Eye on Williamson County -- who are one of the best blogs in the state, and have done an incredible job covering the HD 52 race -- break the news this morning:
This news is going to cause absolute panic in the Speaker’s office. The groundswell of financial support for Diana Maldonado has given the Democratic candidate for House district 52 enough of a cash advantage to guarantee her message will reach voters between now and election day. In a race that is being watched from Washington to Midland, today’s Texas Ethics Commission reports represent perhaps most the stern rebuke of the Republican party that we’ve witnessed during this remarkable campaign season.
Apparently almost $30,000 of Daniel's money came from a single contributor -- Bob Perry.
More great news as we try and take back the House!
FYI: On Sunday, Rose hosted his annual barbecue (last year, cycling champion Lance Armstrong was the guest because of their joint fight for cancer research) at which hundreds of supporters boosted his campaign bank account.
After Sunday's event, Rose added $125,000 to his huge advantage on the money front.
In July, he had $807,809 to spend; Young had a $27,272 bank balance, plus a $16,000 loan.
Libertarian Jerry Chandler said he is not fundraising or spending his money to campaign for the job. He said he's running largely to give voters another option at the ballot box.
Mikus said the incumbent's financial resources will mean little because of the resonance of the Republican's top issues, such as eliminating school property taxes, requiring photo identification to vote and stemming illegal immigration.
"He may sell himself on the boob tube or in the papers, but I sell myself face-to-face, hand-to-hand," Mikus said. "Votes count. Money doesn't count."
Strama said that many of the issues Mikus touts, such as voter identification requirements, are not top concerns for most District 50 voters and that Mikus' proposed solutions are unworkable.
"They care about their property taxes and they care about education," Strama said.
Republican Message Fail. And who calls it a boob tube anymore?
In a strip center off Interstate 35, there's an excitement at the shared headquarters for Williamson County's fledgling Democratic Party and Texas House candidate Diana Maldonado.
On a recent weekday afternoon, about a dozen party and campaign workers were organizing a revolt of sorts - the first election of a Democrat in this county in a decade.
Meanwhile, at a campaign office in downtown Round Rock, the mood was more low-key for Maldonado's Republican opponent, Bryan Daniel, who exuded the confidence of a team that thinks it still has home-field advantage.
Well, prepare for another big fundraising report next month. Maldonado tells QR that she's had quite a productive time of it on the circuit in recent days. On Sept. 14, a Lloyd Doggett-hosted fundraiser netted $60,000. That was followed on Thursday by news that Blue Texas was giving the candidate $50,000.
QR readers will remember that we highlighted this group a few months back. Organized in May by Austin-based Democratic fundraiser Alexa Wesner, the Blue Texas PAC is working with the relatively narrow mission to get more Democrats elected to the Texas House.
This is excellent news for an excellent candidate. You can feel confident that your funds and our endorsement are well placed in this race.
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.
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.
Mike Krusee will not seek re-election. This is different from resigning because he will, supposedly, finish this term and be unable to accept political appointments.
Krusee, 48, is set to announce his retirement, effective at the end of his term in January of 2009, in a written statement released later today.
Krusee, who had served in the House since 1993, had been rumored to be in line for a gubernatorial appointment, possibly to the Texas Transportation Commission, because of his legislative work on toll roads. But a source close to the situation says state law forbids the appointment of a legislator to any job requiring Senate confirmation during his term in office.
That would mean Krusee would not be eligible for most state appointments until the end of his term.
