| CD 22
Attorney Tom Campbell, a former General Counsel at the National Oceanic & Athmospheric Administration, has gained momentum in his campaign to unseat former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Sugar Land).
Campbell, who has the endorsement of the Houston Chronicle, was nonetheless expected to face an up-hill battle to unseat DeLay and two other challengers, perennial candidate Mike Fjetland and retired credit manager Pat Baig (R-Missouri City). Fjetland (R-Sugar Land), an attorney, international negotiator and Terrorism and Middle East Consultant for Fox News has run against DeLay before, both in the GOP primary and as an independent in a general election.
DeLay, of course, is plagued by ongoing legal troubles. He is currently under indictment in Travis County on conspiracy and money laundering charges, though the dismissed conspiracy charge will go before the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals later this month. The indictments stem from DeLay's role in the 2002 elections concerning two political action committees he helped found: Texans for a Republican Majority and Americans for a Republican Majority. Money spent by these and other groups allowed Republicans to gain a majority in the Texas House of Representatives for the first time since the end of Reconstruction. This ultimately paved the way for mid-decade redistricting, the legality of which the Supreme Court is expected to rule on early this summer.
Nevertheless, DeLay has amassed significant firepower in his bid to hold on to his seat. In spite of resigning as House Majority Leader after his indictment, he has gained the endorsement of a number of incumbent Texas GOP congressmen.
The winner of the GOP Primary faces former U.S. Congressman Nick Lampson in November.
CD 22 includes parts of Fort Bend, Brazoria, Galveston, and Harris Counties.
SD 3
The race to replace State Senator Todd Staples (R-Palestine), who is running for Agriculture Commissioner, has been a heated one pitting four candidates with government experience against each other in the race for an open seat.
The candidates include Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation Commission Vice-Chair (a two-time Perry appointee) and Texas Association of Business board member Frank Denton (R-Conroe); Dave Kleinmann (R-Willis), who was instrumental in starting the Montgomery County Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District and has served on a number of county-level boards in Montgomery County; former Texas Transportation Commissioner and Jacksonville Mayor Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville); and Shelby County GOP Chairman Bob Reeves (R-Center).
This contest has pitted the three GOP candidates in a contest to see who can be the "most" Republican. Reeves has photos of himself with Presidents George H.W. and George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney on his website. Nichols touts an endorsement from incumbent Todd Staples and RRC member Victor Carillo along with U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions and State Rep. Leo Berman.
And, the race hasn't been without acrimony. State District Judge Kathleen Stone had to order the Republican Party of Texas to put Kleimann's name on the ballot after it had been removed. The GOP removed Kleimann's name after an anonomous fax to the state party claiming Kleimann, a water district board member, held a "lucrative office." Kleimann in turn accused of his opponents of being behind the fax and asked them all to sign pledges to run clean campaigns and deny they had anything to do with the incident.
As of late February, a combined $1.64 million had been spent by the four candidates, with Nichols leading in fund-raising, making this one of the most expensive primary contests this election cycle.
SD 3 includes Anderson, Angelina, Cherokee, Hardin, Henderson, Jasper, Nacogdoches, Newton, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, Shelby and Tyler counties and portions of Smith and Montgomery Counties.
SD7
The race for SD 7 finds Rick Perry appointee to the Texas Public Finance Authority Board and former Houston City Council Member Mark Ellis (R-Houston) facing two Texas House members—Rep. Joe Nixon and (a href="http://www.peggyhamric.com/">Rep. Peggy Hamric—and conservative talk radio host Dan Patrick (R-Houston) in the race for retiring Sen. Jon Lindsay's seat.
In a contentious campaign that has seen Nixon become the target of special interest PACs as a result of his lengthy record in the Texas House (including supporting tort reform while himself winning a sizeable mold settlement) and Patrick become a target of Nixon, it is likely the race will result in a runoff. However, because of his media exposure and strong anti-tax following, local media predict Patrick as the front-runner.
Hamric touts endorsements from Reps. Beverly Wooley and Martha Wong. Nixon touts an endorsement from Rep. Corbin Van Arsdale, in a filer noting "we need MOJOE" in the Texas Senate.
SD 7 includes part of Harris County and west Houston.
SD 18
Business owner Gary Gates (R-Richmond), Rep. Glen Hegar (R-Katy), and CorridorWatch founder David Stall (R-Fatetteville) are battling in the race for retiring Sen. Ken Armbrister's seat.
Gegar boasts endorsements from Agriculture Commissioner Susan Combs and Sen. Kyle Janek, and is considered the front-runner.
SD 18 includes all of Aransas, Austin, Bastrop, Caldwell, Calhoun, Colorado, DeWitt, Fayette, Goliad, Gonzales, Jackson, Lavaca, Matagorda, Refugio, Victoria, Waller, Washington and Wharton counties and part of Fort Bend County.
SD 2
The GOP Primary in SD 2 will feature a face-off between Senator Bob Deuell (R-Greenville) and Rockwall City Councilman and Mayor Pro-Tem Tim McCallum (R-Rockwall).
The key issue in the race is education, with McCallum frequently critical of Deuell's record on education, including a vote by Deuell on teacher retirement and pay raise measures. Deuell holds the endorsement of the Dallas Morning News.
Deuell, who defeated Democrat David Cain (D-Mesquite) in his second try in 2002, is expected to win the race.
SD 2 includes Delta, Fannin, Hopkins, Hunt, Kaufman, Rains, Rockwall and Van Zandt counties, and portions of Dallas and Smith Counties. |
