Geez, this special election for the open HD121 is less than ten days away, and early voting is already going on. Here’s a little news roundup for you:
Ken Rodriguez says that in a race this short you’ve gotta have some juice to win.
In a race that begins and ends so quickly, you have almost no chance to win unless you’re anointed to win. Which means you need the blessing of the prominent and the powerful.
The anointed one appears to be [Joe] Straus. In a heavily Republican district, Straus has the support of influential GOP leaders, including U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith.
Though Jones has not publicly endorsed a successor, her family is putting up yard signs for Straus.
While appearing before the Express-News Editorial Board on Monday, Straus noted his friendship with Jones and cited relationships with legislators in Austin.
Also helping Straus is Frank Guerra, a Republican consultant who worked on President Bush’s campaign.
Even with strong GOP support, Straus says he isn’t counting on an easy victory. “Rose Spector is a formidable opponent,” he says. “She’s working hard. So am I.”
[…]
Spector knows that Straus is the heavy favorite. “People say I don’t have a prayer,” she notes.
But Spector also believes she can overcome the GOP anointing that makes Straus the front-runner.
“When I ran for judge, every time I did well in this district,” she says. “I have beaten two Republican incumbents.”
You’d think having a seasoned operative like Frank Guerra on your team would help you avoid bush-league errors. You’d be wrong.
[The] Bexar County Democratic Party [has] lodged an ethics complaint against Republican candidate Joe Straus III.
The complaint, filed Monday, claims Straus, a first-time candidate, sent out campaign materials without the “paid for by” disclaimer required by law.
Straus’ campaign said the omission was an inadvertent error on a small batch of campaign fliers and that all his other materials carry the message.
“When you’re dealing with an extremely compressed campaign and you have so little time to get out so many materials, you’re bound to have little things happen,” said Frank Guerra, a well-known Republican consultant advising Straus.
Try giving better advice next time, Frank.
What kind of legislator would Joe Straus be? Here’s a hint.
U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, endorsed Texas House hopeful and longtime supporter Joe Straus III at the opening of the candidate’s campaign headquarters Sunday.
[…]
Straus has been involved in many Republican campaigns, but this is his first run for elected office. He served as campaign manager for Smith’s first congressional campaign in 1986.
“If there was ever a role model for a young legislator, it’s Lamar Smith,” Straus said. “He does the hard work of legislation without seeking the spotlight.”
Great choice of role model, Joe.
If you think the Lege doesn’t need any more of Tom DeLay’s waterboys in it, consider giving Rose Spector a hand. Click the More link for a message from Richard Morrison regarding this race (courtesy of Byron.
Dear Friends,
I’m writing to tell you about a special election for the Texas House of Representatives that is being held now. We Democrats are fielding a great candidate in Former Texas Supreme Court Justice Rose Spector.
This special election, which pits Justice Spector against two Republicans and an Independent gives us an excellent chance to build on our net gain of one seat in the 2004 elections. Please click here to support Justice Spector.
Early voting has already begun and the campaign is seeking volunteers. If you are in the San Antonio area or could help with remote data entry and would like to help please email the campaign at: spector_campaign AT hotmail DOT com
fight on,
Richard Morrison