TLR Trying to Buy Democratic Senate Seat With Carol Alvarado

by: Katherine Haenschen

Wed Feb 27, 2013 at 04:15 PM CST

Carol Alvarado raised almost half of her run-off money from Texans from Lawsuit Reform, Stand for Children PAC, a teacher's union-busting organization, payday lenders, and several Republican PACs and mega-donors.

Her campaign is being heavily funded by organizations and individuals that work every day to block our core Democratic values.

Sylvia Garcia, on the other hand, is primarily funded by trial lawyers and labor organizations, the tradional donors to our Democratic candidates and causes.

Before we get into the details of who's giving to who, here's a quick run-down of the notable donors and links to each candidate's runoff report.

February 22 Runoff Reports for SD-6 Special Election Covering January 17-February 20
Carol Alvarado Runoff Report Raise: $581,969 Spend: $463,496 COH: $99,432 Report available here. Alvarado's Major Donors: $184,000 from TLR PAC $54,317 from Stand for Children PAC (in-kind) $20,000 from Barbara and John Nau $14,000 from payday lenders $10,000 from HillCo PAC $10,000 from Ryan Texas PAC	Sylvia Garcia Runoff Report Raise: $662,686 Spend: $641,435 COH: $119,227 Report available here. Garcia's Major Donors: $356,750 from the Mostyn Firm $117,000 from Texas Organizing Project (in-kind) $8500 from AFSCME's federal PAC $5000 from the Teamsters $5000 from the Plumber's union $2500 each from ILA Local 24 & 28 $2000 from SEIU's federal PAC

Below the jump, find out more about Alvarado's donors and their long history of working against Democratic ideals and -- and usually candidates, too.

Why Is A Republican State Senator Blockwalking for Carol Alvarado?

by: Katherine Haenschen

Mon Feb 25, 2013 at 02:07 PM CST

Over the weekend, Brains and Eggs posted a link to a Facebook post in which Burt Levine, a Republican political consultant in Houston, noted that Republican State Senator Larry Taylor was blockwalking for Alvarado over the weekend. According to Levine's Facebook post, he blockwalked for Alvarado with Taylor and Wayne Faircloth, a former Republican candidate for HD-23.

Here is a screenshot of the Facebook post, shared from Levine's page:

It's a curious move. Why would Alvarado have support from the likes of Republican State Senator Larry Taylor?

After all, this is a fiercely Democratic district -- the two Republicans in the January 26th special general election failed to garner a combined 10% of the vote -- so I'm not sure if what the voters want here is someone who readily receives support from the other side of the aisle.

Today I called the Alvarado campaign office, and spoke to Marc Campos, a consultant working on her campaign. I asked if it was true that Taylor was blockwalking for Alvarado. He said that a number of Carol's current and former colleagues are volunteering for her, and that members from both sides of the aisle have come down to campaign for her. Campos said of Republicans and Independents, "they're coming out to the polls, so we have to have a discussion with them as we do with most of the voters in the district."

It's an interesting choice. On January 26, Garcia and Alvarado were separated by less than the Republican share of the vote. Is Carol Alvarado is trying to win the run-off in a Democratic district by picking up Republican support, rather than turning out or persuading Democrats?

I find it disconcerting that in the final stretches of a race to replace a stalwart champion of progressive values, one of the two candidates is trying to win by courting Republican support -- and apparently receiving it in such volumes.

The biggest challenge Democrats face in the Senate is holding our own and using the 2/3rds rule to block Republican legislation that is harmful to our state -- and often disproportionately harmful to the residents of low-income urban districts such as SD-6.  

And it certainly begs the question why Taylor and other Republicans are working so hard to make sure Alvarado gets elected.

Special Election for SD-6 Set for January 26

by: Katherine Haenschen

Fri Dec 14, 2012 at 11:38 AM CST

The sad passing of Senator Mario Gallegos this past fall -- and his subsequent post-humous re-election on November 6th -- triggered a special election that Governor Perry has set for Saturday, January 26th. The filing deadline is set for December 27, and early voting will run January 9-22. The special election will be a "jungle style" race with all candidates -- and their party affiliation -- on the ballot. If no candidate reaches 50%, there will be a run-off.

Gallegos' death wasn't a surprise, nor was the quick entry of Garcia and Alvarado into the race once Gallegos was re-elected. (Had Republican candidate R.W. Bray been elected, it would have been moot because he'd be the new SD-6 Senator. He lost, 71%-29%, to Gallegos. He's now running in the special to fill the seat.) So far, no other heavyweights have entered the race. Former State Representative and US Senate candidate Rick Noriega released a statement that he is not getting in the race, though he did not endorse Garcia or Alvarado.

Beyond the election, the most pressing issue is whether the empty Democratic seat will factor into any rule changes in the Senate when the session begins January 8. (It's worth noting that Rick Perry could have called this special election earlier, however it's likely that the race will go to a run-off given the three candidates announced so far, so it's not entirely clear if the seat could have realistically been filled by mid-January.)

We'll enter the session with 19 Republicans and 11 Democrats in the upper chamber, still enough for the Blue team to block bad bills using the two-thirds rule, which requires consent of 21 Senators to bring something to the floor for a vote. The big question remains whether Republicans will try to change the rules of the Senate to require a simple majority, which will render Democrats irrelevant but might seriously rankle senators in both parties who don't like dispatching with procedural tradition for the sake of expediting extreme partisan legislation. Granted, this session's Senate will be far more ideologically conservative, owing to several Republican retirements and replacements.

In any case, we've got an election set for January 26, and we'll be covering it here on BOR over the next six weeks. Statements from Alvarado and Garcia on the election date are below the jump, as well as Noriega's statement that he is not running.  

Round-Up of Voter ID Press Statements Part 2

by: Shelby Alexander

Sat Sep 01, 2012 at 01:00 PM CDT

• Senator Kirk Watson
• Representative Carol Alvarado
• Representative Charlie Gonzalez
• Senator Carlos Uresti
• Chairman Steve Maxwell, Tarrant County Democratic Party
• Representative Rafael Anchia
• Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa, Texas Democratic Party

Texas Democrats, Progressive Organizations React to SCOTUS Ruling on Affordable Care Act

by: Katherine Haenschen

Fri Jun 29, 2012 at 09:00 AM CDT

Once the SCOTUS ruled, Texas Democrats sent out a wide range of statements praising the impact of the ruling on the 24.6% of Texans who are currently uninsured.

State Senator Leticia Van De Putte provided us with some helpful figures about what the ACA is already doing here in Texas:

300,371 young adults gained health care coverage through their parents' plan
4,029 individuals with preexisting conditions now have health care
55,280 seniors saved an average of $1,384 on prescription drugs
3,836,000 received preventive care with no co-pays

No wonder Republicans are calling for its repeal -- the Affordable Care Act just helps too darn many working people!

Below the jump, read public statements from the following great Democrats and progressive organizations:

State Rep. Rafael Anchia
State Rep. Carol Alvarado
Center for Public Policy Priorities
State Rep. Garnet Coleman
State Rep. Joe Deshotel
Congressman Lloyd Doggett
State Rep. Dawnna Dukes
State Senator Rodney Ellis
State Rep. and MALC Chairman Trey Martinez Fischer
NARAL Pro-Choice America
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
TDP Chair Gilberto Hinojosa
TDP Spokeswoman Rebecca Acuña
Congressman Silvestre Reyes
State Senator Carlos Uresti
State Senator Leticia Van De Putte
State Rep. Marc Veasey

Click "There's More" and see what they had to say about this historic ruling.  

State Rep. Carol Alvarado Urges Komen Foundation To Reconsider Defunding Planned Parenthood

by: Katherine Haenschen

Wed Feb 01, 2012 at 03:13 PM CST

Here's the text of Alvarado's letter:

Dear Ambassador Brinker:

Sometimes friends disagree. Disappointment is the only word that comes to mind as I learn that the leadership of the Susan B. Komen Foundation has taken the remarkably anti-woman stance against funding lifesaving breast cancer screenings for low­income and underserved women who seek their well-woman care at Planned Parenthood centers across the nation.

This incredibly short­sided decision, based on what I can only imagine is the propaganda and  threats of extremist groups, ends an amazing partnership that over the last five years has resulted  in an incredible l70,000 breast exams and 6,400 mammogram referrals.

There is so much good that we can do if we all put our differences aside and work TOGETHER. Although you have now injected yourself into the political theater, I hope that you will reconsider your decision and work to mend this now torn relationship that used to be about preventing and protecting women from breast cancer.

With great disappointment,

Carol Alvarado
Texas State Representative

Rep. Alvarado is a tremendous champion of women's health issues. During the floor debate in the House last session over the sonogram bill, she wielded a trans-vaginal sonogram probe on the floor to show Republicans--especially the male Republicans championing the ultimate intrusion of a woman's privacy--what exactly they were mandating. It is great to see Alvarado reminding the Komen foundation that we all need to work together to fight women's cancers.

Meanwhile, over on Ezra Klein's blog on the Washington Post website, Sarah Kliff has an interesting interview with a volunteer at a Komen chapter in Connecticut. The volunteer expressed her frustration with this policy, especially since her chapter is still funding a grant to PP of Southern New England.

It must suck to be the volunteers in Komen chapters today who have been thrust into this ideological debate over abortion rather than allowed to remain focused on their mission of raising money to fight cancer. It's clear that the higher-ups in the Komen foundation -- especially their new VP, the rabidly anti-choice Karen Handel -- didn't think about the terrible real-world consequences of this decision, especially on their many pro-choice volunteers, supporters, and donors.

Rep. Carol Alvarado Issues Statement on Sonogram Ruling

by: Katherine Haenschen

Tue Jan 10, 2012 at 02:00 PM CST

State Representative Carol Alvarado Statement on 5th Circuit Court's Decision on Sonogram Bill Enforcement

"The 5th Circuit Court's decision demeans nearly 40 years of progress by joining the Texas Legislature in telling women they are not smart enough to make the big decisions about their lives and their bodies.  

The intent of this law, as described by the authors of the legislation themselves, is to reduce the occurrence of a legal medical procedure.  To accomplish their politically-motivated goals, this bill forces doctors to serve as the mouthpiece of conservative politicians who want to coerce women into doubting themselves after they have made the most difficult decision of their lives."

State Representative Carol Alvarado is in her second term in the Texas House of Representatives, where she serves on the Public Health Committee.

You may recall Alvarado brandishing a trans-vaginal ultrasound probe on the floor of the Legislature last session. Alvarado explained in graphic detail how the procedure works. Trans-vaginal sonograms are the only way to perform a sonogram on a woman who is less than eight to 10 weeks pregnant. Many women seeking abortions will fall into this category.

As Alvarado said at the time, "This is not the jelly on the belly that most of you think," she said as she held up a vaginal probe. "This is government intrusion at its best."

Republicans sure talk a good game about opposing "governmental intrusion" into our private lives. 'Government should stop at our doorstep! they cry. Unless it's the doorstep of a woman, I suppose. Do Republicans seriously want their wives, sisters, and daughters to undergo this invasive procedure, should they chose to terminate a pregnancy? (Because if you think nice Conservative white ladies don't have abortions, I have some oceanfront property in Arizona to sell you.)

But hey, at least Republicans are doing everything they can to provide for the children who are the by-products of their policies of forced birth, right? They're funding schools, hiring teachers, expanding healthcare options? Right? Right?

The answer, quite obviously, is no. It's bitterly ironic that the Republican Party cares so much about preventing abortion, but does so little to provide for wanted children once they're born. While this law may still be struck down in the ongoing trial, in the meantime this decision by the 5th Circuit is terrible news for Texas women and the doctors they trust.  

Houston Firefighters Rescind Endorsement of Jolanda Jones

by: David Mauro

Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 09:09 AM CDT

Last week, Houston City Council Member Jolanda Jones sent a letter signed with 70 names of current and retired firefighters in support of her efforts to investigate the "very serious allegations of sexual and racial harassment and retaliation within the Houston Fire Department."

Looking into these allegations is not an indictment of all of the Houston Fire Department. It is, justifiably so, an effort to identify discrimination based on gender and race and the policies presently in place that allow it to continue – and to work on solutions that will end discrimination and improve conditions for all fire fighters. Now is the time. It’s gone on long enough.

Jones had been endorsed by the Firefighters for her upcoming reelection campaign but on Monday that endorsement was rescinded in a letter from firefighters union president Jeff Cannon.

The consensus of our members is that your failed leadership and repeated mischaracterizations about Houston firefighters cannot go unchallenged. The list of our specific concerns is too long to detail here, but our decision ultimately was caused by your facilitation of misleading City Council testimony, your distribution of a false firefighter 'support' letter, and your serial mischaracterization of our union's representation of our members and our efforts to improve Houston Fire Department workplace and labor conditions.

In other Houston city election news, Mayoral candidate Gene Locke has picked up the support of State Sen. Mario Gallegos, State Rep. Carol Alvarado, Constable Victor Trevino and HISD Trustee Diana Davila. Kuff has more on the endorsement race in Houston.

Carol Alvarado, Sylvia Garcia React to the Biden Choice

by: David Mauro

Sat Aug 23, 2008 at 02:08 PM CDT

Former Houston City Councilwoman (and future State Representative) Carol Alvarado and Harris County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia told the Houston Chronicle what they thought of Barack Obama's choice of Joe Biden as his running mate.

Alvarado:

"Senator Biden is a tough and aggressive campaigner who we need to help us win back the White House. He is highly respected by his Senate colleagues. He is one of the country's most knowledgeable and experienced leaders on foreign affairs. He's experienced the rigors of a presidential campaign, so he knows what to expect over the next 10 weeks. He's a great Democrat. I look forward to campaigning on behalf of the ticket in my community."

Garcia:

Not surprised as Biden brings foreign policy experience to the ticket. Disappointed as it apparently seems that in the race for the White House its a man's world afterall.

At airport on way to Denver.

Alvarado and Garcia are both Clinton delegates to the Democratic National Convention.

3 Democratic Primaries

by: Matt Glazer

Tue Aug 14, 2007 at 02:55 PM CDT

Clay Robinson wrote a week ago that some “Craddick D’s” are more likely than others to garner primary opponents than others.  His list included:

Among the so-called "Craddick Democrats" — Democratic House members viewed as loyal to Craddick, including a number of committee chairmen — those most likely to draw opponents in their party's primary include Kevin Bailey of Houston, Robert Puente of San Antonio, Aaron Peña of Edinburg and Kino Flores of Mission.

Two of those men have either a declared opponent or one looking at the possibilities--Aramando Walle and Roland Gutierrez has started making the moves to challenge Kevin Bailey and Robert Puente respectively.

Armando Walle, an aide to U.S. Rep. Gene Green of Houston, is preparing to challenge Bailey, and San Antonio Councilman Roland Gutierrez is considering a race against Puente.

Another race of interest is Rick Noriega’s seat.  Since Noriega cannot run for both a state and federal office his House Seat will be opening up.  House District 145 has a few candidates interested.

Elias De La Garza, owner of a busy Gulf Freeway fronted insurance office, is being wooed for the House District 145 race as an alternative to Houston Councilwoman Carol Alvarado and other potential contenders the local Democratic establishment might rally behind as a replacement for Noriega if Noriega gives up the seat.

There's also speculation Roy Morales, a retired Air Force Lt. Col. who ran twice for city council in the last two years, might run for the HD 145 race as a Republican in 2008.

All of these seats are known for being strong Democratic areas.  While the newly created TexBlog PAC isn’t going to be involved in influencing the outcomes of these races, we will do our best to continue to cover them.  If you have tips, news, or comments please feel free to write a journal or e-mail me at matt@burntorangereport.com.