I’d been saving this Chron profile of Democratic Senate candidate Jason Gibson for when the FEC finally got around to posting finance reports from the fourth quarter of last year, since the story gave the indication he was going to spend some of his own money, but now it looks like they profiled too soon.
Jason Gibson
Democrat Jason Gibson dropped out of the U.S. Senate race this afternoon and endorsed former state Rep. Paul Sadler of Henderson.
Sadler won a unanimous endorsement from the political arm of the Texas AFL-CIO last weekend, and that sparked Gibson’s announcement.
That leaves three Democrats, ten Republicans and a Libertarian in the race to succeed Republican U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, who isn’t seeking reelection.
I count four other Democrats, but whatever. Paul Sadler is clearly the candidate that will get mainstream Democratic support. Whether any campaign financing will follow – as yet, his Q4 report is not up – is another question. Sadler got a bunch of endorsements from other Dems this week – I’ve put the announcement beneath the fold. It would have been interesting to see him go up against Gibson, but that’s not going to happen. For what it’s worth, Postcards gives a possible reason for Gibson’s abrupt departure. He’s talking about maybe running again in the future; if he does, I trust he’ll have a better idea of how to deal with that. On a related note, I recommend you go read what Greg had to say when that now-unnecessary Chron profile came out (this is the article he references in his post). The BattleSwarm Blog had a brief writeup on Gibson in December, and he comments on Gibson’s exit now. That blog is closely following the Senate race so check it out if you want to keep a keener eye on that. Finally, there’s the recent PPP Senate poll, which largely reflects name and party ID at this point. I think the odds of any of these Democrats winning the Senate race are miniscule, but I suppose the good thing about low expectations and the tough recruiting climate that Greg mentions for this year is that if statewide Democratic performance is more or less like 2008 I think we may get a reset on these perceptions that could make things better going into 2014.
On the heels of his weekend endorsement by the Texas AFL-CIO COPE, the campaign of former Texas State Representative Paul Sadler today announced its first round of key endorsements from progressive leaders across Texas. Sadler is the leading candidate for the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate in 2012.
“It was a remarkable honor to receive the endorsement of the hard-working men and women of the Texas AFL-CIO this weekend,” said Sadler. “From firefighters to steelworkers, from teachers to machinists, and from plumbers and pipe-fitters to transportation and communication workers, it is blue-collar, working men and women who built the roads, schools and highways that make our state great. To know that I enter into this tough election with such strong men and women at my side is a huge win for our campaign.”
In addition to the weekend’s endorsement by Texas union leaders, the Sadler campaign released its first round of key endorsements by respected Democratic Party leaders from across the state. Just 30 days into the race for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, Sadler has already been endorsed by dozens of respected Democratic leaders, including:
State Senator Mario Gallegos of Houston, State Senator Leticia Van de Putte of San Antonio, State Representative and State Democratic Executive Committee member Roberto Alonzo of Dallas, State Representative Rafael Anchia of Dallas, State Representative Lon Burnam of Dallas, State Representative and Democratic National Committee Member Yvonne Davis of Dallas, State Representative Joe Deshotel of Beaumont, State Representative Dawnna Dukes of Austin, Former House Democratic Leader Jim Dunnam of Waco, State Representative Craig Eiland of Galveston, House Democratic Leader Jessica Farrar of Houston, State Representative Pete P. Gallego of Alpine, State Representative Roland Gutierrez of San Antonio, State Representative Scott Hochberg of Houston, State Representative Ruth Jones McClendon of San Antonio, State Representative Elliott Naishtat of Austin, State Representative Rene Oliveira of Brownsville, State Representative Joe Pickett of El Paso, State Representative Richard Pena Raymond of Laredo, State Representative Mark Strama of Austin, State Representative Marc Veasey of Fort Worth, and venerated labor leader Linda Chavez-Thompson.
“These key endorsements by respected Democratic leaders from across the state are the first of many, and they prove that Paul Sadler is the only Democrat in this race who is ready to be a United States Senator, and able to unite Democrats from across our party to win in November” said Jeff Rotkoff, a spokesman for the Sadler campaign.
“I’m running for the United States Senate because it is time our state returned to its long of sending fiercely independent problem solvers to Washington, D.C. I am ready to put my vision of the future of Texas and our country up against the Perry-Dewhurst administration any place and any time, and with the strong support of my fellow Texans, I am ready to win,” Sadler concluded.
Paul Sadler is a former Texas State Representative best known for his record of passing major education reforms and working to raise teacher pay. He has worked as an advocate for clean, affordable wind energy for Texas and the surrounding states, and is running for the U.S Senate to return dignity, integrity and trust to Washington, D.C. For more information visit sadlerforsenate.com.