The San Antonio Express News did most of its endorsements before the start of Early Voting, but took its time on the Congressional races. In the end, they did all their endorsements in one editorial, and at the end of that one editorial they gave the nod in CD35 to Rep. Lloyd Doggett.
We recommend that Democrats nominate U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Austin in District 35.
Doggett is a hard-edged liberal who was targeted by state Republicans during the redistricting process. GOP legislators made Doggett’s current district more conservative in an effort to get him out of the House.
While Doggett’s abrasive style has made him a GOP target, his experience and seniority are assets that far outweigh the attributes of his Democratic opponents.
That’s all you’re gonna get, so don’t go looking for more. They also endorsed Pete Gallego in CD23 and Daniel Boone in CD21, and they had even less to say about those two races.
I don’t know if the Express News’ endorsement of Doggett comes as a surprise to anybody, but I’m pretty sure that the Statesman’s endorsement of him will not be.
Rep. Lloyd Doggett
Doggett is the top District 35 choice in the May 29 Democratic primary. He is an energetic campaigner who understands as well as anyone that a congressman’s first duties are to serve the citizens he represents.
Almost half of District 35’s residents live in Bexar County. This gives Doggett’s main challenger, Bexar County Tax Assessor-Collector Sylvia Romo, a big name-recognition advantage, because the 330,000 Bexar County residents who are in District 35 write checks addressed to Romo when they renew their car registration and pay their property taxes.
Romo was elected tax assessor-collector in 1996 after a four-year stint in the Texas House. She’s an appealing candidate with political experience, but her experience can’t match Doggett’s.
Experience counts in Congress, and Doggett’s has earned him coveted seats on the important House Ways and Means Committee and the House Budget Committee.
Doggett best represents the values of Democratic voters in Travis County, and voters elsewhere in the district are learning he is a quick study wherever he campaigns. Democrats should give him their support over Romo and the third candidate in the District 35 Democratic primary, Maria Luisa Alvarado, who was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 2006.
I forget about Alvarado’s presence in the race. That probably doesn’t help Romo, but it would only really matter if no one gets a majority of the vote. Here was the Express News overview of this race. If you live in CD35, who will you be voting for?