State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, who has been contemplating a run for Governor next year, has sent out a press release saying that she will not do so. Here it is:
Statement of Senator Leticia Van de Putte regarding her political plans for 2010
Senator Van de Putte authorized the release of this statement today, regarding her plans for the 2010 elections:
“Five months of speculation regarding the possibility of me running for Governor has, quite frankly, been surprising. It started with nothing more than me not immediately saying ‘no,’ unlike in past election cycles, when asked if I would consider such a run. The reactions of thousands of Texans who encouraged me to give it serious consideration has been flattering.
“I have, indeed, given it very serious thought, and while I would love to believe, tongue firmly planted in cheek, that this pent-up desire on the part of so many Texans for me to run for governor is solely because of some perceived superior leadership ability and vast intellect of mine, I have to reluctantly admit that it’s not as much about me as it is about Republican failures.
“This is about Texas’ stunning lack of current leadership. Large and growing numbers feel betrayed by the Republicans they voted into statewide office, and who can blame them? While Texas families remain concerned about genuine priority issues, Republicans led by Rick Perry continue to instead obsess about hyper-partisan issues, in order to grab more power for themselves.
“Texans still pay the highest homeowners insurance premiums in the country. Texas still has the highest percentage in the country of those without access to health care. Texas still has the second highest rate of teen pregnancy in the nation, and the highest rate of teens with a second pregnancy. And after years of Republican ‘leadership,’ not only has Rick Perry failed to address these challenges, but he and his minions have done everything they can to avoid addressing them in any meaningful way. Rick Perry, Kay Bailey Hutchison, and others in the Republican leadership have turned their backs on 25 million Texans, instead opting to curry favor with a handful of fringe Republican primary voters.
“If I believed for a second that it would result in a healthy debate of the issues of most importance to Texas families, I would today be announcing my candidacy for Governor of Texas. But we have all watched over the years as Perry, Hutchison, and other Republican politicians have launched their scorched earth ‘say anything to win’ vicious attacks against political opponents. To mask their utter lack of leadership, they’ll do so again, and I decline to put my family through it. That I am a Latina would only serve to amplify their attacks.
“I will gladly work hard to ensure that a Democrat prevails in the election for Governor, so that Texas families can have a better shot at having a state government focused on the needs of Texans, instead of state Republican leadership obsessed with their own political futures, at Texans’ expense.
“Prominent Democrats must put personal ambitions aside and very pragmatically nominate the person best equipped to win in November. Just because one can win the Democratic nomination for Governor doesn’t mean one should, unless he or she is best positioned to defeat the Republican nominee in the fall.
“That’s why I think Senator Kirk Watson should raise his sights and run for Governor. I’ve watched as Senator Watson has emerged as a leader in the state Senate on the issues of most importance to Texans. While staying true to Democratic values, he is a bipartisan pragmatic leader solidly focused on addressing the priorities of all Texans. I intend to lobby Senator Watson to run for governor, and I’ll wholeheartedly support him if he does. But if he declines, Democrats should recruit and support someone who, like Watson, is energetic, pragmatic, focused, and smart; and who can fully energize Democratic supporters while also attracting a broad range of independent voters in every region of the state.
“The Republicans have had their day, and Texans have realized that the Republicans can’t lead. I will be working hard to elect a Democrat to the Governor’s office.”
I’m disappointed but not terribly surprised. I can live with Tom Scheiffer, but Van de Putte was much more exciting to contemplate. Her suggestion of Sen. Kirk Watson is interesting, and implies to me that financial considerations played a part – Watson is a much more prodigious fundraiser than Van de Putte, and had nearly $1.5 million on hand to Van de Putte’s $300K+. Which is a big thing – both Perry and Hutchison have tons of money already. We’ve seen plenty of examples of good-but-underfunded Democrats running statewide lately, and we know how that story ends. The question, as Peggy Fikac notes, is whether this means Watson is gearing up. I suspect we’ll know soon enough. BOR has more.
“That I am a Latina would only serve to amplify their attacks.”
I wish she had expanded upon this because I suspect she is referring to the hypocrisy of John Cornyn in particular who of course pandered to the “immigration reform” Republicans last year while doing absolutely nothing to address their concerns legislatively – the bottom line is he ran a racist campaign although it wasn’t out there for everyone to see. It was there in emails and at precinct meetings and in the grocery store aisles while the Stepford Wives shopped. Why, Noriega would have opened the borders wide open again after the Republicans have worked so hard to close them. The problem is the Republican politicians have never done any such thing. Or ever will.
He ran a dirty campaign as would Kay Bailey Hutchison. Proclaiming that illegal immigrants have no right to be here while ensuring that they remain here simply because illegal immigrants offer a workforce that is exempt from labor and tax law and the Republican politicians want to ensure the “right” to cheap labor continues. The only real reform they want is to remove any criminal or civil sanction against an employer. The one thing Ronald Reagan, interestingly, was adamant about. He hadn’t put the pen down before the Republicans decided to ignore the law he had just signed into law and then work diligently to change it.
And of course you had the big checks many of the major employers of illegal immigrants wrote, and still write, to the Republican politicians and to the Republican Party.
Republicans love Hispanics. Until Hispanics challenge them in an election. Then they don’t love Hispanics so much.
I am really saddended by her decision but certainly do understand it.
Snooks,
I just want to say, for the first time, we agree. I think the inevitable racist language that would emerge is a reason why this campaign did not materialize.
*extends arm in peace*
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