Poncho Nevárez is the best capable of representing the district and holding the seat in November. We enthusiastically and unanimously endorse him for HD-74.
The winner of this race has big boots to fill in departing Rep. Pete Gallego, and of the five candidates filed for HD-74, Nevárez is the best choice. Nevárez is an attorney from Eagle Pass who served on his local school board for four years, as well as on the Maverick County Appraisal District. Due to his strong background in supporting public education he has been endorsed by the Texas State Teachers Association and Parent PAC as the strongest candidate in the field to continue Gallego's work supporting our schools and teachers. Nevárez has an inspiring personal story that demonstrates the power of education and opportunity -- he was the first member of his family to graduate from college, then went on to law school. Now he is a successful attorney with ten employees in four offices, and devotes substantial time and energy to providing free legal services to those in need. His background, work ethic, and commitment to his community demonstrate that he will be an able voice for providing educational and professional opportunities for all Texans on the floor of the state house.
We are pleased to see Nevárez earn the endorsement of the Del Rio newspaper, the town where his two Democratic primary opponents are from -- this demonstrates that the candidate has broad support across the sprawling West Texas district, not just in Maverick County where 33% of the voters live.
Redistricting has made the 74th a Democratic district in both presidential and gubernatorial cycles, so it is likely that the winner of the primary will go on to win this November and take office in January. However, any work the nominee can do to help turn out voters will be huge in electing Gallego to Congress over failed incumbent Quico Canseco. In the Democratic primary, Nevárez is the only candidate who does not have a questionable history of running as or endorsing Republican candidates for this seat.
Nevárez is the strongest Democrat in this primary, a promising public servant, and the best choice to represent this district in the Legislature. We enthusiastically and unanimously endorse him for election to HD-74.
Endorsements are made based on a weighted consensus of the staff, which guides the type and tone of endorsement. Members of the Burnt Orange Report staff employed by campaigns abstain from voting on those races.
This capable leader and advocate for her community has a bright future ahead of her in public service. We enthusiastically, unanimously and emphatically endorse Mary Gonzalez for election to HD-75!
Mary Gonzalez is an inspiring candidate. She has dedicated her life and career to helping others succeed, as an educator, Hispanic community organizer, and legislative staffer. The voters of HD-75 could hardly ask for a better individual to represent them in the state house. We are confident that she will do what is in the best interest of the people in her district, while also actively working towards our progressive goals here in Texas.
Gonzalez has the experience necessary to provide exemplary constituent services for her district. She worked for State Representatives Paul Moreno and Richard Pena Raymond, and also served as Assistant Director in the Office of Research and Demonstration at the National Hispanic Institute. As National President of her Latina-based sorority Kappa Delta Chi, Gonzalez helps young Latinas engage in community service and achieve their career goals.
Gonzalez will bring so many needed perspectives to the floor. In particular, it is her perspective on education that is most sorely needed in the Legislature. With higher education in a crisis here in Texas, Gonzalez will be able to speak from her own experience as a graduate student and college instructor about the dire impacts of cuts to our public universities and resulting curtailed opportunities for education.
Gonzalez's opponent, Hector Enriquez, is not deserving of Democratic support owing to his three donations to Rick Perry, an individual who has done more to hurt the residents of HD-75 than just about any other elected official in Texas history. Three times a Perry donor is three times too much for us. This is a Democratic district, and voters should elect the candidate they can trust to advocate for their needs at the Capitol. That person is Mary Gonzalez.
Mary Gonzalez will provide needed and necessary perspectives on the floor of the State House. We enthusiastically and unanimously endorse her for election, and urge you to support her campaign!
Endorsements are made based on a weighted consensus of the staff, which guides the type and tone of endorsement. Members of the Burnt Orange Report staff employed by campaigns abstain from voting on those races.
Yvonne Gonzalez Toureilles had a distinguished career in the legislature, and we unanimously encourage voters to return her to the State House.
Gonzalez Toureilles was an impressive member of the Democratic delegation, and is the best candidate to take on whoever survives the Republican primary in this South Texas district. An attorney, Gonzalez Toureilles chaired the House Agriculture and Livestock Committee in 2009 and is a capable representative for the 43rd, which surrounds Corpus Christi and contains many constituents that depend on farming for their livelihood. Gonzalez Toureilles is absolutely the best choice in the Democratic primary -- her opponent can't stop saying how he wants to vote with the Republicans on key issues -- and best of all, she's the strongest candidate to win this seat in November.
HD-43 is currently held by JM Lozano, the Democrat-turned-Republican who voted against two of Rick Perry's "emergency" items -- Voter ID and the Republican sanctuary cities legislation. Lozano then switched parties to make the best of redistricting, and cash in on big Republican campaign contributions. The Texas Observer reports that since the switch, Lozano has raked in over $40,000 from Republican special interests. Every dollar of that huge fundraising haul is another reason for Lozano to vote against the interests of his district and in favor of draconian Republican policies. Should JM Lozano survive his Republican primary -- which is no guarantee, as he could be the latest GOP nominee to get Victor Carrillo'ed -- Gonzalez Toureilles will be the strongest candidate to face him down in November. Should Lozano win his primary over two Anglo challengers, Gonzalez Toureilles has the advantage of not having to run on the record of Lozano's Wingstop restaurants which are by most customer accounts completely awful. If his constituent services are anywhere near as bad as the service at his wing joints, we've already got this race in the bag.
But this Democratic primary isn't just about who is best to oust Lozano or whatever Republican survives their primary. This endorsement is about who would make the best State Representative, and who will mount the strongest campaign in November to represent the people of HD-43, and that person is clearly Yvonne Gonzalez Toureilles.
We enthusiastically and unanimously endorse Yvonne Gonzalez Toureilles in the Democratic primary for HD-43, and urge our readers to support her all the way through November.
Endorsements are made based on a weighted consensus of the staff, which guides the type and tone of endorsement. Members of the Burnt Orange Report staff employed by campaigns abstain from voting on those races.
As we mentioned yesterday, the Photo ID case between the state of Texas and the Department of Justice marches steadily toward trial in July. After we posted yesterday, the federal district court in D.C. that is hearing the case issued a new order, this time scolding the state of Texas for its conduct in this lawsuit.
In some respects, the order is a fairly routine scheduling order, setting out the important dates between now and trial, currently set for July 9th. It lists things such as the last date to file discovery motions (May 21st), the date that expert disclosures are due (June 1st), and the date for motions in limine to be filed (June 20th). All of these are fairly ordinary processes leading up to a trial.
Except, of course, for the specific instructions that apply to Texas and Texas only.
Today, Burnt Orange Report PAC (aka BOR PAC) is excited to bring you the results of our first statewide poll of Texas voters, and launch our series of six polls that we've contracted to run this year. We have partnered with People Calling People and VoterHistory.com to conduct these polls. The poll was paid for by BOR PAC, the arm of Burnt Orange Report that will be funding political expenditures.
Before we tell you the results, we have a few notes on our universe, and our results:
This is a poll of Likely Voters. Our Likely Voter screen skewed the universe towards an older, whiter, more Republican electorate than the registered voter population -- and general population -- of Texas as a whole. Additionally, because this was a poll of land-line phones, our respondents skewed even older and whiter than the likely voter screen.
Partisanship was determined by respondents' self-identification as more likely to vote for Democrats or Republicans. Those that chose "otherwise" are not included in the partisanship cross-tab, but are included in the "all."
There is no weighting of these results; however, weighting for sex or party ID would have only minimally impacted the results due to the sample size.
In our full results, posted below the jump, we have cross-tabbed each answer by age (under 60, 60 and up), sex, and party. We initially looked at sex vs. party, but found that a) the margin of error was too high to make the results meaningful, and b) there wasn't a huge degree of divergence between men and women of the same party identification.
Overall, the results demonstrate sharp polarization in Texas between Democrats and Republicans in terms of their approval of Perry and opinion of the major issues facing our state. On nearly every issue, Democrats and Republicans disagree. However, what's most interesting is how out-of-touch Republicans are from the majority opinion of Texans.
Other key take-aways:
Texans are split on whether or not Texas is moving in the right direction. Republicans say yes and Democrats say no, by almost the identical percentages.
While Texans as a whole disapprove of the job Perry is doing, Republicans approve of Rick Perry by a 2-1 margin.
On the whole, Texans disapprove of the mandatory sonogram law, and of potential laws that would allow employers to deny employees insurance coverage of birth control.
26% of Republicans say they are willing to raise taxes to fund public education. Don't tell Grover Norquist!
Texans support using the Rainy Day fund to restore cuts to public education. Republicans oppose this, but only marginally.
Republicans really are the party of "No." Unfortunately for the rest of us, they so overwhelm the electorate -- and our elected bodies -- that the rest of us are left to suffer at the hands of their policies.
The poll was in the field April 4-5, 2012. We targeted Likely Voters, defined here as voters who cast a ballot in at least 2 of the last 3 November partisan general elections (2010, 2008, 2006). Margin of error ranges from 4.1 to 4.4%.
BOR PAC Issues Poll: April 2012
"Do you think Texas is moving in the right direction or the wrong direction?"
All:
Democrats:
Republicans:
Right:
42%
19%
65%
Wrong:
40%
65%
21%
Otherwise:
18%
16%
14%
Texans as a whole are split on this issue; however when viewed through the lens of party identification it is clear that Democrats and Republicans have vastly divergent ideas of whether or not things are going well in the Lone Star State.
::
"Overall, do you approve of the way that Rick Perry is handling his job as Governor of Texas?"
All:
Democrats:
Republicans:
Approve:
35%
6%
61%
Disapprove:
57%
89%
32%
Otherwise:
9%
5%
7%
Here we see that the majority of Texans disapprove of the way Perry is handling his job as Governor; again, however, Republicans approve of him by an almost two-to-one margin. The man knows his base!
::
"The Legislature passed a law that requires women to undergo a sonogram before an abortion. Do you support this law?"
All:
Democrats:
Republicans:
Support:
39%
21%
58%
Oppose:
48%
69%
31%
Otherwise:
13%
10%
11%
A majority of Texans oppose the sonogram law. This is good news, and likely a reflection of the intense media attention surrounding the law. Yet again, however, we see that Republicans are out of touch with the rest of Texans on this crucial issue for women's reproductive rights.
::
"Proposed new laws could allow employers to refuse to cover their employees' prescription birth control."
All:
Democrats:
Republicans:
Support:
35%
14%
56%
Oppose:
51%
74%
34%
Otherwise:
14%
12%
10%
Again here we see a majority of Texans opposing laws that would allow employers to deny insurance coverage of birth control for their employees. And yet again, we see Republicans supporting these measures, though by a slightly narrower margin than they do the sonogram law.
::
"Marriage equality laws allow gays and lesbians to get married."
All:
Democrats:
Republicans:
Support:
33%
45%
19%
Oppose:
54%
42%
72%
Otherwise:
13%
13%
9%
While this is not exactly a shocking result here in Texas, from a progressive standpoint it is good to see Democrats tilting towards "support" on this issue. Maybe the SDEC should reconsider whether this issue can be in the resolutions section of our primary ballot, since clearly, if narrowly, Democrats support marriage equality.
::
"In 2011, the Texas legislature cut 5.4 billion dollars from the public education budget. Some lawmakers want to raise taxes to restore funding to education."
All:
Democrats:
Republicans:
Support:
38%
59%
26%
Oppose:
50%
30%
66%
Otherwise:
12%
11%
8%
The big shocker here is that one quarter of Republicans support raising taxes to fund public education and restore the draconian cuts of last session. Take note, however, that Texans as a whole oppose this move, suggesting that the decimation of public education has not fully registered with likely voters.
::
"There is currently almost ten billion dollars in the state's Rainy Day fund. Some lawmakers want to use this money to restore funding for public education."
All:
Democrats:
Republicans:
Support:
59%
80%
43%
Oppose:
31%
12%
48%
Otherwise:
10%
7%
9%
This is perhaps the most important result from this poll: by an almost 2-to-1 margin, Texans support using the Rainy Day Fund to restore cuts to public education. What is likely boosting this number is the overwhelming Democratic support for this effort, as well as the marginal Republican opposition. This could be a very good issue for Democrats to campaign on this cycle, and a difficult question for Republicans to answer: why won't Republican candidates commit to using the Rainy Day fund to restore cuts to education? And in case you are curious, yes, we did ask the tax question before the Rainy Day fund question.
::
"Some lawmakers have proposed an independent redistricting commission, which would take the process out of the hands of the Legislature."
All:
Democrats:
Republicans:
Support:
44%
54%
34%
Oppose:
31%
20%
47%
Otherwise:
26%
25%
20%
While Texans as a whole support an independent redistricting commission, Republicans do not. Hey, makes sense -- they make out like bandits under the current system. You know who doesn't? People in Texas who want fair representation, and think the Legislature's time could be spent on better things than drawing maps to protect themselves.
Full crosstabs are available below the jump. Thanks again to People Calling People for partnering with us on this project!
SCOTUS issued an opinion today instructing the San Antonio panel that drew the interim maps to toss out those interim maps and draw new interim maps. The SCOTUS logic is based on the fact that since the San Antonio maps where based on the districts used in the 2010 election and not the illegal racist gerrymander of the 2011 legislature. Evidently SCOTUS thinks that the San Antonio panel needs to make a silk purse from a sow's ear and somehow turn the racist maps from the Legislature into something that's not a wild, minority-stifling gerrymander.
In a unanimous, unsigned opinion, SCOTUS writes:
"To the extent the District Court exceeded its mission to draw interim maps that do not violate the Constitution or the Voting Rights Act, and substituted its own concept of "the collective public good" for the Texas Legislature's determination of which policies serve "the interests of the citizens of Texas," the court erred."
This past Wednesday marked Earth Day, a day meant to promote awareness and appreciation of our natural environment.
There's a great opportunity to do something for the environment this Saturday, April 25th, when volunteers all across the state join forces for Texas' annual Adopt-A-Beach cleanup. This is important not only for the environment, but for our state's economy. Clean, beautiful beaches are key to our tourism industry and our fishermen.
To locate and register for a Texas Adopt-A-Beach Cleanup in your area, visit:
www.TexasAdoptABeach.org
Taking care of Texas also means doing our part to reduce fossil fuel consumption and minimize emissions that can harm our air quality. One way to do this is to promote the use of renewable energy technology. Earlier this week, the House Committee on Energy Resources held a hearing on my bill that exempts small-scale renewable energy devices for homes and businesses from state sales tax, making them more affordable for consumers.
Johnny O'Neal, one of my constituents in Flour Bluff, made the news last year when he installed a small-scale wind generator in his back yard. At the hearing, the Texas Renewable Industries Association and Public Citizen spoke out in favor of HB 1823, recognizing the need to make renewable energy devices more affordable for consumers like Johnny.
Also moving through the state legislature is SB 545, a measure that implements a $500 million rebate program to encourage solar power projects. Bills like this have the potential to help make Texas, and the Coastal Bend in particular, a center for renewable energy jobs and development. The recent completion of the Peñascal wind project is further evidence that Texas and Coastal Bend can be a leader in the new green economy.
To learn about ways to save energy and find out other things you can do to help take care of Texas, visit www.TakeCareOfTexas.org.
During the 80th Session of the Legislature two years ago, when I was a lobbyist for TexPIRG, I spent a good chunk of my time running from Capitol office to Capitol office, cajoling anyone I could get a meeting with to support redistricting reform legislation. I was told that it was a quixotic quest and that I was wasting my time. After all, in the previous session of the legislature, the House Redistricting Committee (led by Representative Joe Crabb, a fierce Craddick loyalist) had not even held hearings on the redistricting reform bills that were filed.
Despite the poor prospects for redistricting reform, Representative Mark Strama had filed legislation in the House and Senator Jeff Wentworth had done the same in the Senate. Wentworth's bill, as it had previously done, eventually passed through the Senate and was sent to the House. Rather to everyone's surprise, Representative Crabb did hold hearings on both bills (on my birthday, which was a nice treat). Of course, that was as far as either bill progressed through the legislative process, but the very fact that hearings were held at all marked an improvement on the previous session.
Nothing daunted, both Strama and Wentworth have again filed their redistricting reform bills in the 81st Session. Is there any chance they might advance beyond the committee stage this time around? With the Republican majority shaved down to a single seat, and with the iron hand of Craddick no longer hanging over the legislators, could we finally see action on this issue?
The legislation of Strama and Wentworth both envision removing the power to draw congressional districts from the state legislature and giving it to some kind of nonpartisan commission. Wentworth's bill, for example, would create a commission of nine members, with two members chosen by the House Republicans, two by House Democrats, two by Senate Republicans, two by Senate Democrats, and a nonvoting chair chosen by the other eight. Both bills would restrict political activities by members of the commission; for example, no member of the commission could campaign for political office or actively support a candidate for political office during their tenure.
Perhaps more importantly, the bills lay out standards which must be adhered to by the commission in drawing up redistricting plans. Strama's bill stipulates that the commission cannot take into consideration the residency location of specific individuals or the past political performance of geographic areas. Wentworth's bill requires ("to the extent reasonable") all new districts to be "compact and convenient" and to take into account natural barriers and political subdivision borders (i.e. county lines). Previous bills that Wentworth has filed have also included a prohibition against using political performance in considering new districts, but he has apparently concluded that his bill has a better chance of becoming law without that provision.
Such commissions as Strama and Wentworth envision are currently in operation in several states around the country. While certainly not without their problems, it does appear that they have increased electoral competition and contributed to a more equitable representation of the voters within the congressional delegations.
Neither Strama's nor Wentworth's bill is perfect, but either would be a massive improvement on the current situation. As we saw during the chaotic spring and summer of 2003, there is presently nothing that prohibits the party in control of the legislature to blatantly draw congressional districts in such a way as to maximize their own partisan advantage. This is an affront to anyone who sincerely believes in the ideals of representative democracy.
One of the things which most surprised me when I lobbied for redistricting reform was in 2007 the reluctance of many Democrats to support it. As the reasoning went, eventually the Democrats would regain control of the state legislature, and we could then screw the Republicans just as the Republicans had screwed us in 2003. Even from a purely partisan point of view, this seemed silly to me; while we have an excellent chance of regaining the House in 2010, it will obviously be some time before we regain the Senate. But more to the point, it struck me as a violation of our party's ideals. Hypocrisy may not be one of the Seven Deadly Sins, but it should be.
We live in a state with a fascinating and dynamic political landscape, and genuine redistricting reform would enhance electoral competition and serve to encourage greater political participation. And for those of my fellow Democrats who relish the idea of using the redistricting power to screw the Republicans when we are able to regain control of the legislature, I would simply ask them to consider being democrats as well as Democrats.
(This is cool. I first met Donna Howard in 2002 when I was still in high school in Fredericksburg and she was running for the State Board of Education (yes, the Austin district goes out there). - promoted by Karl-Thomas Musselman)
House Bill 420, entered by Representative Donna Howard, would remove declared partisan races in the State Board of Education race. As you know this is a way down ballot race which seldom gets attention.
One of the SBOE members representing Austin has recently gotten plenty of attention with her wacky rants. She is also now a poster child for why the partisan label from the SBOE should be removed. Otherwise we end up with people like this in office. Mrs. Dunbar was unchallenged by a Democratic opponent in the general election, so her place on the SBOE was virtually sealed when she beat a better Republican opponent in the primary. The straight party ticket voters, many probably not aware of her extreme views, swept her into office.
It is hoped that if HB 420 is passed it will allow candidates for this office to have more substantive debate than appealing to the primary voters only. If you are interested in this bill and in the SBOE races in general please see this listserv group site. And contact your House Rep and urge her to support this bill today.
The Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club has released a couple of videos on their legislative priorities, and how to contact your legislators.
Legislative Priorities:
(Cliff's Notes version:
1. Water Conservation
2. Parks and Wildlife Funding
3. Smart Transportation
4. Clean Energy
5. Clean Air)
How To Contact Your Legislator:
On Feb 17-18, the Sierra Club and the Alliance for a Clean Texas (ACT) are hosting a Citizen Lobby Training evening followed by a citizen lobbying day and a legislative conference. You can register now.
The winner of this race has big boots to fill in departing Rep. Pete Gallego, and of the five candidates filed for HD-74, Nevárez is the best choice. Nevárez is an attorney from Eagle Pass who served on his local school board for four years, as well as on the Maverick County Appraisal District. Due to his strong background in supporting public education he has been endorsed by the Texas State Teachers Association and Parent PAC as the strongest candidate in the field to continue Gallego's work supporting our schools and teachers. Nevárez has an inspiring personal story that demonstrates the power of education and opportunity -- he was the first member of his family to graduate from college, then went on to law school. Now he is a successful attorney with ten employees in four offices, and devotes substantial time and energy to providing free legal services to those in need. His background, work ethic, and commitment to his community demonstrate that he will be an able voice for providing educational and professional opportunities for all Texans on the floor of the state house.
Mary Gonzalez is an inspiring candidate. She has dedicated her life and career to helping others succeed, as an educator, Hispanic community organizer, and legislative staffer. The voters of HD-75 could hardly ask for a better individual to represent them in the state house. We are confident that she will do what is in the best interest of the people in her district, while also actively working towards our progressive goals here in Texas.
Gonzalez Toureilles was an impressive member of the Democratic delegation, and is the best candidate to take on whoever survives the Republican primary in this South Texas district. An attorney, Gonzalez Toureilles chaired the House Agriculture and Livestock Committee in 2009 and is a capable representative for the 43rd, which surrounds Corpus Christi and contains many constituents that depend on farming for their livelihood. Gonzalez Toureilles is absolutely the best choice in the Democratic primary -- her opponent can't stop saying how he wants to vote with the Republicans on key issues -- and best of all, she's the strongest candidate to win this seat in November.
