| Texas should take pride in having sent one of the most engaging and motivated Democratic candidates to Netroots Nation this year. That would be Houston Mayor Bill White, candidate for the anticipated special election for Kay Bailey Hutchison's Senate seat. The Mayor came up to Pittsburgh during the annual gathering to address national bloggers and make the case as to why Democrats can and will win statewide in Texas.
 The campaign hosted a packed luncheon for national and Texas bloggers, where the Mayor spoke at length about his accomplishments in Houston, and the issues he would focus on as a member of the U.S. Senate. Later, White appeared on a panel about energy issues, moderated by Adam Siegel of Energize America. The panel drew a solid audience, as the Mayor impressed those gathered with his specifics on how to help America address our environmental challenges. Overall, White definitely caught the attention those gathered at the convention. Throughout the weekend, bloggers and activists seemed clearly aware of the positive buzz spreading about White's accomplishments.
Overall, this was a very smart move by the Bill White campaign. In an off-year there aren't too many candidates trolling the halls of Netroots Nation. Conversely, in an election year, it's hard to walk through the lobby without tripping over a Congressional candidate or two. However, since the hypothetical special election to replace Kay Bailey Hutchison will likely occur before next year's Netroots in July, it was wise of White to put the face-time in now while he had the chance.
Such outreach is vitally important for candidates from Texas. When Democratic candidates reach out and capture national attention on their races, the money, media coverage, and volunteer interest often follows. While next year in Las Vegas I fully expect to see even more Texas Democrats pressing the flesh, I'm glad to have been pleasantly surprised by the level of outreach by Bill White's campaign this year. |
