I've created a set of three spreadsheets which may be of interest to the BOR community based upon yesterday's Democratic primary runoff in the Railroad Commission race.
The three tabs include the results by county ordered by:
Across the state of Texas today until 7 pm local time, Democratic primary voters (as well as all non-primary voters) can cast a ballot in the Democratic run-off for Railroad Commission.
Burnt Orange Report strongly urges you to vote for Dale Henry for Railroad Commissioner.
In local Austin area races, there are two more runoffs.
Burnt Orange Report has previously endorsed Rosemary Lehmberg for District Attorney.
Burnt Orange Report did not endorse either Janie Serna or Danny Thomas for County Constable Precinct 1.
Today marked the start of early voting in the April 8 Democratic Primary runoff across this great state. I know many of my supporters--like me--went to their early voting locations this morning and have already voted in this race.
The runoff on April 8 is a very important election. It will determine whether or not Texas Democrats have someone on the ballot in November who has a real chance of defeating incumbent Republican Michael L. Williams.
I know I can defeat Michael L. Williams in November. I'm the most experienced candidate in the race and will run a campaign that holds the incumbent accountable for his failures. However, to do so, I must first win the runoff.
The climate is right to put a Democrat on the Texas Railroad Commission. The Commission's abject failure to safeguard Texans from dangerous underground pipelines to polluted underground is well documented and, at long last, the media is paying attention to the Commission's failures--and this Democrat's ability to win this seat in November.
If you needed another reason to vote for BOR endorsed candidate Dale Henry, here it is: his opponent, Mark Thomspon, has not voted since 1996, when he voted in the Republican primary and the November general election.
Thompson agreed that he hasn't regularly voted although he said he cast a ballot in an Austin city election a few years ago. He remembers meeting Chris Bell in 2006 but isn't sure if he went to Travis County polls that year when Bell was the Democratic candidate for governor.
Thompson said he rarely votes because he's not excited about most candidates because they "just care about getting themselves in office."
Our own Vince Leibowitz, who is Henry's campaign manager, had this to say:
"Earlier this week, Thompson told the Texas Observer that Dale Henry wasn't fighting for the people and that was why he did so well on March 4," said Leibowitz in a press release. "Not only is that a complete fallacy based upon the fact that Thompson barely campaigned and most voters didn't have a clue who he was, but the idea that someone who hadn't voted in a decade is out fighting for the people in an election is utterly laughable."
Early voting begins Monday and Election Day is April 8.
Please vote - encouraged by the knowledge that the relative importance of your single vote increases in inverse proportion to diminishing run-off turnout.
Railroad Commissioner: Dale Henry
... Henry is our preferred candidate because of his extensive oil-and-gas experience and his familiarity with how the commission operates. That's the type of knowledge he'll need if he expects to conquer long odds and oust the incumbent Republican chairman, Michael Williams, in November.
District Attorney: Rosemary Lehmberg
We are impressed by Lehmberg's experience in building the office, in developing and expanding innovative and progressive programs, and in her broad sense of the office's wide-ranging responsibilities, as well as the nuances of addressing high-profile political cases. ... The campaign has noticeably strengthened Lehmberg's public profile and her comprehension that the D.A.'s job is not just administrative, not just prosecutorial, but a communitywide engagement. We believe she will be a better public official because of it.
Constable Precinct 1: Danny Thomas
Although we've had our differences with him on specific issues, Thomas' professionalism and knowledge of the community would be excellent assets in this eastern Travis Co. precinct.
Early voting is next week, March 31- April 4. Election Day is April 8.
On April 8, Texas Democrats voting in the runoff election have an easy choice to make in the only statewide runoff race on the ballot for Texas Railroad Commission.
The clear choice in this race is Dale Henry (D-Lampasas).
Dale Henry is not only the candidate who is most qualified for this position, but the candidate who gives Democrats the best chance for unseating incumbent Michael L. Williams in November.
Although you cannot tell such from its name, the Texas Railroad Commission is one of the state's most important consumer protection agencies. It has an important responsibility to protect Texas consumers from the physical and environmental dangers posed by the oil and gas industry.
The Texas Railroad Commission has abdicated that responsibility. Dale Henry pledges to change this, and make public safety and environmental protection top priorities for the agency that, over the last several months, has been chided by the media and even state appeals courts for its failure to act in the best interest of Texas consumers.
A retired petroleum engineer with more than four decades in the oil and gas industry, Henry has a unique understanding of both the responsibilities and the failures of the Texas Railroad Commission. He is a true progressive, and Burnt Orange Report wholeheartedly recommends him to Democratic Primary voters in the April 8 runoff.
Stonewall Democrats of Denton County held it's general meeting and candidate forum on the evening of February 28th in Castle Hills.
A motion was made, suspending the rules, and endorsing candidates from the floor. The decision was made to endorse all candidates who attended, or sent surrogates in their place. This also resulted in a dual endorsement for President. The following is our 2008 Endorsement List:
Jesus Carrillo for State Representative District 63
John McClelland for State Representative District 64
Phyllis Wolper for Denton County Commissioner Precinct 1
Karen Guerra for Denton County 16th District Court Judge
Tom Love for US Congressional District 24
Dale Henry for Railroad Commissioner
Edra Bogle for State Board of Education District 14
Hillary Clinton for US President
Barack Obama for US President
Neil Durrance for Denton County Democratic Party Chair
Let me first state that despite his age and his lack of skill as a politico, I'm voting for Dale Henry for RR Commissioner. He knows the oil and gas industry from the ground up and will do an excellent job both for industry and consumers. The RR Commission regulates the oil and gas industry in Texas and we've had nothing but industry rubber stamps on it. It's time that we have someone there who'll actually do a good job for Texans and our environment.
That said, I didn't have much of problem with his opponent. Until now. Last night in Decatur, during a candidate forum, Art Hall was asked a direct question about a possible conflict of interest should he win. Specifically, he was asked if it was a conflict of interest for his wife to work for Valero Energy, one of the companies he would be regulating if elected. He stated that it wasn't and he knew it wasn't because he contacted Valero and asked them.
Wait... Art, you contacted Valero and asked them, the company you'd be regulating, if it was a conflict of interest?
