After serving almost 24 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Ron Paul told The Facts exclusively this morning he will not be seeking another term for the District 14 seat. Paul, 75, will instead focus on his quest for the presidency in 2012. “I felt it was better that I concentrate on one election,” Paul said. “It’s about that time when I should change tactics.” His announcement will give enough time for anyone with aspirations for his seat to think about running, he said. Paul didn’t want to wait for filing in the 2012 primary to let people know he wasn’t seeking reelection.
With Paul's retirement, two key questions immediately come to mind: who is going to replace him, and how serious is he going to commit to running for President? Is a potential third party candidacy in the cards, because that would make things really, really interesting...
On who could replace him, lots of names immediately came to mind. Quorum Report, State Representatives and Senators with a "sizable" chunk in the newly drawn Congressional District 14 include Rep. Ritter (R), Rep. Deshotel (D), Rep. Eiland (D), Rep. Larry Taylor (R), Rep. Bonnen (R), Rep. Weber (R), Sen. Jackson (R), Sen. Williams (R) & Sen. Huffman (R). Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski, a Democrat, is also someone who could be looking at the race.
It's been a big week here at Shane Sklar for Congress. Shane told supporters in an e-mail:
Wednesday: The Baytown Sun said, "Of the three Congressional races affecting Baytown this year, perhaps the most competitive is that between Republican U.S. Rep. Ron Paul and his Democratic opponent, Shane Sklar" in a story titled "Sklar gets national nod in race against Paul."
Thursday: The Galveston County Daily News endorsed my candidacy in an editorial titled "Local interest is the primary issue." John Sharp and Sen. Kenneth Armbrister hosted a reception in my honor, where Sharp cited my committment to the Texas tradition of working across party lines to make progress on the issues that matter most to District 14.
Saturday: An Associated Press story outlining how Ron Paul's wacky libertarian views have created such a great opportunity for a moderate Democrat like me in District 14 ran in all 3 of the largest papers in our district. The Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth Star-Telegram also took note.
Sunday: I criss-crossed the district to attend events, as I've done all week, ending the day with a "Pews to the Polls" event in Galveston. So far, our voters have been motivated and energized to vote early. These events help keep up that momentum.
Monday: A letter to the Daily News hit the nail right on the head: "What he [Ron Paul] cannot qualify for is the title of “representative” because in his entire time as an elected official, he has promoted and supported an agenda contrary to the best interests of this congressional district."
This morning, the Victoria Advocate called out Ron Paul, debate dodger, in a editorial titled "Why Is Paul Too Scared To Debate?"
Paul is far from shy when it comes to circulating his famous cookbook.
Paul is far from shy when it comes to taking credit for getting funding for programs and projects in the 14th District, even though he has secured passage of no legislation in the past six years specifically benefiting this region.
Paul is far from shy when it comes to voting no against all manner of legislation - some of which would directly aid his constituents.
Paul is far from shy when it comes to introducing legislation that has no chance whatsoever of passage by Congress.
Paul is far from shy when it comes to trashing the United Nations and President Bush.
So why has Ron Paul all of a sudden developed a debilitating case of stage fright that keeps him from appearing with his opponent to discuss how their respective programs would benefit the residents of the 14th Congressional District?
We've gotten word that Democrats in Galveston County are heading out to early vote in droves! In fact, they are out-voting Republican primary voters by more than a 2-to-1 margin as of this morning.
Great work Galveston!
We need to keep us this momentum. If you're in Galveston, here are your early voting locations:
The following locations are open 7am-7pm October 28 (Saturday), 1pm-6pm October 29th (Sunday), 7am-7pm October 30th-November 3rd.
Crystal Beach – Joe Faggard Community Center, 1740 Hwy 87
Dickinson – Dickinson Community Center, 2714 Hwy 3
La Marque – Environmental Health Center, 1205 Oak
Galveston – Island Community Center, 4700 Broadway
Hitchcock – Hitchcock Community Center, 6905 Backstrom
League City – Lloyd Ferguson Elementary School, 1910 S. Compass Rose Blvd.
The following locations are open 7am-7pm October 28 (Saturday), 1pm-6pm October 29th (Sunday).
Tiki Island – Tiki Island Public Safety Building, 747 Tiki Drive
Jamaica Beach – City Hall, 16628 San Luis Pass Road
(The most important congressional race in Texas. - promoted by Phillip Martin)
Today, the Victoria Advocate laid out a detailed account of all the ways Ron Paul has failed to be an effective representative for CD14 in an editorial titled "Ineffective Paul must be replaced." They took a close look at Paul's record of legislative accomplishments, leadership in Congress, and ability to gather support from his fellow members. What they found was a member who can't get anything done for CD14.
They conclude by saying:
Ron Paul has a long record of being all but useless in meeting the legislative needs of the district he seeks to continue representing. The 14th Congressional District of Texas can do better.
I have an announcement to make about this race. This "unwinnable" "republican stronghold" race is now very much winnable. Let's all jump on board and make this actually happen!
Shane Sklar was added today to DCCC's Emerging Races list.
The DCCC Emerging Races list is made up of candidates who have taken traditionally non-competitive districts and, through the strength of their campaigns, put themselves in a position to win in November. Red to Blue and Emerging candidates all represent the new direction that American voters are searching for and all have pledged to put the priorities of middle class families first when they get to Washington.
“With less than two months to go, the DCCC is excited to give our top candidates the necessary strategic and financial boost they will need to win in November,” said Congressman Rahm Emanuel, Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Americans are looking for new leadership and a new direction and these Democratic candidates will put middle-class families first when they get to Washington.”
“I am thrilled to report that the impact our campaign has made in Texas has resonated all over the country,” Sklar said in a release. “Ron Paul has had 8 terms to provide effective representation and real leadership for Texas' Gulf Coast families. Instead, he's only worked to advance his narrow personal ideology. I'm happy to have the DCCC's support for our campaign for change.”
(Now that Edwards race is locked up, and Lampson's a runaway, we should focus on Shane Sklar, who's running a perfect campaign against Ron Paul. I'll write a new post this afternoon, but in the meantime, watch these ads and donate to Sklar if you can. - promoted by Phillip Martin)
If you like these, you can pitch in and help make sure more voters in District 14 see them.
There were four candidate forums in the district last night. Shane gave a stellar performance at the televized forum in Victoria, and then hurried up to Edna, where his wife was speaking. Former State Reps. Patty Gray and Tom Uher spoke at the other events. Ron Paul didn't make any of them, and his staff told the crowd in Edna that he was busy at a fundraiser.
I add this because I want you to know that Shane is out everyday working the grassroots in our district. These ads are going to amplify the message that he is delivering in all 10 of our counties. It's a big district, but with your help we're going to have it all covered!
(Nice- and remember, Sklar is a TexRoots endorsed candidate. Drop him some change. - promoted by Karl-Thomas Musselman)
The Victoria Advocate, our campaign's hometown paper, today printed their resounding endorsement of Shane Sklar. Some favorite lines:
"'Dr. No' is a joke in Washington."
"Retiring him from Congress for a third -- and final -- time is long overdue."
"The young Democrat is as sensibly moderate as the Republican incumbent is wackily libertarian."
"...the young Edna rancher has demonstrated that he has the ability to think through the issues carefully and make sensible, informed decisions that would benefit this part of Texas in concrete ways."
If you're in the Victoria area, you won't want to miss Shane live on KAVU tonight at 6:30 p.m. participating in a candidate forum. Ron Paul, of course, couldn't make it.
