BOR:
Dan Grant announced that he’s forming an exploratory committee for CD-25, the Congressional district that includes much of East and Central Austin. Overall, the new CD-25 includes all of Johnson, Hill, Bosque, Somervell, Hamilton, Coryell, Lampasas and Burnet Counties, and parts of Travis, Hays, Erath, and Bell Counties.
Dan Grant previously ran for CD-10 in 2008, and has remained highly active and visible since then, while also continuing to work as a consultant and advisor to the U.S. State and Defense Departments. Grant trains American civilian and military personnel bound for Iraq and Afghanistan, and received a commendation from the State Department in 2009 for his service during the Afghan Presidential election.Grant enters the race with a long list of notable endorsements from local leaders. Listed on the release materials are Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell, Austin City Council Member Mike Martinez, State Representative Mark Strama, State Representative Donna Howard, State Representative Elliott Naishtat, and Travis County Constable Bruce Elfant. Also offering support are past candidates Larry Joe Doherty and Jack McDonald, who campaigned previously in the CD-10 district that Grant also contended in 2008.
It’s unclear what shape CD-25 will take once the federal Courts repair Rick Perry and the Texas Republican Party’s partisan gerrymander. Currently, the courts are preparing interim maps to make sure the primaries stay on schedule; the interim maps will be used for the primaries if the federal court is unable to clear the current map passed by the Legislature in time. NB: the Justice Department has stated that they believe the Legislature’s current map is unconstitutional and violates the Voting Rights Act.
However, Grant’s announcement and strong list of early supporters suggest that if this remains a swing district, he will be an extremely formidable opponent in both a primary and a general election environment.
Normally, forming an exploratory committee is about checking to see who would donate to the campaign in the event it goes forward. That’s no doubt a part of this effort as well, but I presume there’s a certain amount of getting ahead of the curve in the event that the court produces an interim map that makes significant changes to the Travis County area. If something like the old CD25 is restored, then perhaps something like the old CD10 will be, or perhaps some other district that includes a piece of Travis and has some prospect for a win will be drawn. It’s betting on the come, which strikes me as a perfectly sound strategy. We’ll see what the court provides.