Two weeks till Early Voting begins.
Psst! Hey, Peggy! Rep. Kristi Thibaut represents HD133 here in Houston, not Galveston. Just FYI.
As for the news that the GOP will be targeting State Rep. Abel Herrero, given the 2008 partisan index of HD34, plus the apparent likelihood that the Dems are once again punting on the statewide races and don’t have much of a plan to engage their base in South Texas, it makes sense. On the other hand, Herrero performed pretty decently against a well-funded opponent (he had more money, but not that much more), and I don’t at this time see him as being in much danger; at least, I don’t see him as being in as much danger as some other Democrats. But if I were a Republican, I’d want to take a shot at him, even if I thought it was a long shot.
Republican State Rep. Charlie Geren may face another primary challenger. After taking Tom Craddick and James Leininger’s best shots, I doubt he’s seriously worried.
Speaking of primaries, Democrat Eric Johnson boasts about raising over $100K in his effort to unseat State Rep. Terri Hodge. I think the verdict in the Dallas City Hall corruption case, for which Rep. Hodge has been indicted but not yet tried, will be the bigger determinant in his race than his fundraising, but it can’t hurt to have the resources to run.
Empower Texans, one of the conservative agitprop groups in the state, wants to know if you think Sen. Hutchison should resign or not. Not sure why they think if she does resign it will “save taxpayers up to $30 million”, and I’m not sure why that’s her responsibility and not Governor Perry’s, since the cost of the special election is in part a function of the date he sets for it, but whatever. I don’t expect logic from these guys anyway.
Was that Rasmussen poll that showed a KBH bounceback against Rick Perry a bogus result?
Last week, the Press named Sheriff Adrian Garcia the Best Democrat, and County Judge Ed Emmett the Best Republican. I can’t argue with either of those choices.
Mayoral candidate Gene Locke has recordings of numerous robocalls being made on his behalf by various elected officials that support his candidacy. I’ll say again, I think you ought to be spending your money on other forms of outreach, like mail – in this case, why not do these recorsings as radio ads – and save the robocalls for GOTV efforts. I say this as someone who generally hangs up on robocalls. Maybe I’m the exception here, I don’t know. But I suspect most people find these things more intrusive and annoying than anything else.
Speaking of ads, Peter Brown is set to release his third TV ad tomorrow. I’ll post the video when I get it. So far, that’s Brown 3, Parker 1, Locke 0, and I haven’t seen Parker’s ad on the tube yet. Still wondering when we’ll see new poll numbers so we’ll know if Brown’s air war has moved anyone into his column.
The facts are simple and relatively well-known. According to the Secretary of State’s office, a statewide special election costs up to $30 million — including the costs associated with an expected run-off — if the election is held on a non-uniform election date. Sen. Hutchison, not Gov. Perry, is in the drivers’ seat for determining when a special election will be held, for only the senator decides when or if she will resign; a governor cannot call a special election until the resignation has been received, at which time the burden for calling the election in the most efficient time becomes his or her responsibility.
Whether Sen. Hutchison has “bounced” in the polls is not relevant; the costs of a special election are not diminished by the popularity of the individual leaving office.
Even if Sen. Hutchison were unopposed in both her party’s primary and in the general election, local taxpayers (elections are financed almost exclusively through county government) would still be facing an up-to $30 million pricetag for a special election to replace her because her term does not expire until early 2013 (the 2012 election cycle). In Texas, governors’ only appoint a placeholder until a special election can be called; either at a time of the governor’s choosing or the next uniform election date (we have two each year), whichever is sooner.
Two links you could have provided your readers:
1) The lead-in to the survey providing the necessary background: http://www.empowertexans.com/survey_should_kbh_resign
2) The letter from the Secretary of State regarding special election costs: http://www.empowertexans.com/files/2009-09-sos-special-election.pdf
I saw one of Parker’s ads this morning on channel 2 during the morning news, but it was the first time I’ve seen it on the television. On the other hand, Brown has quite the television presence.
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