| Martin Frost recently published an opinion piece in Politico in which the former Congressman makes the case that Houston Mayor Bill White is Democrats' best hope to win the U.S. Senate seat. Texas has been trending Democratic the past few years ... So a Bill White victory is not inconceivable, even if he faces a run-of-the-mill conservative in a runoff. Meanwhile, White is methodically traveling the state, raising money and getting ready. Whether he is a true visionary remains to be determined.
Surprisingly, Frost paints White as the only Democrat in the field, going as far to say: White may be the only Democrat in the race, though one other former statewide Democratic officeholder, John Sharp, has said he might run.
Actually, Sharp has filed for the seat and given no public indication that he is considering exiting the Senate race. Whether Frost knows something more or was trying to better position his presumedly favored candidate Bill White is unknown. Frost went on to write: If White, who has wide support from the Democratic establishment in the state and who has already raised a significant amount of money, were the only Democrat on the ballot, he would be assured of a place in any runoff against whichever Republican survives.
Frost is not the only Washington-based pundit to suggest tha Democrats would be better off with only one major candidate in a possible special election. In June, the Washington Post's Chris Cillizza wrote that Democrats had a chance to pick up the seat but, "in truth, for Democrats to have a pickup opportunity, Sharp would probably need to step aside." Frost's editorial could be a sign that the Washington Democratic establishment is ready to line up behind White following his impressive fundraising numbers. Whether that establishment backing will translate into electoral success, however, remains to be seen. |
