Sklar will not run again in 2008

Shane Sklar, who ran a strong race against Presidential wannabe Ron Paul in CD14 last year, has announced he will not run again next year, but will in the future. Here's his press release:

Hoping that another Democrat will step up to run against Ron Paul, Shane Sklar announced Thursday that he will not run for the District 14 seat in 2008.

"My wife, Jill, and I thought it was wise for me to step aside and open the door to another Democrat," Sklar said. "And we thought it was best to do it now, so that he or she has the time to build a strong campaign organization like the one we had last year."

In 2006, Sklar's fundraising was competitive with Paul's. However, one Florida multi-millionaire took the unusual and controversial step of personally buying television ads for Paul at the end of the campaign.

"We did not have the money to counter it, and that sealed our fate," Sklar said. "I'm sure that Paul can count on that kind of money again this year, but there are still no guarantees that I will be able to raise the funds needed to compete."

Still, Sklar said it was not an easy call. "Many have encouraged me to run again, especially since Paul is once again ignoring the district while he runs a pointless campaign for President," he said. "Apparently, all Paul cares about is seeing his name in the newspaper."

Sklar said he will run again. "I am eager to serve the people and make a difference, and I will run for another office in the not too distant future," he said.

Sklar said he and Jill are thankful for the support they received during and after last year's race. "As time has passed, we are even more amazed and humbled by the groundswell of support we received from people from all over the district and from all walks of life," he said. "I'll never forget it."

Sklar got just short of 40% of the vote in CD14, which may not sound very good, but he was the top performer among Democrats in that district. I've got a spreadsheet here with the numbers, which I'll summarize thusly: Sklar got more votes - 62,429 - than any other Democrat in CD14. Bill Moody was next in line with 61,653, and nobody else cracked 59,000. Moody and Dale Henry did better percentagewise, but they were both boosted by the presence of a Libertarian candidate. Sklar was the top Democratic votegetter in seven of the ten counties that CD14 covers - he did poorly in Paul's home turf of Brazoria County, trailed Moody in Fort Bend, and trailed both Moody and Henry in Aransas. He was the only Democrat to carry Jackson County, carried Calhoun County along with Moody, Henry, and Hank Gilbert, and came within four points of carrying Wharton County. In short, Sklar's performance showed both how tough CD14 is, and how soft Ron Paul's support is in many parts of it. Had he received more funding early on, who knows how big a dent he could have made.

Like Sklar, whose return to politics someday I will eagerly await, I hope someone steps up to challenge Paul again. Paul already has two potential primary opponents; if he survives to make it to November, he may find his boutique Presidential candidacy may have cost him more in votes than it gained him in dollars. It won't be easy, and it'll take a fair bit of money, but thanks to the ground Shane Sklar plowed last year it'll be worth trying.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on June 12, 2007 to Election 2008