December 07, 2005
Libertarian Ben Easton to Run in HD 48
By Phillip Martin
This race just keeps getting more and more interesting. Again, from the Statesmen:
Wes Benedict, head of the Libertarian Party in Travis County, said today that teacher Ben Easton is planning to run as a Libertarian in the Jan. 17 special election to replace former state Rep. Todd Baxter in western Travis County.
...
Usually the fear for Republicans in a tight race is that a Libertarian could take away just enough conservative voters to hand the Democrat a victory. In the special election, it’s a little different: You have to claim a majority to win. So a Libertarian could take enough votes to push a Republican into a runoff with the top-drawing Democrat.
In two 2004 statewide judicial races that featured only a Republican and Libertarian on the ballot, the Libertarian candidates picked up about a fourth of the vote in District 48. That’s a strong showing, although some (if not many) of those voters were probably Democrats who did not want their votes going to a Republican. Plus, voter turnout is a completely different game in a special election because far fewer people show up to the polls.
So, quick recap:
Ben Bentzin is the Republican candidate. He is for vouchers, has serious money/ethics questions from 2002, and has said that "Rest assured, it is my ability to work across the aisle in a principled way that has truly partisan Democrats quaking in their Birkenstocks."
Democrats Donna Howard and Andy Brown have filed for the special election. As the Statesmen (and then, I) reported yesterday, there are questions as to whether or not Andy Brown can run in the HD 48 race. He may challenge the ruling, he may decide to stay out of the race -- this much is still being discussed. We'll know more in the coming days. Kathy Rider has not yet filed (to my knowledge), and Kelly White has released a statement (pdf) saying she most definitely will not run.
Fun, huh?
Posted by Phillip Martin at December 7, 2005 04:01 PM
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The important thing to know is "Does Easton favor privitized roads?" (that's one of the loonier Libertarian ideas i've heard)
The only Libertarian who gets elected in Texas is Ron Paul, and he has to be a Republican to win.
Good to see a Libertarian in the race. Mark Strama won HD 50 because there was a Libertarian in the race, and Kelly White would have won HD 48 in 2004 if there was a Libertarian in that race.
So, a question.
Has Kelly White said who she's supporting for District 48?
She's Donna Howard's campaign treasurer. I think that answers that question.
Are the Voucher's that Bentzin supports always a bad idea, in all situations? What if they were used in only the school districts resistant to improvement by most other means?
What "money/ethics" questions would those be? If you are referring to taking TLR money and advertising against our drunk-driving Senator, then I'm pretty sure that is neither a money or ethics problem.
"Money/ethics" as in TAB mailers for Bentzin (read the indictment)...and maybe more to come. Ben flipped flopped his way across every issue - vouchers, teacher health insurance, choice - in 2002. He even pledged that he wouldn't use Gonzalo's DWI in the campaign, then pirated a copy - probably illegally - and ran it foolishly. Yes, Gonzalo got a DWI. But he never got drunk with power and sold out his constituents. Bet Ben can't say that about his career at Dell.
She's Donna Howard's campaign treasurer. I think that answers that question.
I'm not sure does answer that question. Her statement praises Brown and Rider for offering to bow out. Obviously, the only one who refused to was Howard. No mention of her in the statement. It seems White is slighting Howard by omission. You'd think, if White really supported Howard, she'd put in a pitch for her in the statement, or at least a mention of her name. To my knowledge, White hasn't come out with any words of praise or endorsement for Howard since this candidate shuffle mess got started.
Could the Democrats have handled this whole thing any worse?
Kathy Rider filed Monday the 5th. It has been on the Sec of State's website since Tuesday the 6th. Andy Brown's application to file is pending. Thank you
