While I wasn't in Austin for long during the convention, I did manage to achieve my goal of doing a bunch of interviews with various candidates and officeholders. I'll be publishing them over the next two weeks, and will continue with local candidates through the summer and fall. It's great to have such a broad slate, but it means more work for me. There are worse problems to have, of course.

First up is State Rep. Dan Barrett, who sent a shock wave through the political establishment last December when he won a special election for HD97, which some folks (not me) thought was too red to be won by a Democrat. Barrett was the first candidate to be endorsed and supported by the TexBlog PAC, so his win was extra sweet.

This was my first chance to meet and really talk to Barrett. I was happy to support him in December, on the enthusiastic say-so of others, as well as for strategic reasons. Having now met him and his charming wife, Debra, I feel even better for having done so. He's a good guy and a credit to his district, and I hope he gets the chance to serve in HD97 for a long time.

The interview is here, as always in MP3 format. Barrett will have a tough race to retain his seat this year, but he's working hard at it, and I figure he'll win over just about any voter he meets. Take a listen and see what you think.