While public corruption in Texas has been most noticeably tied to the Republican Party in recent years, we should not stand for it no matter what Party it appears in. Today, Democratic State Representative Terri Hodge of HD-100 announced that she will plead guilty to a felony charge for failing to report personal income on her taxes. Her statement is below.
"I have reached an agreement with the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas whereby I will enter a plea of guilty to one criminal charge alleging that I made false statements by failing to report income on my personal tax returns. I freely admit that I violated the federal income tax laws in this regard, and I am prepared and willing to accept the consequences of my actions.
"As a result of my guilty plea to a criminal tax violation, I will not be able to continue to serve in the Texas House of Representatives. Therefore, I cannot in good conscience continue to seek reelection and I believe that the only appropriate action for me to take is to immediately terminate all of my campaign activities. I will immediately begin the process of closing the affairs of my district office in an orderly manner, and will resign my seat in the Texas House of Representatives effective at the time I am sentenced by the court.
"I want to take this opportunity to express my remorse to my colleagues in the Legislature, my friends, and my family for my actions. Most of all, I want to apologize to all the citizens of District 100 for letting them down. It has been an honor to serve you for these last 14 years and I am truly sorry that my actions will prevent me from providing a voice for you in the Legislature. My prayer is that my successor will stand up and fight for the people of our District in the future."
Hodge plans to close down her office and resign from office at the time of sentencing. This will leave her name on the primary ballot along with Eric Johnson who has been running an aggressive campaign and had posted good fundraising numbers prior to this announcement. There is a risk that she could still be elected in the primary but her guilty plea would disqualify her from the November ballot, kicking the decision to replace the party's nominee to the districts' precinct chairs.
Currently there is no Republican candidate filed in HD-100.
Eric Johnson, who is challenging Democratic incumbent Terri Hodge in House District 100 in Dallas, picked up the endorsement of District Attorney Craig Watkins in a press release this morning.
The endorsement announcement coincides with the Statesman's Jason Embry declaring Hodge, whose federal bribery trial is scheduled for next year, to be the most endangered Texas house incumbent in next March's party primaries.
However, many would disagree with Hodge being number one on that list and Embry concedes that the long time incumbent's campaign is "far from dead." Hodge still retains the support of U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson and County Commissioner John Wiley Price. To be sure though, Johnson, who raised $100,000 in 100 days, is the most serious opponent Hodge has faced in years.
While endorsements are important at this stage of the race to build credibility, Johnson himself told the DMN's Gromer Jeffers, "Endorsements don't vote. People vote. We're going straight to the people of District 100 for their support."
Eric Johnson, a Dallas attorney who is challenging incumbent Terri Hodge in the Democratic primary, raised over $60,000 from over 300 individuals from June 5 to June 30, according to a campaign press release.
Hodge is currently on trial for bribery charges but maintains her innocence. Despite her legal troubles, she remains popular with Democratic activists within her district and Johnson will face an uphill battle if she is found not guilty.
When Johnson announced his campaign last month, Gromer Jeffer Jr. of the Dallas Morning news noted that more candidates would be likely to enter the race "if things don't go Hodge's way" in the trial.
Representative Kirk England's decision shows courage and commitment to his district. Time and again, Representative England has stood up against the extreme partisan Republican leadership in Austin that has continually failed our state. He's a fighter for the people who elected him to serve and I am very pleased to welcome him to the Texas Democratic Party.
-- Boyd Richie, Chairman of the Texas Democratic Party
"This decision was not made lightly, but I believe I can get more done on the issues we care about as a Democrat. Of course, I have many close friends, supporters and even family members that are Republicans. But when I went to Austin, I saw firsthand the agenda of the Republican leadership, along with the strong arm tactics used in enforcing that agenda. I realized that the leadership and the special interests they represent had very little in common with the principles and ideas I value most. At the end of the day, I decided that the ability to represent my district was more important than following a party line set by folks in Austin.
"I was born and raised in Grand Prairie, and I have lived here my whole life. My wife Marcy and I raised our two sons, Sam and Charlie, in this community, and I own a small business here. I trust the voters in District 106, and I am confident that my friends and neighbors agree that doing what is right is more important than partisan politics.
"I am prepared to roll up my sleeves and work hard to be reelected in 2008. I am confident that the voters in our district want a representative who will fight for public education and the Children's Health Insurance Program and who believes that the folks struggling to pay skyrocketing utility bills every month are more important than TXU's profits. I am committed to returning to Austin to keep the promises I made to citizens of District 106."
But clearly actions speak louder than words. Lucky for us, we can look at the 80th session and see how Rep. England acted to make Texas a better place for everyone. As the Lone Star Project points out, Rep. England will be a valuable member and asset to Democratic caucus.
Stood Up to Craddick: In an extraordinary display of courage, England broke with GOP freshmen and voted with centrist Democrats against Tom Craddick on the defacto "Vote of No Confidence" against the Speaker.(Source: H- 1047 Motion to Sustain the Ruling of the Chair)
Strongly Supported Educators: Showing the courage to stand with children and educators over partisan party leaders, England voted with centrist Democrats to raise teachers salaries by $6,000 to reach the national average. (Source: H- 1157 Motion to Table Amendment #3 by Dunnam)
Protected Our Ballot: To protect the sanctity of the ballot and senior voters in HD106, England voted with centrist Democrats to exempt elderly voters from Voter ID requirements. (Source: H- 604 Motion to Table Dunnam Amendment to B Brown Amendment #1)
Acted to Stop Child Abuse: Breaking with Republicans who refused to aggressively investigate child sexual abuse at Texas youth facilities, England voted with centrist Democrats for a special prosecutor to investigate the TYC. (Source: H- 147 Motion to Table Amendment by Dunnam)
Fought for Clean Air: Taking action to improve air quality and promote energy conservation, England voted with centrist Democrats to provide taxpayer-funded incentives to build clean energy projects. (Source: H- 706 Motion to Table Amendment #2 by Vaught)
Kirk England is going to be a fantastic representative for HD-106 and for the rest of Texas. His courage to stand against Craddick and his top lieutenants (Chisum, Brown, Howard, etc.) shows his commitment for a better Texas. We aren't the only ones happy to see him join our party, for that, you will have to read below the fold.
