Land Commissioner Patterson Broached Subject Of Dropping Out To Libertarian In HD 32

by: Vince Leibowitz

Tue Sep 16, 2008 at 04:43 PM CDT

Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson contacted Lenard Nelson, a Libertarian candidate for State Representative in the hotly contested House District 32 race and broached the subject of abandoning the race.

According to Nelson (L-Rockport), Patterson called him and the two had a conversation in which he says Patterson, whom he knew casually through the Republican Liberty Caucus, didn't directly ask him to abandon the race, but did broach the subject.

"We talked about hunting and fishing, and then the conversation turned to politics and I told him how I was really into the race, really committed--it's my second time to run--and to giving the Republicans and the Democrats a hard time," Nelson said.

"And after that he said, 'I guess there is no sense in me asking you to drop out then,'" Nelson said.

Mark Loeffler, a spokesman for Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson's campaign couldn't confirm or deny whether or not Patterson had been contacting Libertarian candidates.

"I don't know anything about that. If it has happened, I am not aware of it.

Earlier this summer, House Speaker Tom Craddick and former State Rep. Susanna Hupp were in the spotlight for similar activities. Hupp had contacted three Libertarian candidates and asked them to drop out of the race. House Speaker Tom Craddick (R-Midland) held a meeting with top Libertarian leaders with a similar agenda. To date, the only Libertarian candidate to drop out was in State Rep. Valinda Bolton's Austin District.