Martha Wong has been a good deal of coverage in Houston local television for some misleading direct mail she's been sending to voters in her district. As Kuff has already reported, Wong got into some trouble last week after sending out a piece of mail that erroneously implied she had been endorsed by Houston ISD superintendent Abe Saavedra. From KTRK:
More recently, Wong sent out a mailer listing a number of bills regarding crime. Trouble is, she didn't sponsor or author any of the bills; also, not a single House member voted against the bills for which Wong is taking credit. From KPRC:
Wong has been claiming in TV ads that she has worked to improve CHIP, despite her votes to cut CHIP in previous legislative sessions. Taken all together, these stories look like signs of a campaign getting desperate.
As we've reported recently, Martha Wong has gotten into a bit of trouble lately covering up the word "Republican" on her yard signs with a piece of red tape. Wong had this to say last week when asked why she was taping up her signs:
"We use one campaign sign when we're running in the primary, and we use another sign when we're running in the general," said Wong. "It's that simple."
The following photo was taken last Thursday of Martha Wong's campaign headquarters:
I can't think of any primaries Martha Wong is running for right now, can you?
Earlier this week she sent a letter to Perry asking him to implement a "unified command" in the district to deal with "the increase in gangs on the street, murders in parks, apartment complexes, car washes ... and a shortage of Houston police."
Even though it is an obvious publicity stunt, she has clearly tapped into residents' growing fear of crime in the district.
And now she insinuates (after the primary, she says) she isn't a right-wing Republican?
Martha's in for a tough fight over the next six weeks. Her district is urban, narrowly divided, and well-educated; two-thirds of district residents have a bachelor's degree or better. It's the kind of district that's too smart to fall for fear mongering about abortion or thinly veiled contempt for our environment. Martha knows that; that's why she's running away from her party ID and the policies she's promoted the past four years.
Gary Polland and Peter Roussel both essentially say in the interview that if Martha comes across as a right-wing Republican, she will lose. At this point, Martha's record and values are pretty clear, and no amount of red tape can cover them up.
Martha Wong is currently engaged in the fight of her political life against Democrat Ellen Cohen. Apparently, she's realized that in an urban, socially progressive district in Houston, her right-wing Republican record isn't going to fly, as she's been putting up yard signs with pieces of red tape over the word "Republican."
Martha Wong voted to require abortion providers to tell women that abortion causes breast cancer, despite substantial scientific evidence to the contrary.
Martha Wong blocked funding for a stem cell research facility in Houston's medical center.
Martha's clearly out of step with the district, and the polls are beginning to reflect that. A poll the governor's office ran showed her down by six points; I've heard from some very reliable sources Martha's own internal polling shows her down by eight points. It's time for Martha Wong to go, and luckily we have a great candidate in Ellen Cohen, who supports same-sex marriage, reproductive rights, and stem cell research, to replace her.
UPDATE 2: By the way, the red-tape isn't the work of a supporter ashamed of the Republicans; it's the work of the Wong campaign. When I visited the Wong campaign office last week to pick up signed debate terms for the debate Rice University is hosting October 12, there was a big stack of yard-signs-with-red-tape in the corner. Full sized photos of the offending sign here and here.
This morning they endorsed Demcorat Allen Vaught in HD-107 in Dallas. I've received a media advisory putting us on notice for a pending endorsement in San Antonio. Assuming they are going to keep with this Democratic string, that probably means one thing- Joe Farias is next up in HD-118. Faris is running to retain Carlos Uresti's seat now that he's the next Senator from SD-19.
Also, word has it that Parent PAC will be making a suprise Austin area endorsement tomorrow. Of course, that can mean only one thing and I think that thing is called Valinda Bolton.
Having gone from endorsing mostly if not all Republicans in previous cycles, the Texas Parent PAC has become a major bipartisan player this year, helping to defeat sitting Republicans in the 2006 March primaries. This is another great sign for a great candidate in Harris County, Ellen Cohen, in what is one of our top potential pick-ups this fall.
Texas Parent PAC today endorsed Ellen Cohen for state representative in House District 134, which encompasses Bellaire, West University, River Oaks, Meyerland, and Montrose areas of Houston.
"Ellen Cohen is the pro-public education candidate in this race," said Texas Parent PAC board member Dinah Miller. "She is a fiscal conservative who will lead efforts to finally develop a long-term school finance plan that addresses the needs of our neighborhood schools while continuing to reduce property taxes."
(Some great ones in this list. Post any others we may be missing. - promoted by Karl-Thomas Musselman)
1. Don't Get Stapled (http://www.dontgetst...) - for everything you need to know about the race for Agriculture Commissioner;
2. Greg Abbott = Big Hypocrite (http://greg-abbott-i...) - a nice introduction to the Attorney General's race and why David Van Os is a better candidate than Greg Abbott;
3. No Kay (http://www.nokay.org) - for everything you need to know about the Senate race (Barbara Radnofsky's website -- http://www.radnofsky... -- is even more informative but No Kay is more fun);
4. If You See Kay Hutchison (http://ifyouseekayhu...) - not as comprehensive as No Kay or BAR's official site but the If You See Kay Hutchison blog makes up for that with a funnier name and a succinct presentation of key facts;
5. Louie Gohmert is a Little Bitch (http://blog.louiegoh...) - whatever this blog lacks in detailed substance it more that makes up for with its great name;
6. Eugene Seaman is Creepy (http://geneseamanisc...) - maybe the newest blog to me but a welcome guide to the race for the 32nd District;
7. Martha Wong is Wrong (http://firemarthawon...) - a great guide to the race for the 134th District;
8. Anyone But C4n3p (http://anyonebutc4n3...) - a guide to what is least admirable about gubernatorial candidate Carole Strayhorn;
9. REAL Republicans are for Strayhorn (http://realrepublica...) - a blog which reminds us that even at her worst Strayhorn is not as bad as incumbent Governor Rick Perry;
10. Stop Kinky (http://stopkinky.blo...) - a guide to why Kinky Friedman's self-promotional publicity stunt of a campaign threatens Texas voters' hope of defeating Rick Perry.
Ed. note -- I'll be updating this post throughout the day, as we begin looking at totals from across the state for various races. Totals for the Governor's race are here.
HD 48 -- Rep. Donna Howard vs. Ben Bentzin Ben Bentzin, the purported challenger to Rep. Donna Howard in HD-48 right here in Austin, TX, has $20.33 on hand. Howard, meanwhile, has nearly $65,000 cash-on-hand. Remember -- she didn't accept any money during the special session and her report covered a shorter period of time, due to the primary.
CD 17 -- Congressman Chet Edwards vs. Van Taylor
Edwards reported $1.576 million cash-on-hand. Taylor, meanwhile, is well over a million dollars behind Edwards, and despite an in-district visit from VP Cheney, Taylor only garnered $21,000 from inside the district.
