House District 96 contains most of southern Tarrant County, encompassing the southern parts of both Arlington and Fort Worth. Considered a swing district, Representative Chris Turner won in 2008 with 51% of the vote over Bill Zedler. The district is one of the numerous suburban districts across the state where Democrats have made in-roads in recent years, and though the district definitely remains conservative, Rep. Chris Turner has shown an ability to attract cross-over voters by focusing on issues that matter to the district: utility rates, homeowners insurance, and education. This year, Rep. Turner was named legislator of the year by the Texas Veterans of Foreign Wars.
The only hitch may be Zedler himself. Republicans privately say hard-working Turner couldn’t have drawn a more ideal opponent than Zedler, whose awkward personal style and hard-right values are detached from his suburban Arlington district, where new voters are moving in and the issues they care about are in flux.
Bill Zedler is a goofball. There’s no other way to put it. He contributes nothing except to provide occasional comic relief, mainly by laughing uncontrollably when others make fun of him, as when an amendment he wrote was so illegible that speaker Craddick told members they just had to look at it on their computer screens.
Republicans have tried to claim that Rep. Turner only won because of an "Obama sweep" in 2008. However, when you look at the numbers, Rep. Turner outperformed President Obama in2008, earning over 1,400 more votes and demonstrating he has strong cross-over appeal to independents and Republicans in the district.
TexBlog PAC endorsed House candidate Christ Turner announced that his campaign has raised over $200,000 in the first six months alone -- a tremendous amount so early in the year for a State House candidate! Turner is running against far-right Republican incumbent Rep. Bill Zedler, in the southern area of Tarrant County.
From Chris' press release:
Teachers, business people, health care professionals, lawyers, retirees and students - these are just a few of the hundreds of Texans who are supporting our campaign to bring more partnership and less partisanship to Austin. A few weeks ago, I started knocking on doors and talking to voters about the issues that matter the most to them. I've met a number of people who think we need change in Austin and agree with my goal of bringing more partnership and less partisanship to the Texas House.
What's more, our strong fundraising will give us the necessary resources to compete with the big special interest money that my opponent depends on to finance his campaign. While we still have a long way to go to reach our fundraising goals for the campaign, we have a lot of early momentum to build upon.
As part of TexBlog PAC, we were all eager to help Chris build that early momentum when we donated $5,000 to his campaign. He's got a real shot at winning -- you'll be hearing a lot about this race in the coming weeks. For now, take some action and help us elect Chris Turner to the TX House:
(Yesterday, we endorsed Chris Turner for TexBlog PAC -- which will come with continued online outreach and a $5,000 check from supporters like you! Give to TexBlog PAC today and help us raise more for our excellent House candidates! - promoted by Phillip Martin)
Friends,
Thank you for your support and endorsement of my campaign. I am honored to have the support of TexBlog PAC and its members. The blog community in Texas has done an amazing job over the last several years of galvanizing netroots support for causes we believe in and bringing in so many new people to the political process.
This is a critical election year for Texas. The future of our state will be shaped by the people we elect to the Legislature this November, and the stakes could not be higher. We can continue the failed policies of the last several years – policies supported by my opponent, Rep. Bill Zedler – or we can chart a new course for Texas.
I am running for the State House because I think we need more partnership and less partisanship in Austin. That means putting the interests of Texas families ahead of the special interests.
We need to give our hard-working public school teachers pay raises, which Rep. Zedler has opposed.
We need to stand up to people like James Leininger and say “no” to his radical private school voucher plan, a plan my opponent supports.
It’s time we fully restore the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for working Texas families, because it was wrong when Rep. Zedler and others voted to kick 230,000 kids off of health care five years ago.
It’s time we do something about our sky-high utility rates and homeowners insurance in Texas.
And we need to get serious about protecting our natural resources – especially our air and water quality – in the Lone Star State.
If we elect the same partisan leaders to office, we’ll just get more of the same results. I think Texas deserves better than that, and that is why I am running. By working together, I know we can make a real difference for Texas families.
Thank you again for your support – it means a lot to me!
House District 96 contains most of the southern areas of Arlington and Fort Worth, along with the communities of Crowley, Kennedale and Rendon and parts of Mansfield and Burleson.
In 2006, Republican Bill Zedler narrowly avoided a loss, managing only 52.46% of the vote:
House District 96 – 2006 Election Results
Vote Totals
% of the Vote
Bill Zedler (R)
19,520
52.46%
Chris Youngblood (D)
16,483
44.29%
Sam Thomas (L)
1,206
3.24%
TOTAL
37,209
-
Additionally, as Turner’s website shows, Democrats turned out in the March primary at a rate almost 2.5 times higher than Republicans – a larger ratio than the statewide average. More Democrats voted in the HD 96 House District in Tarrant County than in any other House District in the County.
About Chris Turner – A Committed, Hard-Working Candidate
Born in Sherman and raised in Dallas, Chris went to Dallas’ Skyline High School and is a UT-Austin graduate with a degree in Government. Before launching his campaign, Chris Turner worked as District Director for Texas Congressman Chet Edwards (D – Waco). During his time with Congressman Edwards, Chris gained experience working across party lines to meet the needs of Texans from all walks of life.
Chris’ experience with the highly successful Congressman Edwards campaign will come in handy as he runs for office in HD 96. From his website:
Chris has also managed Edwards’ last four highly competitive and successful re-election campaigns, during which he was recognized for his leadership ability and organizational skills in the midst of challenging circumstances.
Donate to Chris Turner Today and Help Us Take Back the House!
We will be writing more about Chris in the coming days, weeks, and months. In the meantime, please join our efforts and donate anything you can – $10, $25, or $50 – to help us take back the House as we do our part to turn Texas blue!
House District 96 makes up the southern portion of Tarrant County, and its current State Rep., Republican Bill Zedler, is going to be facing the race of his life against one of the best candidates Democrats have fielded this fall, Chris Turner.
Last night's primary returns gave us an idea of how the district is looking. Democratic voters in HD 96 outnumbered Republican voters by a tremendous margin:
DEMOCRATIC
REPUBLICAN
RATIO, D:R
STATEWIDE
2,857,301
1,380,907
2.07:1
TARRANTCOUNTY
199,567
100,793
1.98:1
HD 96
27,577
11,277
2.45:1
Looking at the numbers in Tarrant County, House District 96 had more Democratic voters than any other House District in the entire county -- showing that HD 96 may be the most politically active district in what is becoming a hotbed of political activity.
Rep. Zedler only won in 2006 with 52.5% of the vote. Turner is former District Director of Congressman Chet Edwards, and has cut his teeth on tough campaigns. The primary numbers suggest that this is a very winnable district for Democrats -- and one Republicans should be worried about every day for the next eight months.
UPDATE:The Star-Telegram confirms Turners candidacy for HD 96 late Thursday, which was reported here on BOR Wednesday.
If my sources are correct, then it looks like a great start for Tarrant County heading into the New Year. On the heels of the successful Dan Barrett race in House District 97; a strong challenger appears to have emerged to run in House District 96 in southern Tarrant County.
Reliable sources say that Chris Turner, a long-time aide and District Director to Democratic Congressman Chet Edwards, will file sometime this week to challenge either Craddick supporter Bill Zedler, or Republican primary challenger Lee Jackson in the 2008 General Election.
Barrett's race provided a blue print that I'm sure Turner's campaign will embrace too, which is changing the way business is done down in Austin by putting the people's interests ahead of special interests. There are a number of growing issues facing Texans such as the failed leadership of Republican Tom Craddick, a public education system under consistent Republican assault, out of control utility rates, and the growing uninsured population, or high expense of retaining health insurance for many Texans. This campaign will not be short on issues to run on to say the least.
HD 96 is a highly competitive race so a candidate of Chris Turner's caliber is indicative of the changing political environment in Tarrant County. We couldn't field a candidate who knows the district and the local elected officials and business leaders better then Chris.
As mentioned before, Zedler received 52% of the vote against an unfunded and relatively unknown Democrat in Chris Youngblood. Terri Moore, the twice-Democratic candidate for District Attorney, received 48% of the vote in this district in 2006.
District 96 encompasses parts of Arlington, Fort Worth, Mansfield, and the growing diverse city of Crowley, which at least part of Crowley ISD was part of Barrett's recent electoral success. 96 overlaps with Senate District 10, another key Democratic target with Wendy Davis as our only declared candidate in that race.
Positive news and momentum continues to roll in for Democrats in Tarrant County as we look forward to Turner's apparent filing this week.
