Bryan Daniel, the Republican nominee in House District 52, is spending a lot of money to spread a lot of misinformation about his opponent, Diana Maldonado, who recently received the endorsement of the Austin American-Statesman.
Luckily for him, Daniel has friends like Speaker Tom Craddick to help bankroll his misleading attacks.
After Craddick's Stars Over Texas PAC contributed $125,000 to Daniel's campaign, the Statesman's Laylan Copelin is reporting that the PAC has given Daniel an additional $100,000.
Bryan Daniel is a guaranteed vote for the failed policies of Tom Craddick. He's been bought and paid for and has even adopted the same kind of "say anything to win" mentality that has run rampant in the DeLay-Craddick Texas Republican Party.
Diana Maldonado will be a voice for all of Williamson County and will not owe $225,000 of gratitude to a single corrupt politician.
House Speaker Tom Craddick's disastrous handling of challenges to his leadership has heightened House races across the state, including several in Central Texas. Whether voters know it or not - and certainly most don't - House races on the Nov. 4 ballot are a referendum on Craddick's heavy-handed rule.
The Austin American Statesman sums up this election cycle perfectly. Tom Craddick is a failure in leadership. As November 4 approaches, Texans have a unique opportunity to get rid of the self proclaimed dictator of the Texas House.
With the Statesman's honest assessment on Texas legislative politics, its no surprise they endorsed three qualified Democrats- Donnie Dippel, Diana Maldonado, Patrick Rose.
District 52 Though both candidates are strong, we believe Democrat Diana Maldonado would best represent the district. Maldonado is a former president of the Round Rock school board and was an employee in the state comptroller's office until she was forced to resigned to run for this seat.
Maldonado, 45, has a reputation as a budget hawk who understands accounting. And she can be counted on to be an effective voice for education issues and public schools. She supports the law that grants college admission to the top 10 percent of the graduating class in Texas high schools and wants to reconsider having the Legislature set college tuition rates.
[...]
Maldonado knows the district and has served as an effective leader in her five years on the Round Rock school board. She should be elected in District 52.
District 17
This is another open seat, left vacant when Democrat Robby Cook decided against seeking re-election. Cook won a close victory in 2006, and Republicans are campaigning hard to win the district, which covers Burleson, Lee, Bastrop, Fayette and Colorado counties.
[...]
We believe Dippel would be best for the far-flung, largely rural district.
Dippel, 57, a consultant who worked for the Texas Department of Agriculture for 14 years, opposes voucher programs for schools, selling water to buyers outside the district and the Trans-Texas Corridor. He supports more vocational education and is concerned about health care, particularly in rural areas.
The Statesman also endorsed Patrick Rose in his bid for re-election. The paper summed up Rep. Rose's legislative history.
Rose has voted his district, and his list of accomplishments includes road improvements, funding for Texas State University and support for local schools. In a district of independent-minded voters, Rose has gained their support by voting their interests, not either party's.
Democrat Diana Maldonado was our first endorsed candidate for TexBlog PAC. With that early money and online support followed numerous endorsements. Maldonado, with her public education background, is running a strong, disciplined race in southern Williamson County -- just north of Austin's own Travis County. Just today she was endorsed by the Statesman, too.
The race is an open seat -- Republican Mike Krusee retired this year, after barely hanging on in 2006. A staunch supporter of toll roads and other unpopular Republican measures, Krusee did not build a strong coalition in Williamson County, where a surge in voter registration for Democrats has given Maldonado one of the best chances for Democrats to pick up a seat.
From Eye on Williamson, which is the best place for news on the HD-52 race, we get a round-up of the local press Maldonado is receiving in the Austin media market -- demonstrating her unquestionable strength:
Democrats Diana Maldonado and Donnie Dippel received endorsements in their open races for the Texas House from the Austin American-Statesman. I'm surprised -- pleased, and surprised to see the Statesman give the nod to the two Democrats.
Maldonado, 45, has a reputation as a budget hawk who understands accounting. And she can be counted on to be an effective voice for education issues and public schools. [snip] Maldonado knows the district and has served as an effective leader in her five years on the Round Rock school board. She should be elected in District 52.
Dippel, 57, a consultant who worked for the Texas Department of Agriculture for 14 years, opposes voucher programs for schools, selling water to buyers outside the district and the Trans-Texas Corridor. He supports more vocational education and is concerned about health care, particularly in rural areas.
[Kleinschmidt] is not a sure vote against the disreputable GOP leadership in the House. Dippel wins our endorsement in District 17.
Eye on Williamson County -- who are one of the best blogs in the state, and have done an incredible job covering the HD 52 race -- break the news this morning:
This news is going to cause absolute panic in the Speaker’s office. The groundswell of financial support for Diana Maldonado has given the Democratic candidate for House district 52 enough of a cash advantage to guarantee her message will reach voters between now and election day. In a race that is being watched from Washington to Midland, today’s Texas Ethics Commission reports represent perhaps most the stern rebuke of the Republican party that we’ve witnessed during this remarkable campaign season.
Apparently almost $30,000 of Daniel's money came from a single contributor -- Bob Perry.
More great news as we try and take back the House!
Facing an uphill battle in his race for HD-52, Republican nominee Bryan Daniel has initiated an attack against his Democratic opponent, Diana Maldonado, exploiting the John Edwards affair. Edwards' finance committee chair Fred Baron paid Edwards' paramour Rielle Hunter's moving expenses from North Carolina to California. He said it was to help her avoid tabloid reporters chasing the story.
Baron has also supported Annie's List financially since at least 2006. Annie's List has endorsed Diana Maldonado and contributed to her campaign. Now we learn that Williamson county Republican party chair Bill Fairbrother is contacting media to pressure the Maldonado campaign to give $25,000 back to Annie's List.
This is a dangerous line of attack for Daniel who, according to the most recent TEC report, has taken $12,712 from 24 PACs and lobbyists. Daniels' campaign is fueled by PACs, any number of which harbor tainted money. Once the campaign goes there, it opens up the door to examinations of Republican transgressions. One need not look far. Take the current representative from HD-52, Republican Mike Krusee, for example. He was arrested in April for DWI and has been rumored to have an extra-marital relationship of his own.
The actions of Baron in doing what he could to prevent damaging stories about Edwards from surfacing during the primary were ill-advised, and a certain amount of blowback was inevitable.
Baron is a plaintiff's attorney who is best known for representing clients claiming toxic and chemical exposure. This makes him an old enemy of giant corporations and the Republican politicians they own. Fairbrother deliberately used the word "toxic" to sound off a dog whistle to Republicans who have long hated him. The irony here is that the money was toxic long before Baron touched it. It became tainted by the asbestos manufacturers and chemical companies that failed to protect their employees or suppressed information about the dangers of their products.
In recent years, Baron has been a leading fund-raiser for the Democratic party. It would be difficult to exaggerate the importance of Baron's money to all Democrats in Texas. Baron is a dedicated Democrat because of his years fighting for plaintiffs. He knows the harm that big companies, who value profit more than life itself, are doing to you and me.
For the past six weeks, local Republicans have chafed at Maldonado's fund-raising success. The entire Edwards affair, and Baron's role in it, have given Republicans an avenue for attack. The question is open for debate whether that "toxic" money got cleaner after Baron touched it. One thing is for sure, it was put to good use by Annie's List, an organization that has helped elect 8 Democratic women to the state legislature. Their decision to support Maldonado was based on her record on education, her track record on the school board, and her stand on the issues that matter to Democrats and women.
Follow the HD-52 race at: http://eyeonwilliamson.org
(And thank you Diana! Readers can contribute to Maldonado's campaign and the TexBlog PAC via this link. - promoted by Karl-Thomas Musselman)
Dear Texas BlogPAC and Friends,
I want to thank you and your donors for your generous contribution to my campaign. We will use your contribution to communicate our message of balanced, progressive leadership to the voters of Williamson County.
I also want to thank you for a great party at Scholz's! The good news about getting Texas back on track is that so many different people are prepared to pitch in their resources, time, and in the case of your party...their singing voices!
House District 52 covers most of Williamson County including far north Austin, Round Rock, a bit of Georgetown, and all of Taylor and Hutto. The eastern side of the district is home to some of the most productive farmland in all of Texas. To the west, high tech workers and busy commuters have settled in the district because of affordable housing and excellent schools. We must honor and protect our rural roots as we plan for and manage the growth of urban areas.
Just like you, I am prepared to do much more than merely complain about the failures of past leadership. I will advocate for affordable tuition, consumer protection for homeowners, state support for public education, and increased access to healthcare for all Texans. I will fight against toll roads, the Trans Texas Corridor (TTC), and road projects that do not serve the people of my district.
As a former president of the RRISD Board of Trustees, I have worked to put the interests of our kids first. I have worked with my fellow citizens and board members to fully fund classrooms while respecting the pocketbooks of local taxpayers.
I am ready for to fight this battle. As the next legislator from Williamson County, I will build upon my track record of success to provide fair and honest leadership to my district and all Texans.
