There are another two weeks until Election Day, but the back-and-forth attacks in the Democratic runoff in El Paso between State Rep. Norma Chavez, a ten year incumbent, and challenger Naomi Gonzalez, a 31-year old assistant county attorney, are well under way.
Chavez is no stranger to tough political battles, but the challenge from Gonzalez represents her most serious test since entering the Texas House in 1999. Gonzalez has been able to run a better campaign due in the large part to the generosity of Texans for Lawsuit Reform. TLR made over $146,000 in in-kind contributions to Gonzales over the course of three weeks in January and February. In that same time period, Chavez took more than $90,000 from Texans for Insurance Reform, a trial lawyer funded group founded to counter TLR.
The El Paso Times reported that TLR, who in past years had supported Chavez, has given a total of $169,000 to Gonzalez. She has raised a total of $192,000, a strong number for a challenger but still behind the $272,000 that Chavez has received.
Each candidate has accused the other of being a Republican. Gonzalez has sent out a mailer showing Chavez kissing George W. Bush and hugging Rick Perry. Chavez was also one of the first Democrats to support Tom Craddick for speaker in 2003 and was rewarded with an appointment as chair of the House Border Affairs Committee.
Chavez, predictably, has attacked Gonzalez for her heavy reliance on TLR money. Chavez told El Paso Inc, “I’m not calling [Gonzalez] a closet Republican, I’m calling her a Republican. She’s already bought and paid for."
While Chavez has relied on strong grassroots support to overcome past controversies and challenges, Gonzalez seems to have established herself as the favorite. Gonzalez led Chavez 48 to 46 percent in the initial primary. The only Democratic House runoff will be decided on April 13. Early voting begins on Monday, April 5.
(Austin, San Antonio, now El Paso. At what point does Bill White starve Farouk Shami of political oxygen outside of his checkbook? - promoted by Karl-Thomas Musselman)
Houston Mayor turned-Senate-Candidate-turned-Gubernatorial Candidate, Bill White visited El Paso on Sunday and attended the El Paso County Democratic Party Hall of Fame Dinner. White recieved the support of every major Democrat elected official in El Paso, which is significant considering that El Paso County is the Democratic stronghold of Texas.
The consolidation of support for White from El Paso's Senator, State Reps, County Commissioners, and City Reps is further underscored by lingering divisions over the Obama-Clinton battle in the last general election. El Paso Democrats have finally found something they agree on, Bill White for Governor.
Senator Shapleigh alluded to the fact that he was considering a gubernatorial bid of his own until White threw his hat in the ring for the Governor's office. Shapleigh said that he was still having conversations with people around the state about future runs, but gave no indication as to what office he might be thinking about.
Update by KT: Here is the list of local endorsing elected officials from El Paso.
Endorsing El Paso Leaders
Mayor John Cook
State Senator Eliot Shapleigh
State Representative Norma Chavez
State Represenative Marisa Marquez
State Representative Joe Moody
State Representative "Chente" Quintanilla*
County Commissioner Veronica Escobar
County Commissioner Willie Gandara
County Commissioner Anna Perez
City Representative Eddie Holguin
City Representative Steve Ortega
State Senate Candidate and former County Attorney Jose Rodriguez
Former State Representative Paul Moreno
(I'm also happy to promote this local report from the Western edge of Texas! - promoted by Karl-Thomas Musselman)
Many in El Paso and in some parts of Texas were expecting to see a shoot out here in El Paso over the Senate seat left vacant by Senator Shapleigh who made the decision not to seek re-election back in October. The presumed participants in the shootout go by the last names Rodriguez and Chavez.
Rodriguez, being long-time El Paso County Attorney Jose Rodriguez, a man who was a one point a farmworker, and Chavez being long-time State Representative Norma Chavez, who at one point worked for the United Farmworker's Union.
That's how many people thought it was going to play out. They were half right.
Rodriguez is a candidate, but State Representative Norma Chavez chose to stay in the House and run for re-election. Chavez has been the senior Chicana in the El Paso delegation and the two Democrats appear to be on the road to reconsiliation.
Unless a Democratic challenger arises for Rodriguez he will face another Chavez (no relation), but in November from El Paso Republican businessman, Dan Chavez. Dan Chavez has previously run for several offices but has never won.
Rodriguez has received the support of El Paso's major Republican contributors earlier this month and many feel that was a signal that the Republicans were going to concede the seat to Rodriguez. The entrance of Dan Chavez in to the race is not considered to be a development that will cause Rodriguez to lose any sleep. El Paso County is overwhelmingly Democratic and Dan Chavez has never won an election at any level in El Paso.
In the end, the race is still Rodriguez V. Chavez, just not the way most people thought it would be.
State Rep. Joe Pickett (D-El Paso) has decided not to enter the race to replace retiring State Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, who announced he would not seek reelection last week.
Pickett said he could not justify giving up his chair of the House Transportation Committee because it was too important to El Paso. From the Statesman:
“I am incredibly grateful and appreciative for all the support and encouragement I have received over the past few days. I received phone calls from numerous legislators on both the House and Senate side, as well as calls from constituents, friends, and family urging me to strongly consider running for the open Senate seat.
“After serious consideration and prayer, I have decided that I can best serve my constituents, the citizens of El Paso, and the State of Texas through my current position.
“It is a tremendous honor for me to serve as the Chairman of the House Transportation Committee and it is simply a position that I cannot, in the best interest of my constituents and the residents of El Paso County, relinquish. As a Chairman, I possess the ability to influence legislation that will best serve the region of El Paso and this is an opportunity that El Paso has never before possessed.”
State Rep. Norma Chavez and County Attorney Jose Rodriguez both have expressed interest in running. El Paso Mayor John Cook has said he likely will not run, but has not ruled anything out. Judge Richard Barajas is also said to be considering entering the race.
Today, October 16, 2009 at 12:00 p.m., at Senator Eliot Shapleigh's District Office, Senator Shapleigh will host a press conference announcing that he will not seek re-election to the Texas Senate in 2010.
"In our family, public service is the highest calling. While other public service may lie ahead, I will not run for the Texas Senate in 2010. During each day of the last decade, we have endeavored to do our very best for the people of our great community and state. In public life, especially in Texas during this decade, doing what's right, not what's expedient is what matters. I am grateful to the people who elected me for the opportunity to serve."
The press conference is at noon (mountain time, 1pm CST). KVIA in El Paso is saying they'll have the story on their website (www.kvia.com) at that time -- my guess is they'll run the press conference.
No word, yet, on Senator Shapleigh's future plans. The seat is a solid Democrat seat, though -- and I'm sure in the coming days we'll hear announcements on Democrats who would like to take Sen. Shapleigh's place in the upper chamber.
More as it develops...
Update (by Michael): Brandi Grissom gives us a few pieces of news via twitter. First, these twotweets tell us that we will hear about Senator Shapleigh's plans for higher office in 2.5-3 weeks, and that the higher office may be a statewide one. As for his replacement in the Senate - the early candidates are Rep. Joe Picket, Rep. Norma Chavez, and El Paso County Attorney Jose Rodriguez.
As a candidate focused on change and new ideas, I am extremely proud to have earned the endorsement of the Texas Progressive Bloggers. Your help is going to make a big difference in my race for State Representative.
Our campaign is in great shape. We've knocked on thousands of doors - and we'll hit many more before it's over. As a result, my campaign is growing from the grassroots up.
A strong grassroots campaign is important because my opponent, who has no roots in this district, does have direct connections with powerful special interests. In fact, Dee Margo was recently one of the hosts at a John Cornyn fundraiser honoring Karl Rove!
Margo will have all the money he needs, but he is no agent for change. He will bring more of the same old failed government.
As in many other parts of Texas, voters here are tired of the same old special interests calling the shots and getting the same old bad results. They want a government that works for them.
That's exactly what they'll get if I am elected. Until taking a leave of absence for this campaign, I served as a prosecutor with the El Paso DA's office. Before then, I worked in several Democratic campaigns, including managing my father's near-victory in his race for the Texas Supreme Court in 2006.
As State Representative, I'll support investing in CHIP, public education, higher education and transportation - all of which make up the foundation of our state's future.
With so many El Pasoans feeling financial stress, I'll protect their pocketbooks by holding down insurance rates and capping college tuition.
Most importantly, I'll never back down to the special interests. It's time for change. With your help, I'll bring it.
David wrote the story on his lack of support for Barack Obama. Problem is, one writer has summed up Moreno's misquote saying, "Moreno's statement represents a either a profound ignorance of the facts or a willful effort to mislead thousands of Latino voters. "
Newspaper Tree, an El Paso paper, responds to Moreno's quote. He said simply:
"Never in the political process did he (Obama) mention Cesar Chavez or the plight of farmworkers."
Newspaper Tree has this direct quote from late March in LA.
"As farmworkers and laborers across America continue to struggle for fair treatment and fair wages, we find strength in what Cesar Chavez accomplished so many years ago?and we should honor him for what he's taught us about making America a stronger, more just, and more prosperous nation?That's why I support the call to make Cesar Chavez's birthday a national holiday. It's time to recognize the contributions of this American icon to the ongoing efforts to perfect our union."
In addition, the United Farmworker's Union endorsed Obama in June and has made it a point to organize workers in the same mold as Cesar Chavez.
Last night, Clinton called for unity. Perhaps, people will check their facts before they stir up a political hornets nest with bad facts.
State Rep. Paul Moreno said Clinton can make whatever order she wants, but he's still going to vote for her.
"It's my conscience," Moreno said. "I don't support someone just for a moment."
Moreno said Obama doesn't understand Mexican-Americans or their struggles for civil rights.
"My main concern since I've been in politics is the underrepresentation of the Mexican-Americans," he said.
Ramona "Monchi" De La Paz Torres said she's sticking with Clinton, too.
"I hope she didn't release me," she said.
De La Paz Torres said she was disappointed that Clinton won't be the party's nominee for president or for vice president, but she's still happy to be at the national convention.
"I'm very, very excited," she said, "but at the same time a little sad."
Hopefully, something will happen this week to change the minds of people like Rep. Moreno.
After campaigning very sparingly in the border region during the primary, Obama seems to have some ground to make up there.
A poll commissioned by the El Paso Times and El Paso News Channel 9 found John McCain leading Barack Obama 38 percent to 36 percent, with 26 percent undecided.
The automated poll to 3,348 households of registered voters had a margin of error of 2 percent, meaning McCain's slight lead is within the MoE.
However, in a county where John Kerry received just over 56 percent of the vote in 2004, the results certainly raised some eyebrows.
State Rep. Norma Chavez, a Craddick D who was the only member of the El Paso delegation to support Obama in the primary, did not seem too concerned.
"We have a strong Democratic base in El Paso that supports the Clintons, and a lot of people are waiting to see how Hillary is treated at the convention before fully supporting Obama," said state Rep. Norma Chávez, D-El Paso, who is going to Denver for the party's national convention, which will begin Monday.
"The numbers will change next week, and I expect McCain's numbers to stay flat and Obama's to increase," said Chávez, who is one of Obama's main organizers in El Paso and Texas.
Russell Autry, the chief of operations of the El Paso-based polling company The Reuel Group, said that Obama's Democratic support in El Paso County was "softer than what was expected."
"The El Paso County Democratic Party has its work cut out for them," [Autry] said.
Autry may be right, but the problem may not be as large as the polling indicates.
Danny Anchondo, chairman of the county Democratic party, said that he isn't worried about El Paso turning Republican, and he points to the large number of undecided voters as people who will vote as Democrats in November.
"Everyone here is waiting to see what the Clintons do," Anchondo said.
The state representative race between Democrat Joe Moody and Dee Margo, who defeated Pat Haggerty in the Republican primary, also could be effected by the presidential race.
"Those who were for Hillary are either going to be voting on our side or not voting at all," [El Paso County GOP Chair Michael Moore] said. "I think this is going to help us down in the ballot.
Among those who hope Moore's analysis is correct is Republican state representative candidate Dee Margo. The El Paso businessman is running against Democrat Joseph Moody in the November election. Both are seeking to replace Pat Haggerty, who lost in the Republican primary.
"I certainly don't think it hurts," Margo said of the poll's results. "It shows that voters in El Paso are thinking more about the candidates than about party affiliation."Moody, a lawyer, said the presidential poll results will not weigh heavily in his race.
"Presidential politics do not determine what happens in a state house race," he said. "Ours is a local race that centers on issues important to our community."
It goes without saying that in order for statewide candidates like Rick Noriega, Linda Yanez and Sam Houston to win, they will need a high turnout and excellent showing in El Paso.
John Cornyn represents everything big. Big Business, big oil and most importantly himself Big John.
If you like Big - Big John is your man.
Big John also likes big corruption. Karl Rove the Big Bad Evil Genius held a fundraiser for him today in El Paso. Oh there is a big connection between Jack Abramoff, Ralph Reed and Big John.
Abramoff and Scanlon had many Indian gaming clients, including the Tigua Ysleta de Sur Pueblo, as the Tigua are known. The lobbyists are at the center of a fraud and fundraising scandal that has embroiled DeLay.
Cornyn, elected senator in 2002, was supported in his anti-Speaking Rock effort by a grassroots campaign led by conservative Christian lobbyist Ralph Reed, who organized pastors around the state to oppose gaming and back the attorney general.
Senate investigators discovered Abramoff hired Reed to block gaming expansion in Texas and Louisiana _ and the $4 million that Reed was paid actually came from Abramoff's Indian gaming clients.
Then, Abramoff and Scanlon secured the Tigua as a client on the day the casino was closed and charged them $4.2 million for a campaign to reopen it through federal legislation.
That's just the way to do business, we ain't got no problem with that. Hell, send Big John a campaign contribution. Just talk about it and deny it.
