Following are results from tonight's endorsement meeting:
Mayor
No candidate having received at least 60% of cast votes, membership
voted to dual endorse
Lee Leffingwell
Brigid Shea
City Council Place 2
Mike Martinez
City Council Place 5
Bill Spelman
City Council Place 6
Sheryl Cole
District Judge - 167th Judicial District
No candidate having received at least 60% of cast votes, membership
voted to dual endorse
Efrain de la Fuente
David Wahlberg
Over the past week, a large bulk of local endorsing clubs and organizations have weighed in on the Austin Municipal races. Below you will find an updated table of endorsements available at the time of posting. Analysis below.
The first thing that is clear, having attended or participated in most all the forums from this new wave of endorsements, is that the Democratic Clubs have now indicated their support overwhelmingly for all four incumbents. The one non-endorsement from the Austin Tejano Democrats was a result of a runoff between Bill Spelman and Dominic Chavez in which no consensus was reached. Chavez's past Republican activity played a role for some voters I talked to, which would echo the fact that he outpolled Spelman in last week's Real Estate Council of Austin (RECA) straw poll.
Also of note is the Stonewall Democrats endorsement of Bill Spelman over openly gay challenger Tina Cannon. In the Austin Environmental Democrats which saw heavy voting, Leffingwell easily cleared the club's endorsement threshold with over 70% of votes cast. The League of Bicycling Voters is the only organization so far to offer up a dual endorsement of any kind, recommending both Leffingwell and Shea in the Mayor's race. Rounding out the list is Texans for Accountable Government who gave underdog candidates Clay Dafoe, Laura Pressley, anarchist John Duffy, and Shaun Ireland their support- the first endorsement for some of the candidates listed.
We have previously written about the Austin Neighborhoods Council endorsement here. Last Friday, and again today, requests have been made by the publication to ANC for a copy of their statement in support of this year's candidates. We have yet to receive a response but will publish it as soon as we hear back.
*Austin Sierra Club- When our first endorsement post was printed, Burnt Orange Report had received by email and confirmed in conversations with campaigns and other publications a different set of endorsements than the one listed in the table above. We withheld its inclusion in our table at the time, a decision that appears to have been the correct one, due to two factors. The first was we had not yet received an official release from the Austin Sierra Club with their endorsements which at the time was still a recommendation of their Political Committee. When Brigid Shea included their endorsement in her fundraising email this past weekend, I tweeted at both her campaign and the Austin Sierra Club asking whether they had released their endorsements publicly yet. Again, Burnt Orange Report has received no response.
As such, and because there is no other place where this information has been addressed, I have chosen to publish an email that was obtained by our publication outlining the original recommendation of the Austin Sierra Club's Political Committee. The voters, not only within the Sierra Club's membership (which in recent years had become more divided on the direction of their organization's advocacy, according to members), but the voters at large deserve to be aware of the facts.
Hello ExCom,
PolCom [Political Committee of Austin Sierra Club] met this morning to decide endorsements for City Council. Present were Erin Myers, Karin Ascot, Kedron Touvell, Peter Beck, Roy Waley, Scott Swearingen. Dick Kallerman is out of town.
Mayor- We endorse Brigid Shea against Lee Leffingwell. Leffingwell has not been good on our issues, most obviously WTP4 and Formula 1. Brigid has a proven record of working well on environmental issues. Her answers on the questionnaire are much more specific, detailed and action-oriented. LL's are self-referential and generic, a lot of blather about how he supports environmental issues. Brigid has a long history of actively working on our issues, water quality and quantity protection, cleaning up coal (had her own consulting business doing this), open space purchase and conservation. She also has specific ideas on how to make development pay for itself, whereas LL is vague on that question. There is a clear sense among us on PolCom that Brigid is simply more convinced of the need to change directions, whereas Lee is proud of where Austin is and where we are going (he says exactly that in his recent fundraising letter). We don't agree.
Place 2- We endorse Laura Pressley against incumbent Mike Martinez. Martinez has voted with Leffingwell on all the major environmental issues, with a few recent exceptions that occurred only within the campaignseason. In general he has not been friendly to our issues (including WTP4 and F1). Some on our committee feel Pressley had the best answers of all the questionnaire responses received - and wrote them herself! We had a difficult time trying to decide whether she is ready to run a solid and winning campaign, and we considered a non-endorsement in this race. However, if we are not going to endorse MM, we should endorse her; Martinez will not appreciate us either way. Pressley is intelligent, and excellent on all our issues. She understands the problems with SH45 (environmental and traffic-related), issues of equitablecost distribution in water and electric utilities, implementation of Imagine Austin plan, etc.
Place 5 - We endorse Bill Spelman. While he has not been stellar on our issues, the other candidates are not impressive. We have particular reservations about his (likely) strongest opponent, Chavez, who is developer-backed. We believe that of all the incumbents, Spelman is the most likely to change policy direction and get on board with a more progressive agenda.
Place 6 - we voted not to endorse. Although we like Cole as an individual, her votes have not been particularly helpful to our issues, and we do not sense that will change. We received no questionnaires back from anyone else in the race, so chose not to endorse.
We are looking here both at specific individuals and at a real need to change direction. We need to move Austin forward in an affordable, sustainable way, and we don't feel that is happening with the incumbents.
With the exception of Place 2, all of our votes were unanimous. In Place 2, Kedron and Peter favored a position of no endorsement, so the vote was 4-0-2.
We would appreciate your approval/feedback as soon as possible.
Many thanks,
Karin
PolCom Chair
It is unknown officially why the Austin Sierra Club has chosen to backtrack on their endorsement of Laura Pressley in Place 2 since they have not responded to requests for clarification. Unofficially, multiple club members have expressed to me concerns over the appearance of endorsing Pressley, a Ron Paul supporter who is endorsed by Flouride Free Austin and the Longhorn Libertarians, and how that might affect the credibility of the organization's other endorsements. This is not the only race where reservations have been expressed, though it is the only one where the recommendation of the Political Committee has been overturned.
As soon as we receive an official comment or statement from the Sierra Club, the Austin Neighborhoods Council, or Brigid Shea on any of these questions, we wil update our readers. If any of the same feel that coverage of these facts has been unfair or untrue, I welcome you to reply to any of my requests for comment or make use of our standing Right to Respond policy.
(We're excited to bring you this great guest post from former BOR Editor and current Progress TX ED Matt Glazer! - promoted by Katherine Haenschen)
Originally posted at Progress Texas. Matt Glazer is the former Editor of Burnt Orange Report and current Executive Director of Progress Texas. This is an open letter drafted in response to Tea Party Conservative and fringe candidate, Ted Cruz, and his response to having Texans across the state tweet at hm a very simple phrase, "Hey @TedCruz - stop sending your campaign money to Rush Limbaugh!". Apparently, Mr. Cruz did not like citizens engaging him.
Dear Ted Cruz,
The Progress Texas community understands you are running as a fringe Tea Party Conservative candidate for U.S. Senate, and that you feel you need to double down and show support for Rush Limbaugh. Your advisors lead you astray when they told you bail Rush Limbaugh out and now they have you in a box.
Let's give some back story really quickly. When Rush Limbaugh started his attack on women, and Sandra Fluke specifically, we didn't think that was very Texan. And since Rick Perry made Rush Limbaugh an Honorary Texan and a spokesperson for the state, we made sure all of our members were aware. Thousands of you made your voice heard and told Perry to revoke Rush's Honorary Status. Of course, Rick Perry, when asked by the Texas Tribune, dodged the question on whether he would do anything about the issue but he did decide to start calling all of us names and drive a wedge between people trying to make their voice heard in the Governor's office.
Not long after the Governor's name calling, Progress Texas heard something surprising - a candidate for higher office advertising and financially supporting Rush Limbaugh's war on women. That candidate was Ted Cruz.
Almost two full weeks later, Mr. Cruz, you had to do what most Tea Party Republicans are doing in Texas, start calling people who want their voice heard in government names. That's not very Senatorial.
In a page long, personal post on your campaign website, you felt compelled to endorse Rush Limbaugh's hateful speech and called him a conservative champion:
Rush has been a hero to the conservative movement for decades. He's passionate and he's fearless.
[...]
They're attacking Rush because he speaks the truth and stands up to their liberal agenda. And I am proud to advertise on his show. In fact, in light of these attacks, we might even up the buy...
Well Mr. Cruz, all of us at Progress Texas want to thank you for telling us that you support, and therefore endorse, Rush Limbaugh. We want to thank you for saying he speaks for the conservative movement. We appreciate you making it clear where you stand on the issues. While conservatives running for national office, advertisers, and radio stations across the country abandon Mr. Limbaugh, we appreciate you letting us know that Texas conservatives stand with him.
"What does that make her? It makes her a slut, right? It makes her a prostitute. She wants to be paid to have sex."
"We are getting screwed, even though we don't meet her personally."
"I will buy all of the women at Georgetown University as much aspirin to put between her knees..."
"Who bought your condoms in the sixth grade?"
"The woman goes up to Congressional Committee and says she's having sex so damn much she's going broke."
"Ms. Fluke, and the rest of you feminazis, if we're going to pay for your contraceptives...if we're going to have to pay for this...and thus pay to have sex, we want something for it...We want you to post the videos online so we can see so we can see what we are getting for our money."
"The NFL all too often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips without any weapons. There I said it."
"What color is the skin of the people in Darfur? It's black. And who do the Democrats really need to keep voting for them? If they lose a significant percentage of this voting bloc, they're in trouble."
"Obama does not have authentic slave blood. But Michelle does..."
"It is clear that Senator Obama has disowned his white half, that he's decided he's got to go all in on the black side."
"Barack Obama has picked up another endorsement: Halfrican-American actress Halle Berry."
"He even talks honky around white people."
"So Obama had a menorah there and he lit 'em all. I'm sure he thought it was Kwanzaa while talking about loyalty to Israel."
"We're being told that we have to hope he succeeds, that we have to bend over, grab the ankles. Bend over forward, backward, whichever, because his father was black, because this is the first black president. We've got to accept this."
Mr. Cruz, we understand why you have to stand by Rush and attack Texans who disagree with you. You are the underdog and presumptive loser in a U.S. Senate race. Not to mention, I am sure the advertising rate is really cheap right now and it might be one of the few places you can afford to advertise. That being said, just because you can, doesn't mean you should. And you are running to represent every Texan, not just the far right Tea Party Conservatives. We are sad to see you support Rush's hate speech but we appreciate your frankness and response.
Hopefully you, Mr. Cruz, you will respect the voices of Texans who voice their concerns and frustrations with your financial support of a conservative champion who constantly and consistently attacks women, minorities, and those that want to get involved in their community and improve their government.
Sincerely,
Progress Texas
-----
P.S. Mr. Cruz, you have asked for Texans to make their voice heard on your Facebook page. I hope you don't mind we will be encouraging our members to talk with you on Facebook and Twitter too. Of course, I hope you won't ignore them or censor their voices. Just as a reminder, here is the direct call to action from your post:
Please post your thoughts about Rush Limbaugh's strong voice for liberty on our Facebook page.
And here is the Think Progress video, highlighting Rush's comments, that we discussed before:
In a normal year, endorsements for city races in Austin would have come prior to those for the Democratic primary, but with redistricting the two swapped places. Even though the two elections are back to back, with early voting for the primary starting just 3 days after the municipal election, local clubs, PACs, and other organizations are shifting gears to weigh in on the races for mayor & city council.
First, it needs to be noted that confirming a number of these endorsements were difficult. Incumbents Bill Spelman and Sheryl Cole don't list any endorsements on their websites. A number of endorsing groups do not have websites, or have incomplete lists of endorsements. I don't know if this indicates a lack of energy in the municipal races where early voting begins in just six weeks or if this is a result of the toll taken by the rescheduled primary election.
As to the candidates, Mayor Leffingwell has the broadest coalition of support (among coalitions that participate in our low turnout city elections). That support is mirrored for Leffingwell ally Mike Martinez with the exception of the Central Labor Council, which declined to issue an endorsement; Martinez has received the public support of AFSCME Local 1624.
In Place 6, "no endorsement" is the winner so far as incumbent Sheryl Cole, yet again, is failing to inspire the electorate. This is nothing new, as the local media has editorialized its disappointment before with Cole. In 2009, the Austin Chronicle said "It's unfortunate Cole didn't draw a stronger opponent" and that she was "competent if not dazzling." The Statesman called her "quiet but effective" and our own publication wrote that Cole "could be more proactive, more aggressive, and more engaged on behalf of her constituents" in our 2009 endorsements. In three runs for council, Cole has failed to get the endorsement of the University Democrats each time. The saving grace for Cole, much like in 2009, is that her last minute opponent Shaun Ireland hasn't gained much traction.
The Place 5 race is the most curious as incumbent Bill Spelman appears to be worse than expected on the endorsement front. Unlike Cole, Spelman has six opponents, which could put him in a runoff. While Tina Cannon and Dominic Chavez are his most organized opposition, neither has been able to win any of the institutional support in their own right. Cannon did tie with Spelman in the University Democrats voting in both the first and second rounds, leading Spelman, a professor at UT, to not receive the endorsement of his "home" club. As a result, Spelman won't appear on the thousands of yellow doorhangers distributed by the Austin Progressive Coalition which certainly would have been a nice boost in his attempt to avoid a runoff. If Spelman had had any opponents 3 years ago when he returned to the city council, we'd have a basis of comparison for what this means, but going from zero to six opponents indicates some level of weakness being sensed. I suspect that having the lowest cash on hand and being the only Anglo among the council incumbents up for election may have also be a cause. Still, he is favored to win.
More organizations and Democratic clubs will issue their endorsements in the coming weeks, with at least six clubs participating in the multi-club forum on April 3rd.
All Filed Candidates, Listed Alphabetically, Incumbents in Italics: Mayor: Clay Dafoe, Lee Leffingwell, Brigid Shea
Place 2:Mike Martinez, Laura Pressley
Place 5: Tina Cannon, Dominic Chavez, David Conley, John Duffy, Robert "Bo" Prudente, John Rubine, Bill Spelman Place 6:Sheryl Cole, Shaun Ireland
I would like to invite you to attend an upcoming fundraiser for Paul Sadler who is running as the Democratic Candidate for U.S. Senate. The fundraiser will be on Thursday, March 29 from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm at the El Sol y La Luna on 6th Street.
I want to tell you why I am so excited about Paul's candidacy for the U.S. Senate. Paul was a member of the Texas House of Representatives for six terms and Chairman of the House Public Education Committee from 1995 to 2003. During his time as Chair of the Public Education Committee, he rewrote the entire Education Code which included major education reforms and pushed it through the legislature. Unfortunately, many of these reforms have been undone by the legislature over the past several sessions.
At the time Paul was chair of the House Public Education Committee, I worked for a not-for-profit education association as a policy analyst. I heard Paul speak in committee and on the House floor. I was very impressed by his leadership in the House. During the last several legislative sessions, I have heard Paul speak before the legislature in committee hearings as the Executive Director of the Wind Coalition. I am still impressed by his depth of knowledge and his leadership on important issues that are facing our state and country.
I keep thinking about how great it would be to have someone like Paul represent Texas in the U.S. Senate. Paul is someone who could be a leader in the U.S. Congress. He is intelligent, a deep thinker, and a hard worker who would bring respect back to Texas.
I hope you will attend the event for Paul on Thursday, March 29th so you can meet Paul and see for yourself what a great candidate he is. What a great U.S. Senator he would be.
I hope to see you on March 29th at El Sol y La Luna.
The list below is of such relative lightweights, you'll have to excuse the near week delay in posting it. This year's municipal election season looks to be more tedious for local activists who just finish a month long slog of candidate forums and club endorsements. Just look at that list in Place 5 that Bill Spelman drew!
For the most part, the incumbents in all the races should be considered the favorites today, though Spelman will have to work to avoid an embarrassing runoff.
Update: The Austin AFL-CIO Central Labor Council held its candidates screenings this morning. They issued endorsements for Incumbent Mayor Leffingwell, Council members Spelman and Cole, but issued no endorsement in the Place 2 race.
More Democratic Clubs cast their ballots last week at the multi-club endorsement forum. You can read the various candidates' questionnaires here.
Below is a chart showing the winners of the Capital Area Asian American Democrats (CAAAD), Capital Area Progressive Democrats (CAPD), Circle C Area Democrats (CCAD; and yes, there are Democrats in Circle C, lots of them, and they are awesome!), Northeast Travis County Democrats (NETCO), and Austin Tejano Democrats (ATD). I am also including the endorsement threshold, or the percent of votes each candidate needed to receive to earn the endorsement. These thresholds are set up by the clubs' by-laws. Higher thresholds can be more difficult to reach depending on the number of club members.
Quick note: "n/a" means the club did not consider the race (some clubs do not endorse in races that are outside of their geographic area) and None means no candidate met the threshold for endorsement.
CAAAD
CAPD
CCAD
NETCO
ATD
Endorsement Threshold
50%
55%
55%
65%
60%
US Senate
Sadler
Sadler
Sadler
Sadler
n/a
Travis DA
Lehmberg
Lehmberg
Lehmberg
None
Lehmberg
Travis Sheriff
Hamilton
Hamilton
None
Hamilton
Sisson
Travis Tax/VR
Elfant
Elfant
Elfant
Elfant
Elfant
Travis 167th
de la Fuente
de la Fuente
None
None
de la Fuente
Constable Pct 1
Thomas
Thomas
n/a
n/a
Thomas
Constable Pct 2
Ballesteros
Ballesteros
n/a
Ballesteros
Ballesteros
Constable Pct 3
Hernandez
Hernandez
McCain
n/a
Hernandez
Constable Pct 4
Canchola
Canchola
n/a
n/a
None
Commissioner Pct 1
Davis
Davis
n/a
None
Gonzales
Commissioner Pct 3
Huber
Huber
Huber
n/a
None
A few notes and observations:
Efrain de la Fuente had an impressive run of victories of these clubs, winning all 3 that endorsed, and now has a lead in club endorsements (I believe it is 5-3, feel free to correct me). Arguably this is where the early start to his campaign paid off (he was in and campaigning hard several months before David Wahlberg) -- he's had more time to call every single member of every club and earn their votes. Also, there seems to be little traction for Bryan Case at this point, so perhaps he might want to ponder taking his considerable appellate experience and running for the 3rd Court of Appeals in the remaining open Democratic place on the ballot.
The Austin Tejano Democrats endorsed challenger John Sisson over incumbent Sheriff Greg Hamilton, likely due to controversy surrounding Travis County's immigration and deportation issues. They also went for Victor Gonzales in County Commissioner Pct 1. This has traditionally been an African-American seat on the County Court, though due to population changes, the district has grown more Hispanic. Gonzales, the Mayor Pro Tem of Pflugerville, hasn't had much of a visible campaign presence in the Democratic club scene yet, though he did show up at the multi-club forum this week. Given that the three other challengers are African-American, it will be interesting to see if Gonzales can build a coalition of Hispanic voters and Pflugervillans and make it into a run-off.
Incumbent Precinct 2 Constable Adan Ballesteros has continued to pick up endorsements over challenger and professional gun nut Michael Cargill. Cargill has taken to his Facebook page to decry the "Democratic establishment" that apparently is preventing him from gaining traction. He recently wrote, "We have 1% of Austin controlling endorsements in this county. I need the help of the 99%." Maybe what's happening is people are realizing that he's a) a gun nut who b) voted for Debra Medina and c) is seemingly only running to promote his CHL training business. Oh, and he wants to arm college students and repeal federal Gun Free School Zones and the background checks before gun purchases legalized by the Brady Bill. No big deal. Guns for everyone! Not.
No big surprises in the DA's race as incumbent Rosemary Lehmberg won four of the five endorsements over challenger Charlie Baird, with no candidate meeting NETCO's endorsement threshold.
There are a few surprises in these endorsements -- the Austin Tejano Democrats had no candidate meet the 60% threshold in the Pct 4 constable race, though challenger Ernest Pedraza apparently earned more votes than incumbent Maria Canchola. Additionally, neither candidate in the Precinct 3 commissioner's race earned their endorsement, though incumbent Karen Huber won the other three up for grabs over challenger Albert Gonzales.
Arguably the most interesting endorsement here is Circle C's choice of incumbent Richard McCain over challenger Sally Hernandez for Precinct 3 constable. To date Hernandez had swept every public safety, labor, and Democratic endorsement. However, the club most firmly rooted in the district went for McCain. In a post to the group's Facebook page, one member noted that McCain ran and ousted a Republican when no one else thought it was possible, and has been active in the community.
Tax Assessor / Voter Registrar frontrunner Bruce Elfant remains the only candidate to win every. single. endorsement. to date. No ties, no "no endorsements," no failing to meet a threshold. It's just all Bruce all the time. The man is a Democratic juggernaut! More importantly, he's vastly qualified and a tremendous public servant, with a real vision for how our Tax Assessor / Voter Registrar can do even more to reflect the values of our community.
Yet to endorse in the 2012 primaries are West Austin Democrats (WAD), North by Northwest Democrats (NXNW), Black Austin Democrats (BAD), St. Edward's Democrats, and Capital City Young Democrats (CCYD). Also not endorsing to date are Tall Austin Democrats (TAD), Democrats with Last Names Beginning with 'B' (BDems), or Apartment Dwelling Democrats (ADD).
Now, obviously I'm poking fun at the process, but this raises a valid question: do any of these club endorsements matter? Well, yes. Plenty of the clubs spend money to support their candidates, from sending postcards and robo-calls in support of their endorsed candidates, and also volunteer in their endorsed candidates' campaign offices. These clubs also provide that all-important list of endorsements on mailers or TV ads that local hyper-partisan Democrats have come to look for around voting time. It not only looks bad if the Democratic clubs all vote for your opponent instead of you, it suggests that for some reason your campaign isn't getting any traction with the voters.
The endorsements also signal momentum, and can help indicate to the broader electorate and media who the frontrunners are in a given race. In some cases it can also indicate which candidates are actually working hard to win the endorsements, by attending the clubs' meetings, calling their members and asking for support, and often even joining and serving as an officer in these clubs. They also represent a well-organized effort to GOTV the club members for the actual endorsement meetings. Supporters are great, but if they don't show up and "do stuff" that helps you win, well...
These endorsements represent who's leading the "Democratic insider" race, as it is primarily the most locally engaged Democratic activists who join these clubs and vote in these endorsements, in an effort to signal who they think is the best person for the job. In past cycles, some campaigns have endeavored to sign up friends and random people for these clubs simply to stuff the ballot box during the endorsement season. However, we haven't seen too much of that here, or not on a level that seems to have vastly changed the outcome of any given club.
For better or worse, that's the system we've got, and it's one that has been fine-tuned over the last few decades here in Austin. Only during years of extraordinarily high turnout (2008, anyone?) does this "system" really break down and enable primary candidates who don't win the vast majority of club endorsements to win at the ballot box. Otherwise, the hyper-engaged Democrats who vote in every single primary (and most of the run-offs to boot) tend to vote as the clubs do, unless there's any other game-changers out there -- for instance, newspaper endorsements or really effective attack ads. And, of course, in a Democratic primary, female candidates and names that indicate an obvious minority can also receive a boost in the voting booth from voters who don't know anything about the other candidates.
The remaining clubs should endorse within the next two weeks -- just in time to take a quick breather before doing it all again for the Austin City Council elections!
Every cycle, the Democratic clubs around Travis County hold endorsement forums to anoint the candidates of their choice. Tonight is the multi-club endorsement forum, where 10 clubs will gather at the Millenium Youth Complex to hear the candidates and ask questions.
Candidates were asked to fill out a questionnaire with questions contributed by the clubs to help members and the citizenry at large get a better idea of their background, qualifications, and plans if elected. If you can't make the forum, or simply want to read more about our statewide and Travis County primary candidates, you can download the questionnaire here.
US Senate Daniel Boone
Sean Hubbard
Hon. Paul Sadler
Travis County Sheriff Hon. Greg Hamilton
John Sisson
Travis County District Attorney Hon. Charlie Baird
Hon. Rosemary Lehmberg
Travis County Tax Assessor / Voter Registrar Hon. Bruce Elfant
Stan Wilson
Travis County 167th District Court Bryan Case
Efrain de la Fuente
David Wahlberg
Travis County Commissioner Pct 1 Hon. Ron Davis
Hon. Victor Gonzales
Travis County Commissioner Pct 3 Hon. Karen Huber
Travis County Constable Pct 1 Carl Cannon Jr.
Hon. Danny Thomas
Travis County Constable Pct 2 Hon. Adan Ballesteros
Michael Cargill
Travis County Constable Pct 3 Sally Hernandez
Hon. Richard McCain
Travis County Constable Pct 4 Hon. Maria Canchola
Ernest Pedraza
There are some fun tidbits in those questionnaires. Learn about candidates' civic participation, why they self-identify as Democrats, and check out their voting histories. You can also read about candidates' first time... voting for President! If you are in Austin, you're welcome to come to the forum tonight and listen to the candidates in person. The information is all on the Travis County Democratic Party's Facebook page, here.
A lack of primary dates, legislative and Congressional maps, and voter registration cards hasn't stopped the local Democratic groups in Austin from endorsing primary candidates. Last night, Stonewall Democrats held their forum, endorsing in all local and contested statewide primaries.
Stonewall Democrats are an organization of LGBT and LGBT-ally Democrats, who traditionally support and organize around issues that matter to the LGBT community. The national group was founded in 1999 by Barney Frank, the openly gay Congressman from Massachusetts. Here in Austin, the chapter of Stonewall traditionally requires a questionnaire for candidates to find out where they stand on issues that matter to the LGBT community. These questionnaires are important: they pin down candidates on their support of marriage equality, partner benefits, and other issues.
These questionnaires are important, especially in the wider context of the movement for LGBT civil rights. As we saw last week in Maryland, Democratic assemblyman Sam Arora pledged his support for marriage equality in a questionnaire for Equality Maryland, then flaked out and refused to vote for the bill when it came to the floor. These questionnaires a) help LGBT voters and LGBT allies see how candidates truly feel about their issues and b) help hold flakes like Sam Arora accountable when they stab LGBT constituents in the back. It's also why Stonewall requires candidates to fill out a questionnaire and sign it in order to be eligible for endorsement. (Sad to say, not all Democrats filled out the questionnaire.)
I am glad that Stonewall takes the time to pin down candidates on their support for these issues, and provides progressives with the opportunity to know what candidates say they will do (nor not do) in office. As a straight ally with many, many LGBT friends, I care deeply whether our elected officials support civil rights and equality. My friends and I should all have the same exact rights, no matter who they love. Full stop. We must elect as many public servants as possible who feel the same way.
Anyways. Here are the Stonewall Democrats of Austin endorsements, with an asterisk indicating incumbents:
US Senate: Paul Sadler
Travis Co. District Attorney: Rosemary Lehmberg*
Travis Co. 167th District Court: Efrain de la Fuente, David Wahlberg (dual)
Travis Co. Tax Assessor-Collector: Bruce Elfant
Travis Co. Sheriff: John Sisson
Travis Co. Constable Pct 2: Adan Ballesteros*
Travis Co. Constable Pct 3: Sally Hernandez
Travis Co. Constable Pct 4: Maria Canchola*
Travis Co. Commissioner Pct 1: Ron Davis*
Travis Co. Commissioner Pct 3: Karen Huber*
Bruce Elfant, Sally Hernandez, Rosemary Lehmberg, Maria Canchola and Karen Huber continued their sweep of Democratic clubs, while the race for 167th District Court continues to be a two-man fight between Efrain de la Fuente and David Wahlberg.
Notably, Stonewall endorsed challenger John Sisson for Sheriff over incumbent Greg Hamilton. Sisson, a former police officer, came out a few years ago and re-evaluated his politics at the time, choosing to align himself with the Democratic Party as a result. He now has a partner, and wants to be part of the political party that is open and welcoming to LGBT individuals. Some folks said Sisson's speech last night was one of the more moving they've seen on the campaign trail to date. Sisson spoke about the snickering on the police force when he came out, and also the support he received from his peers. It's a powerful "coming out" narrative that may have helped sway members of Stonewall already uneasy about the issues swirling around Hamilton's record on deportation and immigration issues.
However, just being "out" does not deliver Stonewall's endorsement -- they endorsed incumbent Precinct 2 Constable Adan Ballesteros over challenger Michael Cargill, who is openly gay. It's not just about identity in Stonewall -- it's also about candidates' wider philosophies. Too many questions surround Cargill's candidacy -- from his stance on issues important to Democrats to his Republican voting history to the fact that he was not involved in the community (LGBT or Democratic) before running.
On a meta level, this forum emphasizes one of the joys of living in Travis County: we get to watch Democratic primary candidates trip over themselves to support LGBT issues. We're also lucky in Travis County to have openly LGBT candidates on the ballot, and even more lucky that in most of our local races, it's not used as a wedge issue against the candidates. There are three openly gay candidates in contested primaries this year and others on the ballot. Additionally, we have several other openly gay elected Democrats in office -- and even an openly gay Republican. It is a great step forward for equality that young LGBT Texans have these folks to look up to.
::
Speaking of primaries and the lack-there-of, since we're not voting on Super Tuesday, join us on March 6th for our Not-So-Super Tuesday Super Watch Party in Austin! We promise fun times and free food. We don't promise maps, primary dates, or voter registration cards. Sorry.
