| Former Henderson County Justice of the Peace Bill Burton will seek the Democratic nomination for Texas State Land Commissioner, the Malakoff News reported. According to a recent article from the Athens Daily News, Burton has long had his eye on running for Land Commissioner. With his announcement, Burton becomes the first Democrat to enter the race but may not be the last. If he wins the nomination, Burton will likely face Republican incumbent Jerry Patterson, who was first elected Land Commissioner in 2002. In an interview with the Athens Daily News, Burton conceded it would be difficult to defeat Patterson in a conventional campaign given that the incumbent will have millions of dollars to spend. “We’ve been in several counties already, and we plan to contact every county in Texas,” he said. “It will be a grass roots approach.”
Burton plans to make use of technology, too.
“The computer is my best friend,” he said. “I’m going to take advantage of the information age. I have a web site under construction.”
He wants to make the General Land Office a “household word.”
“I love the state of Texas, and I feel it’s my duty to serve the people of this great state,” Burton said.
Whether Burton ultimately becomes the Democratic nominee or not, it is good to see somebody step up to fill an important spot on the statewide ticket. In the first few days of his candidacy for Governor, it has been notable how Hank Gilbert has signaled his intention to recruit an entire slate of statewide candidates. What is perhaps more notable, of course, is that the Gubernatorial candidates who have been running since the spring were not already doing that. |
