Ouch.
Ben Hall
Ben Hall is talking about running for mayor — again.
He won’t do it, and if he does do it, he won’t win, says one local African-American political consultant.
Bethel Nathan is a veteran of local politics. His recent clients include Elaine Palmer, who last week won the general election for the 215th District Court after knocking off an incumbent in the Democratic primary.
Hall has no moment of historic import going for him, Nathan explains.
“What’s the cry going to be? ‘Elect one of us?’” Nathan asked. “We already elected one of us,” Lee Brown, who served as mayor from 1998 to 2003.
[…]
Nathan said he believes local voters essentially take turns with their firsts as mayor. First there was the first female, Kathy Whitmire, in the 1980s and 1990s. Then there was Brown. Now, Mayor Annise Parker is the city’s first gay mayor. There has not been a Hispanic mayor of Houston.
“I think a Hispanic will get to be mayor of Houston before another African-American gets it,” Nathan said.
“There’s nothing emotional that’s driving me to turn out in mass numbers for Ben Hall,” Nathan said. “The only thing Ben Hall does is take African-American votes from Annise Parker and make it possible for a white conservative” to win.
Hall hasn’t made his announcement yet, so who knows what he’ll do. This probably isn’t the kind of greeting for that announcement he would have wanted. I’m just guessing.
“There’s nothing emotional that’s driving me to turn out in mass numbers for Ben Hall….”
I’m suddenly curious which candidates Bethel Nathan has previously felt compelled to turn out in mass numbers for.