO: Nevarez and Garza TSTA: Nevarez		Robert Garza: Raise $400; COH 0 Alfonso "Poncho" Nevarez: Raise $23K; COH $2K Efrain Valdez: Not filed Dora Alcala: Raise $20K; COH $17K Thomas Kincaid: Raise $2K; COH $2K	D+16.7% D+25.5% 67.6%
Notes: Incumbent Pete Gallego is running for Congress and redistricting has made this sprawling Valley district a safe Democratic seat, leading to an exciting three-way race to replace Gallego. Attorney Alfonso "Poncho" Nevarez is an attorney from Eagle Pass who served on the school board for four years and on the Maverick County Appraisal District. In the new configuration of the district 33% of the population is in Maverick Co., so that's a big boon to Nevarez. Garza is a Del Rio attorney who also owns a home healthcare business. In 1994, he ran against Gallego as a Republican. He served on the Bracketville city council, and as Del Rio's city attorney for five years, as well as a member of the San Felipe Del Rio CISD board and Del Rio City Council. He also ran unsuccessfully for Mayor of Del Rio three times. Valdez is a retired math teacher who served as mayor of Del Rio from 2006 to 2010. He endorsed the Republican who ran against Gallego last cycle.
HD-75	Hector Enriquez Mary Gonzalez Tony San Roman	N/A	AFL-CIO: Gonzalez Annie's List: Gonzalez CLEAT West TX: Gonzalez New Leaders Texas: Gonzalez TSTA: Gonzalez TxAFT: Gonzalez Victory Fund: Gonzalez	El Paso Times: Gonzalez	Hector Enriquez: Raise $9K; COH $20K Mary Gonzalez: Raise $57K; COH $27K Tony San Roman: Raise $4K; COH $91	D+48.9% D+53.0% 81.0%
Notes: This is really a two-way race between Gonzalez and Enriquez. Gonzalez is a former legislative staffer, current adjunct faculty member, and doctoral candidate in higher education at the University of Texas. She has tremendous experience doing advocacy work in the El Paso region as well as across Texas with various Hispanic organizations. Gonzalez has won the lion's share of endorsements from a broad range of progressive and Democratic groups. Enriquez, meanwhile, has been dogged on the campaign trail by ethics charges, his past donor history to Rick Perry, and a long history of legal and business troubles. Gonzalez has lead in fundraising, an impressive feat for the upstart that demonstrates the deep respect she's already earned in her career.
HD-77	Aaron Barraza Marisa Marquez*	N/A	CLEAT: Marquez TMA-PAC: Marquez TSTA: Marquez TxAFT: Marquez		Aaron Barraza: Raise $36K; COH $9K Marisa Marquez: Raise $80K; COH $44K	D+29.6% D+34.5% 62.3%
Notes: Barraza is a newcomer with little political experience and even less voting history. He worked for Republican Dee Margo (Joe Moody's three-time opponent), and his campaign seems to be primarily propped up by people who don't like Marquez for varoous reasons. Marquez is racking up most of the institutional endorsements, and while she didn't exactly distinguish herself in the Legislature, she's probably not at much risk of losing to the upstart.
HD-80	Jerry Garza Tracy King*	N/A	AFL-CIO: King CLEAT: King TSTA: King TxAFT: King		Jerry Garza: Raise $5K; COH $24K Tracy O. King: Raise $74K; COH $242K	D+33.0% D+43.0% 78.5%
Notes: Garza, the challenger, is a two-term Webb County commissioner. He was originally planning to square off against Ryan Guillen, but redistricting moved him over to face King. King's voting record is a far cry from what one might call "progressive," as he cast several bad votes on women's issues -- he voted to move $8.3M in family planning funding to "alternatives to abortion" i.e. crisis pregnancy centers, and also voted to table an amendment that would allow pharmacists to dispense emergency contraception. Redistricting has resulted in a challenge for King, who has only represented 45% of the turf before. However, King has a significant money advantage over his opponent and is racking up the institutional endorsements, so the main question is whether or not he can connect with the new Hispanic voters that make up his district.
HD-90	Lon Burnam* Carlos Vasquez	N/A	AFL-CIO: Burnam CLEAT: Burnam TSTA: Burnam TxAFT: Burnam	Star Telegram: Burnam	Lon Burnam: Raise $89K; COH $68K Carlos Vasquez: Raise $16K; COH $11K	D+39.5% D+46.0% 47.9%
Notes: Burnam is a progressive champion in the Legislature whose primary challenger represents some frustration that the heavily Hispanic district is held by an Anglo. It's not clear, however, that Vasquez would be an improvement over Burnam in any way shape or form, or that he would do better on Hispanic issues than the progressive incumbent. Concerns have arisen during the campaign about Vasquez's connections to Mario Perez, a friend and donor to his campaign who was indicted for falsifying campaign contributions and was involved in a shady effort to re-bid a tax collecting contract for Fort Worth ISD.
HD-95	Nicole Collier Jesse Gaines Dulani "Jamal Jones"  Masimini	Monte Mitchell	AFL-CIO: Collier Annie's List: Collier TxAFT: Collier	Star Telegram: Collier	Nicole Collier: Raise $27K; COH $18K Jesse Gaines: Raise $4K; COH $2K Dulani Masimini: Raise $2K; COH 0	D+52.3% D+53.8% 8.8%
Notes: The race to replace Marc Veasey in the Lege has drawn a group of capable Democratic candidates. Collier is an attorney, small business owner, and Democratic activist in Fort Worth. Despite having her first child at age 16, she worked her way through college and law school, and is now managing partner of her own law firm. Gaines spent his career in legal aid and is now the general counsel for the NAACP of Tarrant County. Dulani Masimini is a substitute teacher and insurance salesman who was voted off the Forest Hill city council in 2011.
HD-101	Vickie Barnett Paula Pierson Chris Turner	Dick Elkins	Annie's List: Pierson CLEAT: Turner SEIU: Pierson TMA-PAC: Turner TSTA: Turner TxAFT: Turner	Star Telegram: Pierson	Vickie Barnett: Raise 0; COH $6K Paula Pierson: Raise $28K; COH $40K Chris Turner: Raise $65K; COH $60K	D+23.7% D+26.1% 15.3%
Notes: Two solid former State Reps are battling for this new Democratic seat in Arlington and Grand Prairie. Pierson previously represented part of this district when it was in HD-93. Turner previously represented part of this district when it was in HD-96. Both strong candidates, Pierson and Turner are splitting endorsements and institutional support. Pierson arguably has the stronger name ID in Arlington due to her time on the city council and involvement in the community. Turner arguably has stronger Democratic bona-fides due to his work for the Tarrant Co. Dem Party and other Democratic campaigns and officials. Pierson has some Republican primary history, which isn't necessarily an issue with general election voters in a swing district, but in a deep blue seat it can be more of a factor. Meanwhile newcomer Vicki Barnett isn't getting much traction, though as the only minority candidate in a majority-minority district she may still be a factor.
HD-110	Cedric Davis Larry Taylor Toni Rose	N/A	Annie's List: Rose TxAFT: Rose		Cedric Davis: Raise $6K; COH $1K Toni Rose: Raise $55K; COH $4K Larry Taylor: Raise $10K; COH $2K	D+75.5% D+77.3% 17.3%
Notes: This seat opened up due to Barbara Mallory Caraway's retirement and subsequent campaign for Congress. HD-110, located in South Dallas, is the most Democratic district in the state, and as such voters have the opportunity to elect a genuinely progressive candidate who will fight the good fight in Austin. Rose is a mental health professional with a long history of Democratic activism. She's also been involved in the NAACP in her area. Taylor is a former staffer for Eddie Bernice Johnson, and currently works as a prosecutor in the Dallas Co. DA's office, and has the endorsement of several prominent Dallas politicians, including Senator Royce West. Strangely, Taylor has Republican primary voting history in 2010 and 2008. How does a strong African-American leader not vote (not to mention caucus) in the 2008 Democratic primary? He claims that he was voting for judicial candidates in Ellis County, where he lived at the time. Davis is the former mayor of Balch Springs.
HD-117	Philip Cortez Ken Mireles Tina Torres	John Garza*	AFL-CIO: Cortez Annie's List: Torres CLEAT: Cortez TxAFT: Cortez	SAEN: Torres	Phillip Cortez: Raise $32K; COH $19K Ken Mireles: Raise $14K; COH $21K Tina Torres: Raise $50K; COH $45K	D+06.0% D+08.2% 50.8%
Notes: Redistricting and a presidential election cycle has made this San Antonio district a strong pick-up opportunity for the Democrats. It was previously held by David Liebowitz, who lost in 2010 to Garza. There's a hot race for the Democratic nomination featuring three strong candidates. Expect this race to go to a run-off, and right now it's not entirely clear which two candidates might wind up in the lead on May 29th. Cortez is a former San Antonio city council member who served two terms, and a captain in the US Air Force Reserve. Torres is an attorney who comes from a political family: her father was a San Antonio city council member, and her mother was the first Hispanic woman elected to the SBOE. She's the President of the Mexican-American Bar Association and involved with CASA. Mireles is a former San Antonio council member who worked for the Department of Energy and Department of Interior during the Clinton administration. Today he co-owns a marketing firm. He previously ran for the seat in 2004 but lost to Liebowitz in a run-off. What's interesting about this race is the meta-narrative about who's "turn" it is to run. Cortez expressed an early interest in the seat, and considered leaving the Council to run before term limits forced him out. Mireles ran for the seat back in 2004. There's apparently some bad blood between the two from their years of serving on council together. Torres entered the race later, and some Democratic operatives in the area expressed the sentiment that it wasn't "her turn." However, she's running hard, and if elected would be one of the few younger women to come out of the San Antonio political sphere, which at the Legislative and municipal level is otherwise dominated by (excellent, don't get me wrong) male officeholders. The district overlaps with the contested Democratic primaries in CD-23 and Commissioner Precinct 3, so expect high turnout and an equally hot run-off.
HD-125	Delicia Herrera Justin  Rodriguez	Alma Perez Jackson	AFL-CIO: Rodriguez CLEAT: Rodriguez TSTA: Rodriguez TxAFT: Rodriguez	SAEN: Rodriquez	Delicia Herrera: Raise $16K; COH $2K Justin Rodriguez: Raise $41K; COH $66K	D+17.4% D+20.8% 58.7%
Notes: The two-way race to replace State Rep. and soon-to-be Congressman Joaquin Castro features San Antonio council members Justin Rodriguez and Delicia Herrera. Rodriguez appears to be the clear front-runner in the race. He has won endorsements from Castro and his brother the Mayor, State Senators Van De Putte and Uresti, and a host of other elected officials, as well as many Democratic clubs and labor groups. Rodriguez previously worked as an Assistant DA in the Bexar County DA's office, and was elected to the San Antonio ISD board. He's active in the community and has won a variety of awards for his service.
HD-131	Wanda Adams Alma Allen*	N/A	AFL-CIO: Allen Annie's List: Allen CLEAT: Allen TSTA: Allen TxAFT: Allen		Wanda Adams: Raise $17K; COH $24K Alma Allen: Raise $103K; COH $60K	D+63.7% D+64.2% 17.1%
Notes: This race is a bit of a head-scratcher. Allen is a long-time public servant with a solid record of serving the people in her district. She's a leader on education, and with Hochberg retiring she's the most senior Democrat with strong experience on the issue. Adams is serving her third term on the Houston City Council; term limits prevent her from running again. Adams must answer for her refusal to participate in voluntary furloughs by the Houston Council in solidarity with county workers, and was only 1 of 2 members who didn't take part. She's also been fined by the ethics commission for the kind of reporting mistakes that one doesn't expect from a veteran candidate. Adams has a reputation for being a serious campaigner, so this one may be a race to watch.
HD-137	Joseph Carlos Madden Jamaal Smith Sarah Winkler Gene Wu	M.J. Khan	AFL-CIO: Madden and Smith Harris Co. Tejano Dems: Madden and Smith TSEU: Madden TxAFT: Madden		Joseph Carlos Madden: Raise $16K; COH $14K Jamaal Smith: Raise $29K; COH $6K Sarah Winkler: Raise $16K; COH $36K Gene Wu: Raise $36K; COH $73K	D+25.5% D+26.2% 19.9%
Notes: This open race for Scott Hochberg's seat has drawn four solid candidates, all of whom are battling it out for this Democratic district that has a solid Hispanic, African-American and Asian population -- hence the crop of candidates. Madden and Smith seem to be splitting the Democratic club endorsements, while Wu has an impressive fundraising haul. Madden is the Chief of Staff for State Rep. Garnet Coleman and has helmed the Legislative Study Group. His grasp of state issues and experience fighting for progressive ideals in the statehouse may be unmatched by any other newcomer this cycle, and as a former precinct chair he's reportedly been working the doors and phones in the district hard. Smith has a strong background as a former Harris County Democratic Party staffer who worked on the 2008 and 2010 coordinated campaigns, and also worked for Rep. Joe Moreno and Sen. Rodney Ellis. He who has drawn a solid base of support from fellow Houston activists. Winkler is running on education, owing to her background as a school board member. She is a resident of Alief who served on the Alief ISD Board, and later the Texas Association of School Boards. Wu is a prosecutor in the Harris County DA's office who previously worked for the House Higher Education Committee in the Legislature. He is involved with community organizations in Houston that focus on educational achievement. All four would be solid representatives. Regardless, this race is certain to go to a run-off.
HD-144	Mary Ann Perez Kevin J. Risner Ornaldo Ybarra	Gilbert Pena Daniel Pineda	Annie's List: Perez TSTA: Perez TxAFT: Perez		Mary Ann Perez: Raise $48K; COH $41K Kevin J. Risner: Raise $9K; COH $4K Ornaldo Ybarra: Raise $5K; COH $26 Gilbert Pena: Raise $23; COH 0	R+03.0% D+09.8% 48.2%
Notes: Ken Legler's old seat has become one of the hotter primary and general election races. The Pasadena district is now a genuine swing seat, and the significant Hispanic population should help the Democratic nominee in November. Perez is a Houston Community College Board of Trustees member, who works as an insurance agent and is heavily involved in her kids' schools, as well as with Hispanic community organizations. Risner worked for Congressman Chris Bell and the Department of Defense, and now works in media. His father was a JP During the campaign, his history of DWI's has been an issue, as he has 3 arrests and two convictions for the offense. Strangely enough, Risner, the sole anglo in the race, thinks he's best position to win, despite the heavily Hispanic electorate. Ybarra is a member of the Pasadena City Council and a veteran of the Marine Corps. He has no primary voting history, Democratic or Republican. Meanwhile, both Republican candidates are Hispanic, which could be a factor in this district in terms of splitting the Hispanic vote come the fall. The main question here is who will run the strongest campaign all the way through the finish line in November.
HD-146	Al Edwards Borris Miles*	N/A	AFL-CIO: Miles TSTA: Miles		Al Edwards: Raise $14K; COH $764 Borris Miles: Raise $19K; COH $59K	D+56.8% D+55.7% 9.1%
Notes: Guess who's back, back again? Edwards held the district from 1992 to 2006, when Miles knocked him out in the primary. Then Edwards knocked Miles out in 2008 in the primary. Then Miles knocked edwards out by .10% in the 2010 primary. For the sake of the people of HD-146, is there anyone else who might want this job?
HD-147	Garnet Coleman* Ray Hill	John Faulk	AFL-CIO: Coleman CLEAT: Coleman TSTA: Coleman TxAFT: Coleman		Garnet Coleman: Raise $42K; COH $84K	D+61.4% D+60.8% 14.1%
Notes: Coleman is a progressive champion who has led on any and every issue that impacts Texans. He is deeply involved with legislative organizations on a national level and is an exemplary public servant. His challenger, Hill, is a long-time LGBT activist in Houston who seems perplexingly dissatisfied with Coleman, who has advocated loudly in favor of every LGBT issue in the state. It's not clear how Coleman could be more progressive. He's a staunch Democrat and party loyalist who walks the walk, and he not only deserves another term, he deserves to be in a chamber with a Democratic majority so he can really show what he can get done. In fact, the only criticism of the incumbent is that there aren't more people just like him in the Legislature. We need more Coleman, not less!

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What races have caught your eye? Any upsets in the works? Any favorites in our wide open races for open seats? Tell us in the comments!