| Could this be the start to another "One Day" Cuellar-esque story?
"When I get to the state Capitol, I lock the Democratic Party in my trunk."
- Sen. Frank Madla (D?- TX SD-19)
Watch the video (wmv), it's damning.
Madla is well known as the go-to guy for Texas Republican Senators, case in point, the first vote they flipped when the Texas Marriage Amendment came before the Senate (where we could have actually stopped it) among other issues which we can dig up. The Red State has excellent SD 19 coverage, and Matt has covered the recent flap over the (convenient) timing of the newly renamed Frank Madla Elementary school. Check them out.
Sen. Madla's primary opponent is current San Antonio Rep. Carlos Uresti from San Antonio. This Senate district is huge, running (pdf) from San Antonio to El Paso. SD-19 went 53% for Bush in 2004, though other state wide judicial Democrats like JR Molina won it with 55%. Rep. Uresti's House District (the portion that is in it in San Antonio) went 73% Democratic for Uresti. The whole of Uresti's district went 55% for Bush in 2004, though Uresti won it with 57% of the vote.
Uresti needs volunteers.
Uresti needs you to donate (paypal).
The last polling in the district was done in December of 2005...
The survey of 400 likely Democratic primary voters in the district showed that if the election were held today, 41 percent would cast a ballot for Madla and 23 percent would vote for Uresti.
...certainly in dangerous territory for an incumbent Senator, and that was before candidates had even filed. The Jeffersonian in San Antonio had this to say about the potential of the race at that time.
Madla goes on to say that he thinks it would take Uresti about $3 million to win. I don't see where he pulls that figure from. Over 33,000 people voted in the 2002 Dem primary in SD-19, which would make it about $100 per total vote if Madla's figure was correct. And while SD 19 is expansive (pdf), taking in good chunks of both Henry Cuellar and Henry Bonilla's districts, it's not that bad once you start taking a look at where the votes come from.
Over 11,000 votes came from Bexar County that primary, with another 12,000 or so coming from Val Verde (Del Rio), Maverick (Eagle Pass), Edwards, Kinney, Real, Uvalde, Bandera, and Medina counties. Or, 23,000 out of the 33,000+ votes in the 2002 primary were within a four-hour drive from each other. Uresti also benefits from having over 15,000 of his 21,000+, 2004 general election votes in Madla's district.
Madla hasn't had a Republican challenger in any of the last 3 election cycles 2002, 1998, or 1994 (Texas Senators serve 4 year terms). While there are two Republicans filed this year, Dick Bowen seems to have no online references and Darrel Brown's website may give you a clue to the type of candidate he is.
PinkDome highlighted this week an example of Sen. Madla's close ties to the Republican 'leadership' in the Texas House.
In Sen. Eliot Shapleigh's words, "the first vote that the (Senate) Republicans go to get is Frank Madla's".
Sen. Frank Madla is running in a primary against Rep. Carlos Uresti.
Sen. Shapleigh endorsed Rep. Uresti.
Sen. Madla hosted Lt. Gov Dewhurst at a fundraiser.
Dewhurst boots Shapleigh off the powerful Finance Committee and puts Madla in his place.
Burnt Orange Report has previously interviewed both candidates as part of Phillips 40/40 Project. Here is the interview with Rep. Carlos Uresti and Sen. Frank Madla. Here was our report on the background of the district and the candidates.
Uresti needs volunteers.
Uresti needs you to donate (paypal).
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