Monday, Annie's List made $25,000 in matching funds available for contributions made to Democratic Legislative candidate Diana Maldonado. For the next two weeks (through Monday, June 2) your contribution will be matched dollar-for-dollar and help Diana toward an impressive July campaign-finance report.
There are many ways to give. You can use the above link or mail contributions to Diana Maldonado Campaign at PO Box 6446 Round Rock, TX 78683.
Through Thursday: $6,000 collected so far this week plus more than $7,500 in new pledges from Diana working the phones. That means we're over half-way there. Call Friday--512-637-7268 between 10 AM and noon--and Diana will personally take your pledge. Diana is standing by.
Last week, TexBlog PAC made its inaugural endorsement. After a lengthy discussion about all of our great Democratic challengers, the TexBlog PAC board unanimously endorsed Diana Maldonado and donated $5,000 to her campaign to enable her to have the early money necessary for victory. Diana is running in Williamson County in House District 52, a seat once held by Republican incumbent Mike Krusee, but now completely open.
Diana has been elected here before. In 2003 she was elected President of the Round Rock ISD Board of Trustees with 60.12% of the vote.
She is running for State Representative in District 52 because she understands we need leadership that represents people, not special interests. After twenty-two years as an award winning government efficiency expert in the Texas Comptroller's Office and a track record of success in building diverse coalitions and achieving specific goals, she is ready to represent the people of Texas and bring balance and common sense back to the people's house.
In 2006, incumbent Republican Mike Krusee barely won reelection. Under-funded Democrat Karen Felthauser spent a mere $16,000 and held Krusee to an unimpressive 50.4% of the vote.
In the 2004 Presidential election an impressive 43,903 Texans voted in House District 52. In the 2008 Democratic Primary Maldonado earned 16,870 votes, identifying more than enough Democrats to be competitive during this historic election.
As a Trustee and former President of the Round Rock School Board, Diana has the hands-on experience needed to represent the people of Williamson County. Her campaign is focused on making sure our classrooms are fully funded and staffed with terrific, professional teachers. Diana will look for equitable solutions to funding Texas schools.
Diana knows that making healthcare accessible and affordable is fundamental to all Texas children and families. She has pledged to pursue federal matching funds that will ease the price of healthcare to Texas taxpayers and to restore the Children Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and enroll all eligible children.
As a single mother who worked her way through college, Diana understands first-hand how tough it is for Texas families to afford higher education. That's why she wants to increase access to public universities, technical schools, and community colleges for working families and young people. As a full-time manager at the Texas Comptroller's Office, Diana has a wealth of experience that will make her a great State Representative for House District 52.
We proudly join, Annie's List, Education Round Rock, AFL-CIO, American Federation of Teachers, Texas State Teachers Association, and many more in endorsing Diana Maldonado for House District 52.
(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.
Diana Maldonado will finally find out who her Republican opponent will be in November on April 8th.Ever since soon-to-be-former Rep. Mike Krusee (R - Round Rock) decided in December to not seek re-election, the choice for his designated Replublican replacement has been up in the air.Four candidates threw their hats in the ring for the GOP nomination. Now there are two left, insurance man Bryan Daniel and Williamson County Assistant DA Dee Hobbs.As far as their stances on the issues, (see here, here and here), there are few differences between the two.
Over the past two days, Rick Noriega has been campaigning in Williamson County. In a place that has been long considered a stronghold of Republicanism north of Austin, things are changing there and quite rapidly.
Eye on Williamson reported yesterday on a Democratic gathering of over 100 at a forum in Round Rock where candidates from the US Senate to the local level all had a change to speak and mingle with the crowd. There is of course the hotly contested state house race in district 52 where Diana Maldonado is running a great race to win over Mike Krusee's now open seat.
Today, Rick Noriega was invited to speak at a forum of over 130 in Sun City, a planned retirement community (not what one typically things of as a hotbed of Democratic activity but standing in that ballroom you could have fooled me). When he asked how many folks in the room has served their country in the armed forces, at least 1/3 of the hands went up. It was certainly refreshing to see a Democratic candidate connecting with them as he shared his story, explaining his background, and most particularly his experiences as a soldier and public servant. When you hear him on the trail, you understand the deep commitment he has to this race and the reality of our turbulent world (which he's seen first hand in Afghanistan, the Texas border, and in Houston post-Katrina) and how that's motivates him in running for this office.
We're seeing that everyday now. One can even look to a couple hours ago, when it was reported that an Iraqi soldier, who on a joint mission with American troops, opened fire (purposefully) on his own patrol, killing 2 U.S. soldiers.
The issues of this race are very real and the need and hunger for change was present in those events in Williamson County. And it's not just Democrats, it's the sizable "independent" portion of the electorate which is quickly shedding that mantle as it joins with Democrats on the issues and in the voting booth.
Many might not be aware of this, but if you look at the raw votes that Chris Bell and Tony Sanchez received in their respective races for Texas Governor in 2006 and 2002, there are six countries where Bell actually increased the Democrat raw vote over Sanchez. The largest increase among those six was Williamson County (the other five being Collin, Bastrop, Blanco, Borden, and Lee). In order to win elections like HD-52 and especially statewide, Democrats must prove they have the candidates and message to talk to suburban and ex-urban voters. We've seeing that change in the electorate and with candidates like these, we'll see that change on Election Day as well.
(This is how we win the seats to take back the Texas House. In 2006, incumbent Mike Krusee won with only 50.44% of the vote. Diana needs your help now. Double your efforts to take back the people's House! - promoted by Matt Glazer)
Annie's List has just made $15,000 in matching funds available for contributions made to Democratic Legislative candidate Diana Maldonado before the end of the year.
As Robert Jones, political director at Annie's List, put it to me, "I scrubbed the budget before heading out of town for the holidays, and I came up with $15,000 to be used as a match for Diana." This indicates not only Annie's List's faith in Diana as a candidate but also the top priority they're placing on taking District 52, currently held by Republican Mike Krusee.
