You want candidate filing links, I got candidate filing links…
Mike Fjetland made his official filing on Friday to run against Tom DeLay in the GOP primary for CD22. From his press release:
Fjetland states that his campaign will focus on his international experience and local values. “This district includes people of all races, religions, nationalities, and backgrounds. These people deserve a Congressman who will represent all of their interests – not just a select few. Too many citizens have been ignored in the past because their issue wasn’t ‘important’ enough. As Congressman, my door will be open to all of the people in my district, so that we can find solutions to problems together. Whether they come from Richmond, Clear Lake, Pearland, Stafford, or anywhere else, I want to hear what they have to say.”
UPDATE: Here’s the Chron story on Fjetland’s announcement.
Both Stace and Andre point to this Express News piece about Ciro Rodriguez’s fundraising efforts for the Democratic primary in CD28.
Celebrating his 59th birthday and a campaign he hopes will return him to Washington, former U.S. Rep Ciro Rodriguez held a fundraiser Sunday in his quest for the 28th Congressional District seat.
“I know that I can deliver. I know that I can make it happen,” Rodriguez told a crowd of about 300 supporters who gathered at Sunset Station on Sunday afternoon.
Campaign officials estimate that Rodriguez brought in about $50,000 in donations and pledges Sunday. An additional $13,000 came from South Texas supporters, Rodriguez said.
[…]
During the last round of campaign finance reports, Cuellar had $300,000 on hand, Rodriguez reported having $50,000 and Raymond showed $430,000 available, $300,000 of which came from loans and personal funds.
Rodriguez hopes to raise half a million dollars by the primary to compete with his rivals.
Though the Sunday fundraiser listed 10 members of Congress from other states as being on the host committee, none were present.
However, Congressman Charlie Gonzalez, a longtime supporter, was there and spoke on behalf of Rodriguez, saying one voice can make a big difference in the halls of Congress.
“This is a life-or-death battle for the heart and soul of America,” Gonzalez said. “It is Ciro’s social conscience that is so desperately needed in Congress.”
This is a good start towards that goal. Having previously expressed my concerns about Rodriguez’s bank account, I hope there will be other efforts like this on his behalf.
Via Aaron Pena, we have a contender in CD23:
El Paso native Rick Bolaños said he intends to challenge District 23 Rep. Henry Bonilla, R-San Antonio, in next year’s congressional election.
Bolaños, a Democrat, built up some name ID during the 2004 presidential race while accompanying U.S. Sens. John Kerry and John Edwards on the campaign trail.
He and his three brothers made headlines last year as “The Band of Brothers” for having all served in the Vietnam War. He says that background gives him cachet when asked about the war in Iraq.
“We’re kind of going on the family name,” he said. “We do have that patriotic background and we did volunteer to serve our country.”
Bolaños said he believes the American people were deceived about the reasons for going to war, but now that it has begun, it must be completed.
“We need to psychologically not give the terrorists comfort,” he said.
Bolaños said Kerry, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and former Sen. Max Cleland of Georgia — a Vietnam vet and triple amputee — have indicated they will campaign for him.
Other issues he plans to campaign on are improving federal programs such as No Child Left Behind, which he called “a joke all over the United States,” and veterans’ concerns.
Although Bolaños said he has done some preliminary research into the district and thinks he can win, he acknowledges it will be an uphill battle.
“I don’t live in San Antonio and that’s where the majority of the race is going to be run,” he said.
Elected to the U.S. House in 1992, Bonilla was the first Hispanic Republican congressman from Texas. His campaign war chest sits at about $2 million.
That last paragraph sums up what it will take to make this race competitive, and I hope the Kerry-Richardson-Cleland trio can help Bolaños out with that. Bonilla was building up his coffers for a shot at the Senate in the event that KBH had stepped down. CD23 was specifically made more Republican in the 2003 redistricting, after Henry Cuellar nearly knocked Bonilla off in 2002, so even with money this is a tough race, but it’s always heartening to see a candidate with some juice jump in like this. I hope to hear more about Mr. Bolaños soon.
Also at that link is a note that State Rep. David Leibowitz will face a challenger.
Ted Kenyon, a local business attorney, filed for the District 117 state representative slot this week as a Republican.
He said his campaign will focus on reducing government spending, expanding health care and improving education options.
Kenyon ran unsuccessfully for the San Antonio City Council in District 7 earlier this year, getting 6 percent of the vote out of a field of seven candidates.
The Jeffersonian was on this earlier, and he’s not terribly impressed with Kenyon. You’d think in a district like HD117, which Leibowitz won by 500 votes and which was carried by the Republican in every other race except for Sheriff (Ralph Lopez, 53.6%) and Court of Criminal Appeals (JR Molina, 51.9%) that a stronger Republican would take a shot at it. Not that I’m complaining, mind you.
Via BOR, Andy Brown is back in the special election for HD48 after announcing he wasn’t due to residency concerns. Read the press release there and make of it what you will. PinkDome, which had the original scoop about his return, says it best: “We’re so gonna need a chart or some visual aid”.
Check out the comments in that BOR thread, too – there’s a pointer to this list of Republicans who have filed (PDF), which includes the immortal Rhett Smith for Governor. A companion list of Dems is here. It doesn’t seem as up-to-date to me, but it does tell me that we do have a candidate for Ag Commish – two, actually, Hank Gilbert (whom I’d heard about before) and someone named Koecadee Melton, Jr.
No one yet for Land Commish, though, which according to In the Pink is a bit of a disappointment for current Commish Jerry Patterson.
And also in BOR is a Bob Gammage sighting. Gammage says he’ll file for Governor before Christmas. With all due respect, the way this campaign season has gone so far, I’ll wait until that happens before I comment further.
Last and possibly least, I bring you the web page of Darrel Reece Hunter, the Senatorial primary opponent to Barbara Radnofsky. I don’t think I can add anything to that. You pretty much have to see it for yourself.
Fjetland almost had me believing he was a serious candidate until I got to the part in the Chron article describing how he had written DeLay, suggesting he might not run against him if he could be appointed UN ambassador. Well yeah, and I’d like to be director of the FBI, or maybe a Broadway leading man, or the next OO7, too.