After the 2006 election, I received many requests to post the ways I had run my campaign for TX-10, because I had received nearly 42% of the vote in this Tom Delay-gerrymandered 65% Republican District while spending only $65,000. I stated at the time that the Campaign had an impact much greater than the money spent because there was so much volunteer support. But, we did do a lot of things that maximized candidate-to-voter contact. This effort cost very little and some (me in particular) would say that it has a disporportionate impact on voters. I did not take the suggestions to post my methods because the opposition reads these things, as well. I determined to give this help directly to future TX-10 candidates, if they were interested. Larry Joe Doherty wasn't interested.
Jack McDonald recently spent a little time at my house and I gave him some of my thoughts. I told him that TX-10 was possible to win, but it would require a candidate to do all the things I was able to do, PLUS the things a candidate with money could do. It was hard to tell what Larry Joe did from my place in Houston, because he was largely invisible, here. I knew I should have spent much more time in Harris County during the campaign, but I couldn't because I was raising most of the money I did raise in Travis. Jack understands that he must concentrate his efforts in Harris for the General election. I think that my "success" in TX-10 in 2006 has made it possible for both Larry Joe and Jack to do so well in fund raising. In 2006, TX-10 was a "no hope" District. That's not true, now, and it makes donors much more willing. Both Larry Joe and Jack have been able to raise money outside the District. I am looking forward to working closely with Jack to help him win in 2010.
The topic of the day is KBH's feint at resignation. I think this has a very interesting possibility for TX-10, if it happens before filing in Jan. Presume a KBH resignation. Perry's appointment opens up the Lt. Gov. slot. Our Attorney General files for Lt. Gov. McCaul decides to file for Attorney General. It's a good move for McCaul. He has a good chance of winning. It's a much better job. He gets to live at home. If this happens, there will be a big expensive Repub battle for the nomination. It'll probably go to someone from Harris who is very, very conservative. That candidate will not get as many votes in Travis as McCaul. In this case, what I call the "Austin Kool-aid" might actually work. Larry Joe fell victim to the story that a Dem could do well enough in Travis that the Repub vote in Harris could be offset. I never believed this, and Jack says he doesn't either. But if an ultraconservative from Harris is the Repub nominee, it might be true. In any event, it will reduce the needed Dem vote in Harris to a more easily achievable number in an off-year.
In Texas, we have a distorted view of what a "swing seat" is for Democratic targeting. Given our multiple rounds of redistricting, true marginal seats in the traditional sense are hard to find. Texas Democrats either hail from incredibly safe districts, districts that are safe due to demographic trends but not ideology, or Republican districts where great Democrats make an exception (Chet Edwards).
That said, it's encouraging to see not one, but two Republican Congressional seats listed among the top 10 potential "dark horse" breakout races that are causing buzz in the Beltway. And not only that, but they are at the top of the list.
McCaul was technically a lower-tier Democratic target in 2008, but that was really only because his opponent, former TV judge Larry Joe Doherty (D), was raising money like gangbusters. Doherty really didn't have the right profile, and he wound up losing by a pedestrian 11 points - the exact margin of the presidential tally in the district. Now, Democrats have another big-money candidate, with businessman Jack McDonald raising $300,000 in the first quarter. We'll see if he has the right profile, but the fact that he is vice chairman of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce suggests he might. The party has already put McCaul near the top of its target list.
4. Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas)
Democrats tried to mount a late charge in 2006 against National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Chairman Tom Reynolds (R-N.Y.), and they could do it again in 2010 against current NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) only took this suburban Dallas district 53-46 in the 2008 presidential race, and the heavily Hispanic areas have grown at a faster pace than the white areas. Sessions's district is actually probably more fertile ground than McCaul's, but Democrats might not have as good a candidate. Attorney Grier Raggio (D) has an exploratory committee, but it's not clear who else might emerge.
In TX-10, Democrat Jack McDonald expressed earlier today that there is good reason to be paying attention to the 10th yet again, having raised over $634,000 to date with over half a million on hand, even while in exploratory mode and having yet to roll out campaign staff or field. While there isn't a equivalent Democratic response in TX-32 up in Dallas as of yet, the more competitive nature of the district and county coordinated campaign there provides a bit more breathing room for a top notch candidate to get settled.
A couple of weeks ago, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Executive Director Jon Vogel stated that TX-10 and Michael McCaul were in the top 10 targeted seats in the nation. Combined with the work done the past two cycles in-district, and the over $300,000 McDonald raised in the first quarter, there is good reason to finally have the tenth so high up on the DCCC's radar.
McDonald is looking to repeat that amazing first quarter, having stated in a meeting with activists in Austin this week that fundraising continues to be strong. The reaction from those activists at the gathering was very positive, given his responses, both in his willingness to engage on a broad cross-section of social and policy issues from a back and forth debate over health care options, choice, economic development, and positive statements on equal civil rights and a willingness to engage, work with, and support county party operations.
McDonald is still in exploratory mode, largely until business leadership issues are settled; he is chairman and CEO of Perficient, a publicly-traded company headquartered in the District that is one of the nation's top information technology consulting firms. An official campaign launch is scheduled for the coming months.
Jack McDonald is making more waves in the Washington whisper crowd.
McDonald, who has filed an exploratory committee to take on Republican Mike McCaul, is one of ten non-incumbents with over $100,000 in the bank.
According to CQ Politics, only ten challengers (Republican and Democrats) have raised over $100,000 and only 2 have raised more than Jack McDonald.
Those two include 1 Republican: William Russell, Republican, Pennsylvania's 12th District ($403,000) taking on Democratic Rep. John P. Murtha in a rematch of a 2008 campaign that Murtha won by 16 percentage points. The other is Suzan DelBene, Democrat, Washington's 8th District ($315,000). DelBene, a technology executive, is gearing up to oppose three-term Republican Rep. Dave Reichert.
McDonald barely missed the top spot for Democrats.
Jack McDonald, Democrat, Texas' 10th District ($312,000). McDonald, who also has a background as a technology executive, is waging a campaign against three-term Republican Rep. Michael McCaul that technically is still in the "exploratory" phase. But his first-quarter take makes it highly likely that he will make his bid official.
McDonald's first-quarter report shows that he put in just $1,000 of his own money and raised everything else from individual donors - many of whom gave the $4,800 maximum amount allowed under federal law, of which half can be used for a primary election and half for the general election.
Interestingly, McDonald is 33% of the entire list of Democrats on the list and 66% of those are in the top 3 spots. McDonald is showing he has an ability to raise some serious money and is making a strong case for the Texas 10th to be a targeted race for both Texans and Washington D.C. decision makers.
Update: Something from the Congressional Quarterly article to highlight:
The $315,000 figure includes $209,000 of DelBene's own money, in the form of loans and contributions.
McDonald hasn't done that. He has raised nearly every cent. This makes Jack McDonald the best fundraiser among Democratic challengers and the second best among all challengers.
In January, McCaul said he would "seriously consider" running for Attorney General if the office became vacant. Though current AG Greg Abbott has not annoucned his intentions, he is widely expected to run for either Lt. Governor or U.S. Senator.
After McCaul's presumed Democratic opponent Jack McDonald posted very impressive fundraising numbres, some (including myself) speculated that McDonald's strong reportmight push McCaul towards running for Attorney General.
While he could always change his mind, that doesn't seem to be the case. As Matt reported today, McCaul only has about $62,000 on hand with over $500,000 in debt. However, the business relationships of his father-in-law, Clear Channel founder Lowry Mays, could make it very easy for McCaul to raise a large amount of money in a short time.
Two candidates, former solicitor general Ted Cruz, a Republican, and former U.S. Senate nominee Barbara Radnofsky, a Democrat, have filed papers to run for Attorney General next year.
This is clearly an impressive start and is probably going to make any other Democrats who were considering jumping in this race think twice. Perhaps the report may even inch incumbent Mike McCaul towards a bid for Attorney General.
District 10 encompasses two media markets and is among the most expensive districts in the state. Larry Joe Doherty raised over $1 million last year and still lost by double digits. We are going to need a lot of money (and a great candidate, of course) to have a good shot at winning this district. It is early, but I think McDonald has the potential to provide both.
Congressman Mike McCaul raised only $ 97,795 this reporting period and spent $ 81,515.80 leaving him with just $ 62,431.80 left in the bank. Wait, wait, it gets better. McCaul still has $ 511,252.56 in debt.
Mike McCaul is looking more and more vulnerable every campaign season.
In reference to last Friday's post, I wanted to post the district specific radio ad that the DCCC is running in TX-10 against Mike McCaul. Listen to it below or visit it on the DCCC's blog.
It's interesting to read through the comments on the last post to see people's reactions on a whole host of issues that apparently are unresolved regarding TX-10. Here are a couple of my thoughts on it.
There's a lot of interest in learning and hearing more directly from Democratic candidate Jack McDonald. That's great, and Matt actually sat down with him already and has an interview that he's going to write up and post here on BOR. Along those lines, we're going to explore maybe getting some video from McDonald as well since there is a difference in reading an interview and seeing the candidate talk himself.
In another good sign for TX-10 being on the political radar, the insider publication "The Hill" wrote up a rather lengthy piece on the district. It's worth a read.
I really think it's time to get over any feelings of "the DCCC didn't help last time so why did it take until now for them to pay attention". You're all right, and you can join the grassroots supporters in-district in 95% of all congressional districts around the country that feel the DCCC didn't get involved sooner or with more money. Me? I consider it welcome support after all the hard work that people have done in TX-10 the last few cycles.
Of course, if there are still things that need to be said about TX-10 from last cycle that will benefit us strategically in the race this cycle, the comments as always are open.
Want some surprising but good news? It appears that Jack McDonald might have raised a few eyebrows in DC, enough so, to draw the eye of some DCCC money in the form of radio ads against Rep. Mike McCaul. The ad, which you can listen to below or here, attacks McCaul for voting against the Economic Recovery bill passed by Congress earlier this year.
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), whose 10th District runs from the Houston suburbs west to include parts of Austin, is the only one of the six targeted members to represent a district won by John McCain in 2008. Both McCaul and McCain won the district by 11 points in November, which begs the question: Is the DCCC really targeting this seat?
Apparently they are, and in no small part because of an already well-funded candidate named Jack McDonald, whose exploratory committee announced yesterday that it had raised more than $300,000 in just five weeks. Should McDonald, a self-described "centrist Democrat" and "successful businessman," officially jump in the race, he'll face a Republican whose winning percentage has dropped significantly as his opponents have spent more money, but who held off a well-funded opponent last year.
The other five Republican Congressman targeted are Mike Castle (Delaware), Ken Calvert (CA-44), Charlie Dent (PA-15), Thaddeus McCotter (MI-11) and Bill Young (FL-10).
McDonald has also been getting some blog mentions outside of our traditional political blog bubble which is always a good sign a year out from any potential primary.
Jack McDonald, the ceo of the Austin-based company Perficient, has raised $308,655 in the five weeks since he announced his exploratory committee, the Statesman reports.
This is clearly an impressive start and is probably going to make any other Democrats who were considering jumping in this race think twice. Perhaps the report may even inch incumbent Mike McCaul towards a bid for Attorney General.
District 10 encompasses two media markets and is among the most expensive districts in the state. Larry Joe Doherty raised over $1 million last year and still lost by double digits. We are going to need a lot of money (and a great candidate, of course) to have a good shot at winning this district. It is early, but I think McDonald has the potential to provide both.
When we have discussed this race in the past, several people (including myself) expressed concern about several Republican contributions in McDonald's past. The controversy centered primarily on contributions to George W. Bush in 2000 and to Ben Bentzin in 2005.
I would guess his contribution history will come up again in the next few months. The contributions to Bush and Bentzin are very dissappointing, but we should also remember that he has given tens of thousands to Democrats and Democratic groups, in Travis County, Texas, and across the nation. 98 percent of his political contributions have been to Democrats.
Putting that aside, it is clear from the early fundraising totals that this will be a race to watch in 2010. Let's hope the DCCC is paying attention, too.
High-tech executive Jack McDonald of Austin has formed an exploratory for the congressional seat currently head by Michael McCaul, the Austin American-Statesman reports.
... an Austin high-tech executive, John T. “Jack” McDonald, confirmed today that he’s started a federal exploratory committee in advance of likely running for McCaul’s seat as a Democrat next year—regardless of whether McCaul, R-Austin, hunts a fourth two-year term.
But the 45-year-old lawyer-business, who’s ceo of Austin-based Perficient, said he and his wife, Carla, have been encouraged by Democrats, independents and Republicans who’d like to see someone with business experience in Congress at a time the national and international economy need attention.
McDonald, who’s been involved in luring companies to Central Texas in roles with the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce and other civic ventures, said: “I’m in this race because I think we can do better than what we’ve got today. We need people in Washington that understand the way the real world works—-people who have created jobs, who have run a business… I don’t think we have that kind of leadership in Congress today.”
While he wasn’t laying out an entire platform in our conversation, McDonald said he’d focus on setting politicies out of Washington promoting job creation by small businesses. He mentioned Small Business Administration loans, reduced capital gains taxes and steps that would promote capital and venture capital formation.
I had the chance to sit down with Mr. McDonald a few weeks ago and I was very, very impressed. He is a rare candidate: one who has impressive progressive credentials but can also appeal to the Independents and moderate Republicans he will need to win in this district.
McDonald will be able to raise serious money (perhaps even as much as $3 million) and could make this one of the top national pick up opportunities for Democrats. All Texas Democrats should be excited about this race. We have a candidate who will not only make a great congressman but has the talent and resources needed to actually win the race.
Mike McCaul has said he will seek re-election but do not be surprised if he reconsiders and jumps into the race for Attorney General once McDonald's fundraising ability becomes apparent.
Update: Mean Rachel and Rob Ryland bring up several good points in the comments. Though he has contributed a substantial amount of money to Democrats in recent years, McDonald contributed to both of George W. Bush's presidential campaigns.
While the amount of money he has contributed to Democrats greatly outweighs the money he gave to Republicans, it is still an issue his campaign will need to address in the coming months before the Democratic primary.
