Our money’s on Perry as the victor in the March primary, if only for the anti-Washington sentiment swirling around the state. But he won’t emerge unscathed. As the primary takes its toll on his public image, doors open for the likely Democratic candidate, well-liked Houston Mayor Bill White, whose energy and planning initiatives, along with his economic management, have won him broad favor. By building a coalition of Hispanics, independents, and moderate Republicans from Texas’s growing, more Democrat-friendly urban centers, White will waltz into the governor’s mansion. But just barely.
Along with their prediction, they post the following video from PBS Houston:
Secondly, White received the endorsement of three House Democratic leaders today -- State Representatives Garnet Coleman, Jim Dumman, and Pete Gallego. The three issued the following joint-statement:
We are excited to partner with Bill White in his campaign to bring leadership to our state and meet Texas’ tough economic challenges. In Rick Perry’s decade of failure, our state’s budget has given away millions in special interest hand-outs when we should have been investing in sensible solutions that benefit everyday Texans. Texas needs leaders who put partisanship aside and let government work for the best interests of its people, and Bill White will do that as Governor.
Reps. Coleman, Dunnam, and Gallego released individual statements of support, as well. Each focused on economic issues -- an encouraging sign, to be sure. All three House Democrats have led the fight for public policy throughout the decade, and if they are coming out on White's behalf to challenge Perry on economic issues, then we should expect that -- at least at the top of the ticket -- we will have a true policy discussion on the economic challenges Perry has laid before the state.
With the announcement that Tom Schieffer is officially out of the Democratic gubernatorial primary, several of his highest-profile Democratic supporters released a statement today. From Representatives Garnet Coleman of Houston, Jim Dunnam of Waco, Jessica Farrar of Houston and Pete Gallego of Alpine (emphasis mine):
"We thank Tom for his steadfast support of Democratic principles, and the sacrifices that he and his wife have made over the last eight months as they traveled across Texas, addressing our states' crisis of leadership.
"We were proud to endorse Tom to serve as the next governor of Texas because he was willing to address issues and concerns that are important to Texas families - public education, jobs, children's health insurance, rising college tuition, energy, protecting the environment and transportation.
"The Democratic Party is still the only one that offers a chance for real change in Texas. Texans still deserve better than one Republican who wants to be governor for life and another who thinks the governor's mansion is a retirement home.
"We look forward to moving our state forward and redoubling our efforts to bring real leadership back to the state of Texas."
These four elected officials are tremendous progressive leaders in the statehouse. Their support of Schieffer carried significant weight, and perhaps prevented many Democrats from initially dismissing the Bush-voting former representative. As the race progresses, it will be interesting to see where their support moves. Previously, Reps. Coleman, Farrar, and Gallego had endorsed Mayor Bill White in his Senatorial bid.
Currently, with White not yet officially in the race and Shami and Gilbert averring that they will stay in the race, these become strong endorsements of the person who may be perceived as the next "establishment candidate," given the clout and respect these four carry amongst the progressive community.
Keep your eyes peeled, folks! This one is far from over just yet.
Compared to the Rick Perry vs. Kay Bailey Hutchison primed up bloodbath, attackfest, the Democratic ticket has been quiet and to a lesser degree, boring. Things have been so slow, bloggers and activists have started draft movements for Senators Leticia Van De Putte and Kirk Watson and former Austin District Attorney Ronnie Earle.
In the past 24 hours, there has been movement in the Governor's race on the Democratic side.
Yesterday, potential Agriculture Commissioner candidate Hank Gilbert announced he was interested in the top job instead. Today, Tom Schieffer show significant signs of life in the same place he started his race 6 months ago. Even Kinky Friedman sent an email out to his campaign list for the first time in months today.
State Representatives Garnet Coleman, Jim Dunnam, Jessica Farrar, and Pete Gallego joined Senfronia Thompson in endorsing Ambassador Schieffer.
"I am gratified by this broad base of Democratic support," Schieffer said. "These leaders have long been in the forefront - often fighting against strong Republican opposition - of efforts to improve education, make quality health care available to more Texans, improve our transportation system and lower insurance rates and utility bills. Together, we can reverse this race to the bottom and improve the quality of life for Texas families."
These endorsements represent an interesting cross section in the Texas House. Besides representing diverse parts of the state, each is a distinct leader in the state legislature.
Coleman chairs the Legislative Study Group, a nonpartisan caucus dedicated to the development of sound public policy for Texas families. Dunnam chairs the House Select Committee on Federal Economic Stabilization Funding, which played a key role in allocating federal stimulus dollars during the recent legislative session. Farrar is the current chair of the House Democratic Caucus and the founder and vice chair of the Women's Health Caucus and founder and secretary of the House Environmental Caucus. Gallego is a former chair of the House Democratic Caucus and former chair of the Mexican-American Legislative Caucus.
When Burnt Orange Report met with Schieffer in July we talked half the time about his Democratic credentials and half the time about policy. The elected officials endorsed him spent the entire time talking about Schieffer's qualifications and drawing a strong comparison between the Ambassador and his Republican counter parts, but the discussion of Democratic credentials were front and center.
"We are proud to endorse Ambassador Tom Schieffer to serve as the next governor of Texas because he is addressing issues and concerns that are important to Texas families - public education, jobs, children's health insurance, rising college tuition, energy, protecting the environment and transportation," Coleman said. "Tom Schieffer is going to be the next governor of Texas because he cares about solving real problems for Texas families."
Jim Dunnam made his statement after Coleman.
"Democrats across Texas can be proud to support Tom Schieffer - a fellow, lifelong Democrat who has never missed voting in a Democratic primary since he was old enough to vote in 1968," said Dunnam, the House Democratic Leader.
"Tom's service to our country during the previous administration doesn't change that," Dunnam added. "Texans deserve better than one Republican who wants to be governor for life and another who thinks the governor's mansion is a retirement home. That is why Democrats across the state will unite behind Tom Schieffer."
During press questions, Rep. Dunnam added, "we aren't a litmus test party. For us to have a candidate who is independently minded is positive."
"Tom Schieffer will be the next governor of Texas because he is a proven leader, not an ideologue," Gallego said. "His successful record as a lawyer, businessman and diplomat proves he will bring people together from across the political spectrum and put the needs of Texas and Texans ahead of narrow partisan and ideological interests."
Of course the question was asked whether Schieffer's Democratic credentials were a concern to any of the endorsers. None of them said it was an issue. Garnet Coleman went as far as to say that he couldn't disagree with any person who voted for a friend and business partner. Senfronia Thompson added her belief many Democrats have voted for a Republican but Schieffer was one of the few to be honest about it. Dunnam followed up with the fact he viewed it as a strength.
Will that stop the question? Only time will tell but now there is a chorus standing behind Schieffer and the backing of the House leaders allowed him to sum up how he will approach this race.
"This is the Democratic Party's first opportunity to win in a long time. The Republican Party has been bankrupt by its leader," Schieffer said. Nobody is entitled to anything. You have to earn it."
Questions may still exist about Schieffer, but with a Democratic primary looming and a campaign being organized, voters and activist may get their answers sooner than later.
Republicans control the House so there should be a Republican slant in the committees and with Republican chairs. Seems logical.
Texas Insider has a story outlining exactly where the Gang of 11 were put:
District 7: Rep. Tommy Merritt - Chair of Public Safety
District 10: Rep. Jim Pitts - Chair of Appropriations
District 15: Rep. Rob Eissler - Chair of Public Education
District 17: Rep. Byron Cook - Chair of Environmental Regulation
District 44: Rep. Edmund Kuempel - Chair of Licensing & Administrative Procecures
District 60: Rep. Jim Keffer - Chair of Energy Resources
District 65: Rep. Burt Solomons - Chair of State Affairs
District 66: Rep. Brian McCall - Chair of Calendars
District 83: Rep. Delwin Jones - Chair of Redistricting
District 99: Rep. Charlie Geren - Chair of House Administration
District 121: Rep. Joe Straus - Speaker of the House
That means the gang of 11 control the three most important committee's Calendars, Appropriations, and State Affairs.
Texas Insider aptly describes the committees as:
Calendars - controls the order and placement of bills on appropriate calendars.
State Affairs - oversees bills on hot button social issues such as abortion rights and Voter ID.
Appropriations - jurisdiction over all bills that request money to or from the state treasury.
That makes sense, the Gang of 11 chose Straus and with the Democrats, pushed Straus to victory. What doesn't make sense are the hyper partisan committee creations Straus made.
The best example is Criminal Jurisprudence which is filled with conservative Republicans who pushed for tort reform. Another committee that signaled how dismissive Straus was to Democrats is the Elections committee. As one lobbyist pointed out, the Elections committee under Todd Smith could produce some very scary legislation.
Phi has already aptly pointed out the structure of the Elections Committee virtually guarantees voter ID legislation gets to the floor.
Straus has marginalized key House Democratic leaders too.
After Rep Jim Dunnam secured nearly 70 votes for anyone to challenge Tom Craddick, he is placed on Environmental Regulation and Transportation. Dunnam did get a nice megaphone to attack Rick Perry's refusal to accept federal aide as Chair of the select committee on Federal Economic Stabilization Funding, but it comes with out a natural base of support unlike State Affairs or Regulated Industries.
Another good example is Rep. Senfronia Thompson. Thompson was a candidate for Speaker and an early endorser of Straus. She is currently serving her 17th term. What committee assignments did she receive? Insurance, Licensing & Administrative Procedures (Vice Chair), and Local & Consent Calendars (Chair). The Local and Consent Calendar Committee is were non-controversial bills go if they have received unanimous support in committee. This is a thankless job and is one of the weakest chair positions Straus could give out. Rep. Thompson is too good to be chair of this thankless committee.
Straus also showed that he was willing to be as partisan as past Republicans. He painted a nice target on freshmen Democrats giving them lower weaker committees. Democrats like Kristi Thibaut, Robert Miklos, Chris Turner and others will do incredible work in smaller committees. One Democratic freshman got some solid committee assignments-Diana Maldonado.
Maldonado was placed on the powerful State Affairs committee and Defense & Veterans' Affairs.
As the same lobbyist put it, this is because Williamson County is trending too rapidly to the Democratic Party. Maldonado won a tough election in an open race. Now she is an incumbent and Annie's List incumbent at that. With work from WilCo and Travis County Democrats, Diana should be fine.
On the other hand, Todd Hunter is being propped up.
After winning a close election against Juan Garcia, Hunter was given three committee assignments and one chairmanship. Hunter will be on the General Investigating & Ethics and Insurance Committees and will chair Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence. This is a double slap to Democrats. Garcia campaigns on reforming the Insurance Commissioner's office and making that an elected position and was backed by the Texas Trial Lawyers Association.
Now we know how Straus feels about both of those things.
Straus is better than Craddick. That is absolutely true. However, Straus as Speaker shows how important it is for us to take back the House. If we want to really stop Voter ID, reregulate tuition, or provide insurance for all of Texas' children, a Democrat needs to hold the House gavel.
The Mexican American Legislative Caucus (MALC) elected its officers today.
MALC is one of the largest non-partisan caucus in the state legislature. It was recently chaired by Rep. Pete Gallego (D-Alpine), but today the members elected new leadership.
Trey Martinez Fischer, the former vice-chair, will take the helm as Chairman. Abel Herrero, former Legal Counsel is the new Vice Chairman. Newly elected State House member Diana Maldonado will serve as Secretary. Solomon Ortiz Jr. was elected as Treasurer and Veronica Gonzales will become the new Legal Counsel.
Ortiz stated in a press release, "It is an honor to serve my colleagues in a leadership role as MALC Treasurer. MALC has shown time and again that is a force to be reckoned with legislatively and an important advocate for the Hispanic community and all Texans."
MALC was founded in 1973, it is a non-profit, non-partisan organization composed of over 40 members of the Texas House of Representatives committed to addressing the issues that Latinos face across the state of Texas.
Rep. Gallego is currently running for Speaker of the Texas House and for disclosure purposes employed me during the 80th Session.
The resurgence of the Democratic Party has never been more clear than now. With 8 days until the election, the House Democratic Campaign Committee (HDCC) has spent $1,000,000 since July 1 to support Democrats running for election and re-election to the Texas House.
When the HDCC started in 2004, it had one contract employee, a few thousand dollars in the bank and a 26 seat deficit in numbers. No one imagined taking back the House in 3 election cycles was remotely possible. Because of the numbers and a punitive redistricting map, we thought a 10 year plan was optimistic, and only hopelessly delusional optimists thought about a majority by 2009 (apologies to Lon).
What started initially as a simple idea to form a PAC where House Democrats could help fellow Democratic members has grown to become one of the most trusted, respected and impressive political operations in Texas. You should be proud to be part of that effort.
The truth of the matter is HDCC is one of the biggest reasons why we are on the brink of taking back the Texas House. They have committed to working with newly elected Democrats and guide them through the process. They have had laser focus before and during elections to win swing seats. All the headaches Tom Craddick and Terry Keel have on a daily basis, are because of the HDCC and it's leaders.
While Tom Craddick has lost control of his 26-seat majority in his tenure as Speaker of the House, Jim Dunnam, Pete Gallego, and Garnet Coleman have picked up seats every cycle since creating the HDCC.
One State Republican Executive Committee Member, Mark McCraig said in a recent editorial, "What was once a 26-seat Republican majority in 2003 has dwindled to an eight-seat majority today, and that number will almost certainly shrink again this year."
McCraig goes one step further in his editorial in the Stateman:
An ethical cloud also surrounds Craddick because of his close ties to lobbyists. Last year, Craddick and a prominent lobbyist were sued by a tour company after a dispute over a fishing trip to Brazil that Craddick and the lobbyist had canceled. Financial disclosure forms filed by Craddick also show a business relationship with a lobbyist whose identity he refuses to disclose. In light of recent scandals, grass-roots Republicans must demand that their leaders act in a manner that is beyond reproach.
In nearly 40 years in the Legislature, Craddick helped build the Republican Party and the conservative movement in Texas. Unfortunately, his recent actions have cast a shadow on years of public service, and he must recognize that the best way to promote the Republican Party and the conservative values he claims to represent is to allow a new speaker to serve.
Rather than having a Tom Craddick appointed successor, it is time to have a Democrat lead the House.
As the letter points out:
One million dollars is a heck of a lot of money - particularly in the face of our opposition. It is the tangible result of tireless work done by Texas Democrats who want to restore a sense of balance to the Texas House. You should know that the confidence shown us by donors is really a direct result of our Caucus unity demonstrated session after session in the face of adversity. They saw us fighting the good fight, persevering in the face of overwhelming odds and standing tall for the people of Texas. Our unity of voice and effort has not been in vain.
In a point of personal privilege, I want to thank Rep. Dunnam, Rep. Gallego, Rep. Coleman, and the hard working staff at HDCC for everything y'all have done this year and the harder ones before.
That being said, we have one week left, let's take back the House today!
To read the full letter from Jim Dunnam, Pete Gallego, and Garnet Coleman to the Democratic Caucus, click here (warning it is a pdf).
Rounding out the House Democratic Leadership, Jim Dunnam has endorsed Barack Obama for President.
It gives me great pride to endorse Barack Obama for President. The constituents I serve, and all the people of Texas, are tired of politics as usual. In Texas -- and across the rest of the country -- we want a president who will finally put doing what is right above corporate special interests and radical partisan agendas. We want change we can believe in, not the same old Washington-style promises made and promises broken.
Texas House Democrats are fighting hard to improve our public schools and bring health coverage to the uninsured. With Barack Obama as president, we will have a remarkable ally in achieving those vital goals and many more.
Rep. Dunnam joins Rep. Pete Gallego and Rep. Garnet Coleman in endorsing Sen. Obama. This unity among House Democratic leaders shows the diversity of support Obama is building in the Lone Star state and the positive impact he should have in down ballot races.
Rep. Gallego told the Rio Grande Guardian earlier this week, "I just think he has this ability, an almost unnatural ability. His cadence, is very, very, good. He can really excite the mind."
Gallego is the Chair of the non-partisan Mexican American Legislative Caucus which comprises mostly Hispanic members of the Texas House of Representatives. Gallego told the Guardian he was in the process of contacting other Democrats in MALC to see who they are lining up for in the presidential election which could dramatically cut into Clinton's base.
"Part of what drives me is his life story. It's a fascinating life story. It's more than just the issues, it's his values. I think Hispanics and South Texas should really be able to relate to him."
Most interesting about these three endorsements is that it covers Houston, Central Texas (where unpledged superdelegate Chet Edwards lives), and the expansive West Texas region. In addition to the turf these endorsements cover, these are three major leaders in the Texas House with access to influence makers and voters a like.
Last night was an incredible success for TexBlog PAC. Over 150 individuals, candidates, elected officials, and bloggers attended the inaugural fundraiser at the home of Austin attorney Amy Clark Meachum. Our friend and fellow TexBlog PAC board member Vince Liebowitz drove in to town to celebrate with us, and there is a lot to celebrate.
TexBlog PAC is less than two months old, and already we can say that it is an overwhelming success.
In less than two months over 5,000 people have signed up to take back the House. We have raised over $10,000 from a little over 100 donors. We have a working coalition that includes our largest supporter to date, the Texas Democratic Party, the Lone Star Project, the House Democratic Campaign Committee (who's board includes Rep. Jim Dunnam, Rep. Pete Gallego, and Rep. Garnet Coleman), and Democracy for Texas. This doesn't even begin to cover the more than a dozen Democratic State House Members that have given generously.
A very special thanks to the 7 Democratic House members who took the time to attend the event last night-- Pete Gallego, Lon Burnam, Elliott Naishtat, Eddie Rodriguez, Tracy King, Mark Strama, Valinda Bolton.
All this and we are just getting started. Not a single person on the board is getting paid for their efforts, and still, every blogger across the state is devoting their personal time and energy to this project. We are uniquely committed to taking back the State House, and it appears you are too.
Last night, my former boss, Rep. Gallego spoke to the crowd and told them we are at a crossroad. In 2001, we had 78 Democrats in the House. In two short years that number fell to 62 because of Tom DeLay and Tom Craddick. Over the past 4 years, we have increased our numbers from 62 to 70 Democrats in the House. It is our turn to join with groups like DFT, HDCC, TDP, and local counties and organizations to help win the next 6 seats.
Texas Bloggers will only be as successful as you allow us to be. Your donations will allow us to build a movement and elect good Democrats next November.
To all of you who made it last night, a huge thank you. To those who have supported us, thank you. We have one year to work together and take back the people's house. Help TexBlog PAC achieve that goal.
Last night we proved we were more than an echo chamber.
When we are fortunate enough to score a touchdown we usually subscribe to the theory of "act like you've been there", rather than dancing like an idiot. However, I think it's important for us to stop for a second and take inventory regarding just how far the House Democratic Caucus has come since 2003.
In 2003, after Tom DeLay's illegally laundered TRMPAC money financed the Republican takeover of the Texas House and the ascension of Tom Craddick to the absolute pinnacle of power, Democrats were bruised, battered, and paralyzed by a 13-seat deficit in the Texas House. The partisan make-up of the house was 62-D and 88-R. For those who were around, it was an accomplishment for the D's to hold 40 votes on anything.
After the courageous and historic party switch of Kirk England this week, House Democrats have shrunk that deficit from 13 to a mere 5 seats. No one deserves more credit for these significant accomplishments than the Leader of the House Democratic Caucus, Jim Dunnam.
When the Caucus was at the lowest point in its history, Representative Dunnam stepped up to the plate and accepted the challenge. No one, friend or foe, can argue with his results.
After pulling of the impossible (Ardmore), Reps. Dunnam, Gallego, and Coleman formed the House Democratic Campaign Committee (HDCC). During the 2004 elections, House Democrats netted 1 seat in the House by knocking off Craddick's Chair of House Appropriations, Talmadge Heflin. In 2006, House Democrats had unprecedented success by picking up 6 seats; 5 on election-day and 1 during a special election to fill Todd Baxter's old seat.
This past week, after months of persistent and skillful negotiations, Mr. Dunnam and other House Democrats pulled off the impossible by convincing a Republican State Rep. (Kirk England) to switch parties and run as a Democrat.
After years of hard work by many folks, we are now only 6 seats away from electing a Democratic Speaker and moving Texas forward. Every step of the way, no one has shown more skill or courage in taking on Tom Craddick and his corrupt right-wing cronies than our fearless House Democratic leaders; Dunnam, Gallego, Coleman, Hochberg, Thompson, and the other good Democrats in the Texas House.
Since Rep. Dunnam chooses not to dance in the end zone, we thought we'd do it for him. Thanks for all that you've done for Democrats in Texas, and go win us 6 more seats next November!
Most of you know by now that the Texas progressive blogosphere has put together and launched TexBlog PAC. The inaugural fundraiser is September 24th in Austin and the sponsors are a who's who of Texas luminaries from all over the state.
With sponsors like Jim Dunnam, Pete Gallego, Lon Burnam, Eddie Rodriguez, Valinda Bolton, Mark Strama, the Texas Democratic Party, House Democratic Campaign Committee, and Texas Progress Council PAC, blogs are taking online action offline. We are ready and prepared to shake up the '08 election cycle.
What does the Republican Party think of this? In a Fort-Worth Star Telegram article out today, Hans Klinger the political director of the Texas Republican Party dismisses anyone working to take back Texas.
Hans Klingler, the political director of the Texas Republican Party, is not convinced. Texas voters have not elected a Democrat to a statewide office since 1994, and Republicans have been steadily whittling down the Democrats' advantage at the county level, the one stage in Texas that they still control, Klingler said.
Klingler also suggested that the Democratic bloggers are less of a grassroots movement and more of an echo chamber, where the handful of writers and readers talk almost exclusively to one another.
"Maybe they're a majority in the virtual world," he quipped.
When September 25th hits the number one question bloggers will get is, "so how much did you raise?" There is no way we can let the Republican Party get away with calling us an echo chamber and a virtual majority. In the last four years we have worked for candidates like Carlos Uresti, Juan Garcia, Valinda Bolton, Boris Miles, Ellen Cohen, and many many more.
House Democratic leader Jim Dunnam already knows we are an agent of change.
"I think the blogosphere is giving voice to what a lot of ordinary Texans are thinking, and that is that we need a change of leadership in Austin," said Dunnam, of Waco. "I think they are really helpful in spreading the message that it's Democrats who are going to be the agents of change in 2008."
Prove Jim Dunnam right and come by the home of Kurt and Amy Clark Meachum on September 24th. We are going to be celebrating the beginning of TexBlog PAC's journey to help win back the Texas House at 5103 Cedro Trail Austin Texas 78731 from 6 to 8 p.m. and saying thank you for your support.
