Update:Here is a side by side comparison of the November 8 pledge list compared to the list released today on Quorum Report. Notice that he has lost half of his Democratic support and nearly a third of his Republican support.
In an interview with Peggy Fikac at the Houston Chronicle, Waxahachie Republican Jim Pitts says he will announce today that he will jump in the race for speaker.
"I told Speaker Craddick that I didnt think he could get the numbers that he needed (to be re-elected as head of the House). I dont think Brian (McCall) is getting the numbers. And I've got a consensus group that has asked me to run," Pitts said in an interview minutes after he mailed his paperwork for the race.
That now makes it a four person race with the Democratic Candidate, Senfronia Thompson, endorsing Brian McCall.
It appears that the 149 members of the legislature are tired of Craddick and his horrid leadership.
Craddick has also released a new list of pledges that indicates waining support. After the November election, Craddick announced he had the support of 109 of the 149 member body, now his support is down to 83 (including a handful of Democrats).
As we get closer and closer to January 9, it appears that Craddick is losing more and more momentum.
Yesterday we reported Brian McCall's intention to run for Speaker of the Texas House.
According to Quorum Report and Paul Burka, it appears another name may enter into the Speakers Race after Christmas:
Another name that has been in circulation is Rep. Robert Talton (R-Houston). In his blog last Thursday, Paul Burka speculated that Talton [simply] was positioning [himself] for chairmanship of Civil Practices under the sponsorship of plaintiff's attorney Mikhail Watts.
Craddick's obscene pay to play model of leadership must go. Anyone but Craddick (ABC) is better than the "leadership" we have now.
As Democratic leader Rep. Jim Dunnam said to the Dallas Morning News, "There's a good majority of House members that believe Tom Craddick should not lead the House next session."
It is time for a new leader in the Texas House. Someone who will not allow special interests to buy legislation or friends like Bob Perry or Jim Leininger decide the direction will take.
It is as simple as ABC, Anyone But Craddick is good for Texas.
(Missed this one yesterday. - promoted by Karl-Thomas Musselman)
The El Paso Times today announced their endorsements in the March 7th Democratic Primary.
Governor: Bob Gammage has wide experience, from soldier to lawmaker to state Supreme Court justice, and a desire for open government and restoring public trust. He's the best Democratic candidate
Of course this is just one of many endorsements that Bob has earned this week, including one that is deeply impressive to me, that of Houston Representative Senfronia Thompson. She was one of the courageous few in the House who stood firm against bigotry and spoke out publicly during the debate over HJR 6, the bill that led to Prop 2's placement on the ballot last November. Needless to say, it's deeply encouraging to see a Democrat like Thompson endorse Gammage.
