If there was any doubt about the fundraising abilities of State Representative and Lt. Colonel Rick Noriega then they should be put to rest. The Noriega campaign reports having raised $570,000 for the 3rd quarter of 2007, besting 3 out of the 5 Democratic senatorial challengers in 2006 based on their October 15th '06 FEC reports. Vince Leibowitz at Capital Annex and DailyKos have more.
The report, the first for the State Representative and Lt. Colonel's exploratory campaign, shows growing momentum for his campaign to unseat incumbent Republican John Cornyn.
"Rick Noriega's strength is his story," noted his campaign manager Sue Schechter, referring to his long history of service, including a tour of duty in Afghanistan, playing a leading role in the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in Houston, commanding troops and serving five terms as a State Representative. "As our very first FEC report makes clear, Rick has the fundraising appeal and a growing network of supporters to ensure we'll have the resources to communicate his story to the voters."
In addition to Noriega's support from a growing list of the state's leading Democratic donors, the campaign also raised $158,860 online from over 1,100 donations via ActBlue, the Democratic clearinghouse for online donations. That made the Noriega campaign the most successful non-incumbent Senate candidate on ActBlue during the 3rd quarter. The report also includes a $5,000 contribution from VoteVets.org PAC, the leading political organization of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, as well as a $50,000 loan Noriega made to his own campaign, and nearly 1,300 unique contributors.
If you haven't jumped on board the Noriega express it's best to get on for the ride now as we take this train to Washington DC in 2008.
The endorsements keep coming for State Representative, and Democratic US Senate candidate Rick Noriega.
Today he earned the backing of Votevets.org, which is led by Iraq War veteran Jon Soltz, and advised by former NATO Supreme Allied Commander General Wesley Clark.
As an Afghanistan veteran, you are keenly and personally aware that the current course we are on has not only brought our fine Army and Marine Corps to the breaking point, but has endangered our security, as al Qaeda has been able to reconstitute and strengthen itself in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The dose of reality that you will bring to the floor of the Senate couldn't come at a more important time.
Unfortunately for Texans, one of the weakest voices on troops' and veterans' issues has been John Cornyn. Whether it's his steadfast refusal to allow our military time to refit and rearm for the long fight against terror ahead, or his votes against care for veterans, Texas has little to be proud of when it comes to John Cornyn's record on the veterans and troops. We know, however, you will be our champion.
Brandon Friedman wrote on DailyKos that not only will monetary donations be coming, but boots on the ground in the form of a team of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans based out of Dallas that can be utilized by Noriega's campaign in whatever capacity they see fit.
This endorsement is as big as the Hobby and Briscoe endorsements, as well as the Soechting and Molly Beth Malcom one's. The promise of boots on the ground, made up mostly of veterans from Afghanistan and Iraq, speaks volumes. It will be certainly what is needed to not only get through the primary, but the general election should Noriega make it that far.
"Senator Warner is a great patriot and a student of history, and he's clearly sending a signal to the Iraqis that our patience is not unlimited, and that's correct," said Cornyn, a fellow member of Senate Armed Services Committee. "But I don't think it's in our best interest to put so much pressure on the new Iraqi government that it absolutely collapses."
"We don't want to allow that to happen, because it would make us less safe here at home," he said.
Not in our best interests to put pressure on the Iraqi government?They are in RECESS for the month of August while our brave men and women in uniform slog through 120 degree heat in desert terrain. They are doing it because men like Cornyn rubberstamped a neocon debacle of the first order out of Party loyalty and not American national security interests. His rubberstamp has made our country more vulnerable and less safe in a post 9/11 world.
I would suggest that instead of half-hearted compliments towards Senator John Warner that Cornyn become a quick study of exactly why an elder statesman of Warner's caliber has come full circle on his once staunch support for a war in ancient Mesopotamia. Warner, like many Democrats have already, has seen the writing on the wall.
You know how the rest of the rhyme goes, but it would appear that Cornyn is so desperate to continue pandering at the heels of his master George W. Bush that he feels the need to trot Karl Rove out for a fundraiser to bolster his war chest.
Cornyn’s fundraising efforts have apparently taken on a sense of urgency based on Mikal Watt’s $1.1 million haul this past quarter, which allowed Senator Rubberstamp to recycle Chapter 3 of the GOP playbook entitled “Attack the Trial Lawyers.”
Cornyn has scheduled a series of fundraisers for the weekend of July 20, featuring presidential adviser Karl Rove as the main attraction. But an invitation letter for the Harlingen event also plays off Republican reactions to trial lawyers.
"We will also have the opportunity to help the senator begin preparing for what appears to be a wealthy, self-financed personal injury lawyer opponent," said a Cornyn campaign committee letter signed by James G. Springfield, CEO of Valley Baptist Health System in Harlingen.
A Cornyn fundraising letter sent out last month by John Nau of Houston noted: "Unfortunately, John appears to have drawn a very wealthy personal injury lawyer Mikal Watts as a potential opponent." Cornyn's aides declined to discuss the specifics of his letters.
Senator John Cornyn, the ever so dutiful lemming he has proven to be in the United States Senate, will stand with President Bush and his continued debacle in Iraq:
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, a staunch supporter of Bush's Iraq policies, said he and many others would stick behind Bush. But "obviously everyone was concerned, and we're trying to figure out what the answer is," he said.
The answer is simple, John, while other Republican senators show the political courage to tell the president that his strategies continue and fail, leaving only the choice of bringing our men and women home, Senator John Cornyn sticks with the unpopular stance of supporting a neoconservative democracy installation project.
When we elect a Democrat senator in 2008 from Texas we’ll be that much closer to bringing the troops home from that pit of disaster in ancient Mesopotamia.
Aaron Blake of the The Hill wrote a detailed article about our emerging Democratic primary contest, focusing mostly on the money Mikal Watts raised, which Blake notes here:
Watts raised about as much as incumbents such as Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Mary Landrieu (D-La.), who are up for reelection in 2008, in about a third of the time. His total even outpaces comedian Al Franken’s (D) first quarter, in which the former “Saturday Night Live” actor and Minnesota Senate candidate raised $1.4 million in 45 days.
The Hill didn’t ignore Noriega by any means, noting his solid experience and knowledge related to at least two of the top political hot potatoes in border security and national security. Watts fundraising pace also opened the door for Noriega to take a minor jab:
“I think that was to be expected based on his business associates,” Noriega said. “He’s done a lot of referral work as a trial attorney, and so I think that’s just some owe-me’s coming back to him.”
In all the hooplah around which Democrat is better between Watts and Noriega to StopCornyn, Emil Reichstadt, a Dallas lawyer and former JAG Army officer, announced he was running against John Cornyn back in April.
Saying that he is deeply concerned about the welfare of American children and alarming environmental and national security issues, longtime local private practice attorney Emil Reichstadt is declaring for the Texas 2008 U.S. Senate race Thursday, April 19, on the Southern Methodist University campus in Dallas.
According to Reichstadt's press release, he is the youngest of three sons. His father was a swiss immigrant who married his wife in Little Rock, AR. Emil has been married for over 30 years and he, and his children, attend the Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas. Has quite the volunteer background as well.
My favorite quote by Reichstadt was in regards to the military:
"We need to foster our leaders in the military as subject-matter experts and rely on their expertise," he says. "We cannot wallow in military policies of politics; we must let our soldiers protect themselves. We are mired in sinking sand in Iraq, in the middle of a civil war that our best military minds sought to avoid. The war has been terribly mismanaged, and the incumbent, John Cornyn, has stood by and blindly supported that mismanagement."
So as we continue and debate Watts versus Noriega, we need not forget there is another candidate in this race who deserves to be vetted in the manner the other two are as well.
Welcome, Emil Reichstadt, to the Texas Democratic Senatorial Primary debate.
State Representative and Lt. Colonel Rick Noriega made news in front of over 100 Democrats today at the Mid-Cities Democrats 3rd Annual Independence Day picnic by annoucing he is one week out from launching his senatorial exploratory committee.
Mikal Watts was also invited to our picnic but declined to attend.
I found Noreiga to be a very well spoken speaker, very casual with the crowd, very generous with his time, and a crisp speaker. He more or less introduced himself, talked about his career as a soldier, and then as a politician.
Noriega did talk about how terrible our public schools are in Texas and the condition of our health care system, especially as it relates to children and veterans. He expounded on his work with Mayor Bill White of Houston as it relates to assisting veterans with health care needs. Very admirable.
Overall, I was impressed and eager to learn more. I'm excited we will have a senatorial primary in Texas, I believe that is very good for the Party as whole. It will generate excitement amongst the grassroots throughout Texas.
Watts will have the money and Noriega will likely have the grassroots. Classic battle of people power versus capital power. Whichever survives will StopCornyn!
StopCornyn.com is reporting the new Survey USA poll numbers for Senator John Cornyn. I zeroed in on the 51% disapproval of his job amongst registered Hispanic voters. Obviously this is because of his unpopular stance on the Immigration legislation being debated in the U.S. Senate.
That’s a very interesting poll though, which obviously begs the question between the two names being tossed around as possible Democratic contenders in 2008, would Watts or Noriega be the name Hispanics most likely would vote for?
I think the obvious answer to that is Noriega. Couple that with his impressive background and you have a strong candidate against an unpopular Bush poodle in John Cornyn; one who I believe has crossover appeal amongst all communities. That said, Watts obviously has the money, and is actually exploring a bid for the senate, but would that be a person Hispanic voters would vote for? The Survey USA poll also reflects a 44% disapproval rating amongst registered Anglo voters in Texas so Watts certainly would have traction there, but he would still need to pull Hispanic voters to have a chance at winning. Both candidates would obviously need to win the African-American communities vote too.
In summary, either individual would be a better alternative to what is there now, but the ultimate determination, as it relates to Hispanic voters anyway, will rest on where any of the candidates stand on immigration reform. For that matter, so will the Anglo vote because both communities have opposite opinions on that heated subject.
