Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson says he will either run for Lieutenant Governor or seek re-election in 2010, according to a story by the Statesman's Asher Price.
If Patterson is able to win the Lieutenant Governor nomination (which could be a big "if" considering Attorney General Greg Abbott is considering the race and David Dewhurst could possibly run for re-election), he could be a good target for Democrats.
The Statesman seems to think his recent behavior has created a "distinctive political presence" that serves him well. While it will ultimately be up to the voters to decide, some of the things he has done are clearly out of the mainstream and might turn off moderates. and independents.
Patterson, one of the most controversial figures in the state as the Christmas Mountains debate raged, says he will run again, and maybe for higher office, in 2010. Democrats say he is vulnerable, but others say the imbroglio, far from injuring him, may have enhanced his image as a plain-talking, property rights-supporting, gun-toting personality, which goes down easy in many parts of Texas. At the Republican state convention in Houston this month, a video composed of photographs of Patterson aiming a gun, boarding a plane in his Marine flight suit, marching through the Christmas Mountains and posing with his family was broadcast as the Tom Petty song "I Won't Back Down" played in the background.
But the man who packs a pistol in his boot (he says he owns about a hundred guns) and appears to shoot from the hip is actually deliberate in his aim. He has built a political career as a contrarian who uses contrariness to his advantage, crafting a distinctive political presence that serves him well in a bluster-prone state like Texas ...
Democrats suspect that voters want somebody to be part of the solution, not part of the problem," Democratic consultant Kelly Fero said. "They want someone who can get along with others, make government work, rather than deliver ideological statements."
In an action that embodies Patterson's ability to invite both admiration and notoriety, he hands out unofficial business cards that feature the Texas flag as it was under the Confederacy. (A native of Houston, he is a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans; his great-grandfather served.) The father of 4-year-old twins, as well as two adult children from a previous marriage, he says he has sworn off running for a seat in Congress because he can't stand being anywhere north of Fredericksburg, Va., on the East Coast.
The article also speculates about a few Democrats who may be eyeing the race for Land Commissioner.
If Patterson runs for re-election as land commissioner, he will be a favorite against opponents who could include Democratic state Rep. Patrick Rose of Dripping Springs, Kinky Friedman or Bastrop County Judge Ronnie McDonald ...
I think Kinky Friedman's ego is too big and his experience too small to mount a serious bid for Land Commissioner. The other two mentioned candidates, however, are intriguing.
Rep. Patrick Rose is one of the rising stars of the party. He has made some votes that we probably don't all agree with, but he is extremely well-liked by his constituents and has turned what should be a Republican seat into a district where he received over 60 percent in 2006.
Rose is also one of the most prolific fund raisers in the House. If he is looking for a statewide office to run for in 2010, I think he would be wise to take a long look at the Land Commissioner's race. Rumors have also circulated about Rose and the attorney general's race for sometime. He would give Democrats a great chance in either race.
I don't know anything about Judge McDonald, but I'm hoping some of our readers, like Robert from Bastrop County, will be able to shed some light on his potential candidacy.
State Rep. Patrick Rose (D-Dripping Springs) will be in Washington, D.C. today to testify in front of the U.S. Congressional Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Rose will be testifying about the efforts to reform the Pederanles Electric Cooperative.
This announcement [of Rose's testimony] comes less than a day after subpoenas were issued for PEC General Manager Bennie Fuelberg and former board President W.W. "Bud" Burnett to explain to Congress about their management (or, as is accused by rate payers facing soaring bills, mis-management) of the biggest electricity co-op in Texas, and a week since the entire board was replaced in elections.
In a press release printed by the Chronicle, Rep. Rose had this to say about the plans to reform the PEC.
"I will put an end to the PEC management's high salaries and lavish spending so that it can afford to keep electric rates low and share its profits with ratepayers. Legislation that makes electric cooperatives across our state follow open meetings and public information laws is the only way to prevent future abuses at PEC and for the nearly 3 million Texans served by co-ops across our state," said State Rep. Patrick Rose.
Republican state Senator Troy Fraser, PEC GM Juan Garza, and co-op members Carlos Higgins and John Watson are also testifying at the hearing.
The Texas Democratic Party has put a lot of video content on their YouTube channel which we'll be posting through today as we reflect on the state convention. Consider subscribing to it.
A tribute to former First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson.
State Representatives Mark Strama and Patrick Rose share a humorous moment with the convention.
Some may call it atonement, making amends, expressing regret, or otherwise. But whatever it was, Rep. Patrick Rose's brief speech to the Stonewall Democrats caucus brought the room to rapt attention and complete silence. He went straight to the point in his remarks.
In 2005 I made a terrible mistake. I supported Robert Talton's amendment to the foster bill...
Wow. He commented on how his vote was uneducated, uninformed, and unworthy of defense. It was a sincere statement, and if you look at these things in purely political terms (yeah, we know you're out there), you can view it as a needed statement both for the community and obviously for any future elections.
In other caucus news, openly gay Houston City Councilwoman and DNC member Sue Lovell spoke. She commented on her DNC seat in that she had an opponent (also from Houston and African American I think) and asked members to stick with her community. Interestingly, Rep. Terri Hodge (who is African American) spoke after her and make a point to endorse Sue saying she was being "unfairly" challenged. Of course, I don't think there is anything as a "fair" or "unfair" challenge for DNC seats as many of the people that hold them feel more entitled to the title and the ticket to the national convention than actually doing anything productive with it.
Whether one supports or opposes the actions of the Craddick D's last session, they chose to establish themselves as a separate group in the Texas Legislature. Calling themselves "Democrats for Reform," they laid out an agenda at the start of session. At the end of session, they claimed their agenda was a success, and that the key successes for Democrats this session were the result of the deals they had struck with Speaker Craddick. They also touted the personal victories they won for their district by supporting Craddick, and many were proud to call themselves "Craddick D's."
It should be noted, though, that only a handful of those who attended the first press conference (announcing the Democrats for Reform, at the start of session) attended the second (after the challenge to Craddick at the end of May). More over, the voracity to which "their agenda" can be called a success was called into question.
With the announcement that Chairman Robert Puente will retire, I thought it would be appropriate to see exactly how those "Democrats for Reform" are doing today. This is merely meant as an update -- trying to keep track of our Democrats in the Texas House. I select them out as a group not out of hostility, but because they chose to set themselves apart from the House Democratic Caucus.
Update: To clarify, I designated whether or not any of the following State Representatives would "still vote for Craddick" based on their last known public position -- which I sourced as best as possible in the middle column. Any additional news that any of the Members or anyone else wish to share, please send me an e-mail or post a comment, and I will update the chart appropriately.
The Craddick D's: Where We Are Today - October 22, 2007
Voted "present, not voting" during Rep. Haggerty's roll call speech; Rep. Chavez was quoted in the Houston Chronicle saying she would support new leadership in 2009.
No
Deshotel, Joe
Voted "against" Craddick during Rep. Haggerty's roll call speech.
No
Dukes, Dawnna
Though there were rumors that some in Austin were looking for a primary challenger, none have surfaced. The last known public statement was that Rep. Dukes stands by Craddick - though I'm not certain she'd vote for Craddick again.
Was one of the handful of Democrats proudly trumpeting the "Democrats for Reform" agenda at the end of session. No other public indication of her stance, and no primary news to date.
Yes
Guillen, Ryan
No challenger, no news. Though if the budget committee is still this hard, would he want it?
On the motion to vacate at end of session, was said to be "flip-flopping." No news, though with Rep. Puente's retirement, she is the only Craddick-supporter in San Antonio.
Of the 15, there are definitely 5 fewer supporters for Craddick, two "maybes" (three, if you include Rep. Turner), three Craddick D's facing primary challenges, and maybe a few more who would no longer call themselves Craddick D's.
When state Rep. Patrick Rose last week seconded the nomination of House Speaker Tom Craddick, it was a public acknowledgment of Rose's crucial role in helping the Midland Republican survive a rare rebellion.
-Laylan Copelin, reporting for the Austin American-Statesman on January 16
Copelin, in his opening paragraph, essentially gave the reason that would explain any arguments that a Patrick Rose statewide run in 2010 is completely out of the question.
In May, though; rumors were abound about Mr. Rose and were reported effectively by Captiol Annex:
Patrick Rose, who this week announced he was no longer a Craddick supporter, is subject of a fairly interesting rumor de jour. We've confirmed this from several reliable sources who tell us it's correct.
Rep. Rose reportedly had dinner last week with some Texans for Lawsuit Reform folks. They told him he should consider a 2010 run for Texas Attorney General.
Then, this week, he disavowed Craddick, who is heavily supported by TLR.
Yesterday, Rose reportedly tried to rejoin the Speaker's leadership team. He reportedly sought out Rep. Kino Flores for help reparing the broken relationship. The effort was reportedly rejected by Craddick.
We've now heard that, this morning, Rose called Russ Tidewll of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association with the announcement he's ready to play ball with them.
The news that prompted me to write this post, though; was the article that informed me of Mr. Rose's goal of $1 million for the cycle, and the account of Bill White's appearance.
In the former of those two reports, I was struck by this quote:
"If anybody can do it [raise $1 million], he can," Austin lobbyist Rusty Kelley predicted. "No one is offended when Patrick Rose calls and needs help."
And then Matt Stiles pointed out that Mr. White "offered a possible narrative for a gubernatorial bid." Stiles also noted that White and Rose are friends.
This all led me to speculation, and it may be speculation only. However, many of us are already on the Bill White Gubernatorial bandwagon, and it seems like Bill White would support a Rose run. Patrick Rose also has the support of Lance Armstrong, another big name. He's charismatic, and he can raise money. Finally, there have been rumors about him running in 2010 since at least May.
So, do you think Patrick Rose will run? Would you support a Rose run (in a primary)? If he ran, which statewide position would you think best for him? Your thoughts, my fellow progressives, are welcome.
Patrick Rose and Eddie Lucio III are no longer with Craddick. Both men were instrumental in Craddick maintaining power this session, and rewarded for their loyalty.
Rose was given the charimanship of Human Services after giving a stunning speech blaming Democrats for failing to work with Craddick in the 79th Session and Interim. Now he has changed his tune.
I respect the Speaker and his family but I believe the House has to be governed from the middle.
The drumbeat is getting louder as the day progresses.
Well, Sylvester Turner's CHIP bill- HB 109- just got killed on the house floor real quick. Which is par for the course for Tom Craddick. Helping Texas children? That's a no-go in Craddickland.
What's interesting about this entire event though is who was up front arguing for the bill and who was on the back mike throwing the point of order. In the front you've got Turner, Speaker Pro Tempore Turner, a Craddick Democrat who received the honor of being chosen to shepherd the one CHIP bill through the legislative process.
The bill sailed through a committee chaired by another Craddick D, Patrick Rose, and seemed to be on its way to passing the House. Until Republican Robert Talton decided to gum up the works.
Remember the Craddick 15. The 15 Democrats who helped Tom Craddick retain his seat as Speaker of the House. As a result, here are the assignments Papa Bear Craddick gave to his children:
Sylvester Turner: Speaker Pro Tempore; CBO of Regulated Industries; Calendars; Appropriations
Kevin Bailey: CHAIR of Urban Affairs; Business & Industry; General Investigating & Ethics
Norma Chavez: VICE CHAIR of Calendars; Appropriations; CBO of Financial Institutions
Joe Deshotel: CHAIR of Economic Development; Redistricting; Transportation
Dawnna Dukes: CBO of Culture, Rec & Tourism; Appropriations; Calendars
Kino Flores: CHAIR of Licensing & Administrative Procedures; Redistricting; Ways & Means
Helen Giddings: CHAIR of Business & Industry; VICE CHAIR of House Administration; Higher Education
Ryan Guillen: VICE CHAIR of Appropriations; Calendars; Natural Resources
Harold Dutton: CHAIR of Juvenile Justice & Family Issues; General Investigating & Ethics; Public Education
Tracy King: CHAIR of Border & International Affairs; Environmental Regulation
Eddie Lucio: CBO of Environmental Regulation; Appropriations; Local & Consent Calendars
Ruth Jones McClendon: CHAIR of Rules & Regulations; CBO of Pensions & Investments; Appropriations
Aaron Pena: CHAIR of Criminal Jurisprudence; Ways & Means
Robert Puente: CHAIR of Natural Resources; Local Government Ways & Means
Patrick Rose: CHAIR of Human Services; Higher Education
The AAS is reporting committee assignments have been made. AAS article 1/25/07
Two Central Texas Democrats will be big winners in the Texas House committee sweepstakes.
Rep. Dawnna Dukes of Austin will lead a subcommittee on the powerful Appropriations Committee, which oversees state spending, and will become a member of the Calendars Committee, which controls the flow of legislation onto the House floor.
Rep. Patrick Rose of Dripping Springs will be chairman of the Human Services Committee, which deals with children's insurance, Child Protective Services, and state schools and hospitals. Rose also will remain a member of the Higher Education Committee.
