TX-Sen: White, Sharp Boast Largest Non-Incumbent 1Q Fundraising Totals in Country

by: Phillip Martin

Sat Apr 25, 2009 at 00:58 PM CDT

Swing State Project, a national blog that looks at competitive races at all 50 states, has done an excellent wrap-up of the first quarter fundraising totals from across the country. Go check out their post to see the quick table they've put together - for those that love campaign world more than policy world, it's a great chance to scout out which races are already on the national radar screen, and which ones aren't.

They discovered an interesting tidbit, though: our non-existent Senate race has the most moolah:

But which non-incumbent raised the most? Rob Portman led the GOP with $1.7 million, and Kendrick Meek has been busy with $1.5 million. But the winner is a Democratic candidate who is under the radar, in a race that or may not actually exist: Houston mayor Bill White, who is raising for a hypothetical special election for a seat vacated by Kay Bailey Hutchison. (UPDATE: Former Texas comptroller and fellow imaginary senate candidate John Sharp reported an even larger amount in receipts, although he gets an asterisk because $515K was contributions and the rest was self-loaned.)

Not bad for a race that doesn't even exist yet. Here are links to our previous stories about the fundraising totals:

• Bill White & John Sharp Fundraising Totals
• Sharp's loan report

TX-Sen: John Sharp Raised $515,000 in 1st Quarter

by: David Mauro

Thu Apr 23, 2009 at 02:33 PM CDT

After reporting having over $2.5 million on hand last week, BOR has learned that John Sharp's U.S. Senate campaign raised $515,155 last quarter.

During this same period, Houston Mayor Bill White's campaign raised $1,876,163. White, who filed less than three weeks before Sharp, has raised over $2.6 million total, more than five times the amount Sharp has raised.

Here are the stats for Sharp's fundraising:

$515,155.00 - Total contributions other than loans
$514,955.00 - Net contributions other than loans
$2,001,678.10 - Loans made or guaranteed by the candidate 

Now I think we know why the Sharp campaign did not want to disclose these numbers. It is hard to describe them as anything but disappointing.

Sharp's report not only puts him at less then one fifth of White's total, but it also puts him below recent Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate in Texas.

In his first fundraising report in 2007, Rick Noriega reported raising $570,000. Mikal Watts, who never even became an offical candidate, raised $1.1 million in his first quarter in 2007.

Bill White Leads Changes to EPA Air Emissions Monitoring

by: David Mauro

Fri Apr 17, 2009 at 00:41 PM CDT

In response to concerns raised by Houston Mayor Bill White, the Environmental Protection Agency has pledged to review the system it uses to measure "the amount of toxic chemicals that refineries and petrochemical plants release."

In his letter sent in July 2008, White wrote that "the emissions factors currently used by the EPA significantly undercount emissions from petroleum refineries and chemical manufacturing plants."

In the 27 page letter, which can read here (pdf), White went on to say that the actual emissions "can be 100 times greater than reported emissions." 

Environmental leaders seemed to agree that this change would prove to be significant.

From USA Today:

"This would apply to every refinery in the country," said Elena Craft, a toxicologist with the Environmental Defense Fund, a non-profit advocacy group. "If the refining industry is underreporting the emissions, then we're underestimating the health risks. These are pollutants that cause cancer — that end people's lives."

"This is exactly the result we hoped for. Everyone, including industry, knows that the current protocols are incomplete and inaccurate," White said in a statement.

You can learn more about this story from the New York Times and USA Today.

TX-Sen: Democrats Significantly Outraise Republicans

by: David Mauro

Wed Apr 15, 2009 at 06:21 PM CDT

The two Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate, former comptroller John Sharp and Houston Mayor Bill White, hold significant advantages in cash on hand over their Republican opponents after the first fundraising quarter.

As we previously reported, Bill White raised $1,876,163 this quarter and began April with $2,131,638 on hand. White received contributions from 1,400 Texans. No personal loans were included in his totals this quarter.

John Sharp reported receiving $2,516,833 in loans and contributions this quarter to finish with $2,432,675 on hand. The number, in itself, is impressive but as Gardner Selby points out, we should reserve judgement until we learn how much of that money was from personal loans. Today, when asked, the Sharp campaign declined to disclose that information.

Both Democrats hold big advantages over the Republican candidates. 

Former Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams leads the Republican contenders with $388,628 on hand, but that number is less impressive when the $200,000 in personal loans are taken into account. State Sen. Florence Shapiro had just over $310,000 on hand, while Railroad Commissioners Elizabeth Ames Jones and Michael Williams have $164,663 and $113,957 on hand, respectively.

The Democratic money advantage, however, may not last. Well financed candidates such as Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who would pour his personal wealth into a campaign, and Attorney General Greg Abbott are also said to be considering the race.

When the amount of Sharp's personal loans are known, we will have a better idea of how the money race is shaping up on the Democratic side.

TX-Sen: Bill White Has Raised $2.6 Million During Campaign

by: David Mauro

Wed Apr 15, 2009 at 00:30 PM CDT

In December,  White reported raising $640,000 in the first 15 days of his campaign. White began the year wih $737,000 on hand.

Previously, White had led all Senate candidates in fundraising. Not all campaigns have reported yet, but expect that trend to continue. The contributions have come from 1400 Texans, White's campaign says.

Hopefully we will have the first fundraising numbers from John Sharp's U.S. Senate campaign later today.

Updated: Via Matt Stiles of the Houston Chronicle, news from the Republican side of the U.S. Senate race: Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams reported raising $181,000. Almost exactly 1/10 of what Bill White raised.

Bill White Raises $640,000 in 15 Days for U.S. Senate Campaign

by: David Mauro

Sat Jan 31, 2009 at 08:12 PM CST

The Houston Chronicle has reported that Houston Mayor Bill White raised more than $640,000 in the final 15 days of 2008 for his campaign for the U.S. Senate.

White began the year with $737,000 on hand. That number includes a $120,287 contribution he made to his own campaign.

More than $640,000 in 15 days is a very impressive number. In 2007, Senate candidate Rick Noriega reported raising about $570,000 after close to three months of fundraising. RG Ratcliffe pointed out that in fifteen days White raised roughly one quarter of what Noriega raised during his entire campaign.

John Sharp, the only other declared Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, did not start raising money until this year. Like White, Sharp is expected to contribute some of his own money to his campaign.

On the Republican side of the race to replace Kay Bailey Hutchsion, former Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams began the year with $131,000 on hand, while Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones has $145,000 and state Sen. Florence Shapiro has $375,556.

All of this and we do not even know when the election will be.

The Texas Republican Party Continues To Be A Ship Of Fools

by: slinkerwink

Wed Jan 21, 2009 at 08:43 AM CST

I'm a very proud Texas Democrat, and I love my state. I'm going to work my little backside off to make it a blue state in 2010 and 2012! With this said, please join me in laughing at the ineptness and utter cluelessness of the Texas Republican Party as they continue to wander in the desert for the next 40 years.

The Failure of Governor Rick Perry's Conservative Government in Texas

by: Phillip Martin

Thu Dec 11, 2008 at 02:16 PM CST

Ed. Note: The following 2,100 word piece is lengthy, but please read in full. Thank you.

Texas Governor Rick Perry issued a strongly worded letter this week for his campaign to be chosen as Republican nominee for the President of the United States in 2012 for Texas Governor in 2010. The letter is large on rhetoric -- and even larger in common sense hypocrisy. However, it is important for its insight into the Governor's current philosophy on the state of the Republican Party:

Drawing an Old Line in the Sand: Perry's Framing Looks Backward, Not Forward

Message from Texas Gov. Rick Perry:
We have only begun to fight

Dear Friend,

While I was certainly disappointed by the recent national election results, I am not disheartened. If anything, the last two elections have confirmed one important fact: Republicans should not only campaign as conservatives, but govern as conservatives too.

The Democrats have won a battle, not a war. And when the Democrat definition of “change” is finally clear - when Americans realize that Obama, Pelosi and Reid are left of liberal – our resurgence will begin.

We can either use this time to wander through the wilderness of discontent, complaining and carping about the state of our party and the left-leaning media, or we can start planning the rebirth of the Republican brand by espousing a conservatism that puts people to work, that believes in the ingenuity of private enterprise, that functions from a place of optimism and faith in the individual more than the institutions of government.

Perry begins by challenging that President Bush's form of governance -- the way Senator Hutchison and national Republicans led the Party from 2000 through 2008 -- is not "conservative" government. In theory, then, he would have to be promoting his own form of government as the better option -- one where Republicans "govern as conservatives too." Furthermore, he draws traditional partisan lines -- liberal vs. conservative -- to frame his message.

The significance? At a time when many in the Republican Party are questioning what new alliances, coalitions, and values they should stand for -- and how to bridge out to the growing center-left nation of America -- Perry is defiantly arguing for a return to the mythical land of conservatism and individualism. Is this how the GOP earns 97 more electoral votes in 2012?

Let's see what he uses as supporting arguments and evidence...

Now That You're Comfortable, Let Me Inspire You

So far, Perry has only laid out generic arguments regarding old battle lines. While it may appear backward-looking, it rings true to the heart of the principle of conservatism: that things are fine the way they are. More importantly, it harkens to a very old religious idea: God's plan is perfect, but humans are not.

Perry's opening salvo, therefore, harkens to old lines in the sand not because he necessary believes them, but because he wants to make his audience -- a conservative, Republican audience -- comfortable. Now that they are comfortable, he tries to show them how to wear an old pair of shoes in a new way:

This is not the time for timidity - but for bold ideas that crystallize the differences between two opposing philosophies.

Some think that the political pendulum will swing back now that the Democrats have total control over Washington. While I certainly see an opportunity for the re-emergence of a conservative movement focused on lunch pale [sic] issues, it won’t happen if we simply offer opposition - only if we offer an alternative.

We cannot merely object to socialized medicine, we must offer consumer-driven alternatives. We cannot simply say “no” to the failed status quo in education, but provide a vision that empowers parents and educators to offer a better product that prepares more students for the jobs of a high-tech economy. And we cannot allow the true party of big government and spending deficits - the Democrat Party - to cling to the mantle of fiscal responsibility simply because Washington Republicans blew it with twelve years of exploding earmarks and spending sprees.

We have to offer an alternative.

Perry's message in these paragraphs is simple: he repeatedly calls for new, bold alternatives -- but using "details" that are tried and true principles of conservative-led government. Again, the fact that they have always failed in the past is not because their belief system is flawed, but because flawed individuals were in charge. That's why:

1. Consumer-driven alternatives (individual) are necessary over socialized medicine (government)
   
   
2. Parents and educators (individuals) must lead the way on education reform, not the "status quo" (government).
   
   
3. Washington Republicans (individuals) caused the country to believe Democrats (government) were fiscally responsible.

The irony, of course, is how remarkably "big government" Perry has acted as Governor during his term. One only need be familiar with what he promoted as Governor of Texas on the issues he's outlined: health care, education, and government spending:

1. Health Care - Proposed that the state should make it mandatory for every sixth grade girl to receive the HPV vaccine in schools. (Source: "Perry's HPV vaccine order draws backlash from GOP" -- Austin American-Statesman, 2/6/07).
   
   
2. Public Education - Perry helped push the school finance reform that requires school districts  -- including those parents and educators Perry touts -- to only increase their funding through local elections, and only then by a small amount. In the mean time, as the costs for public schools continue to rise, the funding from the state remains static at 2005 and 2006 levels. Perry's school finance system is anything but responsive to parents and educators. (Source: "More Texas school districts ask voters to raise taxes" -- Houston Chronicle, 8/28/08).
   
   
3. Fiscal Responsibility -- Governor Perry is most proud of his zero-based budgeting style. However, as Texans for Fiscal Responsibility (TFR) point out, both he and Senator Hutchison live in "political houses with a fair amount of glass." TFR points to his support of the business tax, which has been a uniquely terrible disaster for Texas' businesses. (Source: "Business tax shortfall may erase surplus" -- Houston Chronicle, 11/26/08).

Perry's bold, new ideas are old, tired failures for those familiar with him in Texas.

(To continue reading my response to Governor Perry's  letter, click "There's More")...

Democrat John Sharp Announces for U.S. Senate Race

by: Phillip Martin

Mon Dec 08, 2008 at 00:41 PM CST

(Hat tip to Vince @ Capitol Annex)

Democrat John Sharp will run for Hutchison's U.S. Senate race as soon as possible, according to today's press release. (Click here for the full PDF).

"I will be a candidate whether the election is in 2012 or any time before then," said Sharp, who received the highest percentage of votes statewide of any Democrat during the past decade. "Texans face tough challenges that call for innovative solutions, and that's what our campaign is all about."

Sharp, 58, said he is forgoing the step of forming an exploratory committee and will file the required papers on January 1 so that he can begin raising money and campaigning across the state with the dawn of the new year.

This is a major, declarative announcement from Sharp very early in the process -- and one that either sets the stage for Houston mayor Bill White to announce for Governor in the next few weeks, or to announce to challenge Sharp in a primary race.

I've been a vocal critic of Sharp's on several occassions here on BOR. I stand by those critiques -- I think we could have forged a much better school finance solution than the compromise he crafted on behalf of Governor Rick Perry. But he's also got tremendous potential for a statewide run, has tremendous name ID, and will be a formiddable candidate whenever the race occurs.

I look forward to learning more about his candidacy as it develops --  but make no mistake, this is a major, major announcement that has serious consequences for both state and national politics.

More as it develops...