Filing news: Murff, Ankrum, and Lampson

David Murff made his filing this morning at HCDP headquarters, joining Jim Henley in the Democratic primary race to run against John Culberson in CD07. I can only hope that the Chron will cover Murff’s filing as they did Henley’s. They don’t seem to be too aware of what contested primaries there are, though, so I won’t hold my breath. I plan to send a questionnaire to both Murff and Henley in the next few days, so everyone who lives in CD07 can get a little more information about what they stand for.

Speaking of contested primaries, there’s now a three-way race to be the Democratic candidate in CD10, the Houston-to-Austin district now held by Mike McCaul. Ted Ankrum has joined Pat Mynatt and Kyle Kincaid on the ballot. Texas Tuesdays has his announcement:

“I’ve spent my entire adult life in service to our nation,” said Ankrum. “I’ve witnessed first-hand what good government can accomplish. It can give an enlisted man’s son the opportunity to go to college. It can rise above partisan politics to expose corruption. It can balance a budget. It can inspire a generation to go to the moon. This is the greatest generation we have. We can end the war in Iraq, restore civil liberties to our own citizens, and make ourselves safer in the process. We can end our addiction to foreign oil and in the process create new industries for our working people. We can provide healthcare to all Americans and in the process make American business competitive in the world again. We can take care of our elderly without dismantling their Social Security benefits. We can end corruption in Washington and restore our nation to its people. Integrity, security, opportunity and freedom. That’s what this campaign is about”.

Ted Ankrum’s qualifications for Congress are extensive: NASA – Special Assistant to the Director; Deputy Director of Facilities Engineering, Head of Environmental Compliance. EPA – Deputy Director of Superfund Hazardous Waste Cleanup. Carter Administration – Dept. of Energy Chief of Conservation and Renewable Energy; Chief of Program Evaluation for Unconventional Oil and Gas Programs. Chief Quality Inspector for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Director of the Congressionally-mandated Report to congress on what went wrong with the Commercial Nuclear Power Industry. Clinton Administration – Diplomat in Australia.

He is a 30 year veteran of the Navy – four tours in Vietnam – Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Navy Commendation Medal, Vietnamese Medal of Honor and Cross of Gallantry. Member of Nuclear Navy Personnel selected by Adm. Rickover. Retired as Navy Captain.

Ted is an engineer, BSEE from University of Colorado and MBA from Loyola.

He and his wife, Ann live in Cypress. Two of their four children and all of their grandchildren live in Cypress.

If you’re in the Clear Lake area, Nick Lampson will have a campaign event to coincide with his filing today at 3 PM. Richard Morrison will introduce Lampson at the event. Bay Area New Democrats has the info:

Where:
Tequila Willie’s
1055 Bay Area Blvd (Near Bay Area and El Camino)
Houston, TX 77058
(281) 461-9666

When:
Monday January 2, 2006
3:30 pm

Food will be provided.

Dinner and social with members of Bay Area New Democrats will follow till whenever.

Mary Beth Harrell is keeping up the campaign diary work at Daily Kos, with a post about her stance on various issues. It’s on the frontpage now as a recommended diary, so check it out.

Just Another Matt has been corresponding with recently-filed SD25 candidate Kathi Thomas, and he’s printed her answers to his questions. Check it out.

It’s been three days since Ben Grant filed for Lieutenant Governor, and there’s still nary a mention of him that I can find in Google News beyond the original story and the Star Telegram blurb. How long will the voters be kept in the dark about the fact that they will have a choice other than David Dewhurst for Lite Guv in November? I think I agree with Maria Alvarado, Grant’s announced-but-not-yet-filed Democratic primary opponent here:

Presented with a primary opponent that, as he states, lacks of name recognition and funding might seem like a mutual disadvantage. To me, this is clearly not so. Nonetheless, an appropriate strategy to win a place on the November ballot must bring about the message that resonates with voters. That message will not get to all Texans by visiting a campaign website. That message still has to reach the listening range, and the doorsteps of those Texans that have seen how dollars, not votes, have shaped our government over recent years.

Anyone for a debate?

I’m raising my hand. Maybe the newsies would cover a debate. They seem to like debates. Link via Stace.

Looking on the Dems who have filed page, I see that we’ve picked up a contender in CD12, a fellow named John R. Morris. Don’t know a thing about him, but this Tarrant County seat held by Kay Granger was contested by announced-but-not-yet-filed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Felix (brother of Maria) Alvarado in 2004. It’s a steep hill, to say the least, but as always I’m glad to see someone take on the challenge.

More exciting is the notice that Mike “Tuffy” Hamilton will not get a free pass in HD19. One Paul Clayton will go up against him in this East Texas district where Hamilton won by a fairly close 55.4-44.6 margin last time out. This is definitely a race that needed to be run, so welcome aboard, Paul Clayton.

Finally, I paid a visit to HCDP headquarters earlier today (where I witnessed the Murff filing), and heard a rumor about a Democratic candidate in HD128. If you know anything about this, please leave a comment. I also had the pleasure to finally meet and shake hands with Rep. Rick Noriega, who as far as I can tell is unopposed for reelection.

More as I hear it. Five hours to go.

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