| After a narrow victory in the March Democratic primary, Kino Flores appears to be more of a Craddick D than ever. Flores squeaked by with 52% of the vote against Pharr educator and good Democrat Sandra Rodriguez. According to the Rio Grande Guardian, Flores seems empowered by his tight election.
According to the Rio Grande Guardian
"I don't want to go through what I went through again," Flores said, referring to his hard-fought primary battle. "So, we need to decide if I am going to be a Yellow Dog Democrat, which I can do, or am I going to be allowed to step out of the box. And I can do both comfortably."
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"We are at a crossroads and we are going to have to decide are we going to go over there and make a political statement or are we going to go over there and make an economic statement," Flores said. "We cannot go there and pick a fight because you're a D and I'm an R. We can't. We've got to go there and it's got to be about money."
Flores was one of the handful of Democrats to both elect Tom Craddick as Speaker during the 80th legislative session and stand by him as Republicans and Democrats united to attempt to vacate the chair-an action that would have allowed for a fair-minded, bipartisan leader to preside over the House.
Kino Flores represents one of the most Democratic districts in the state of Texas. House District 36 had 60% of the vote go to Barbara Radnofsky, 48% to Chris Bell, and candidates like Hank Gilbert and Bill Moody both received nearly 70% of the total vote.
Flores on the other hand acknowledges his strong ties to the Republican Party and proves money is more important than party loyalty.
"You all know what I just went through in this last campaign. I mean, Jesus Christ, I think the only thing that did not come out of the closet was my eyes. Everything else was out there, from taking money from Republicans, being friends with Republicans, having lunch with Republicans, hanging around with Gringos. But then you look, $124 billion comes to my district. I can't run away from that. There's no way," Flores said.
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He concluded by predicting that a Republican House member would continue to occupy the role of Speaker for the next eight years, even if it is not the current Speaker, Tom Craddick, R-Midland.
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"The next eight years will be a Republican guy, regardless if it is Craddick or anybody else. And in order for them to be elected they need eight to 12 Democrats. They need eight to 12," Flores predicted. "So, what's wrong with saying I'll be one of those but you've got to help fund our medical school. I'll leave you all with that thought. Adios."
Last summer I said specifically, any elected official who sides with Craddick is voting against their district. This is as true after the primary as it was before the primary, and Flores appears to be standing by Craddick and Republican Party. That means he has picked plush committee assignments over helping insure more children and expanding CHIP, curbing soaring tuition costs, and easing the burden of rising energy costs. |
