Mike Collier, the Democratic candidate for Comptroller, has officially rolled out his campaign:
Pretty effective pitch, I think. For sure, he has plenty of material to work with. Collier also got interviewed by the Trib on Monday:
Mike Collier
Nearly as soon as state Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, ended her June filibuster, Democrats began talking about her as a 2014 gubernatorial candidate and who should join her at the top of the ticket. Retired businessman Mike Collier is the first to volunteer. After months of exploring a bid, he plans to kick off his campaign for comptroller on Monday. The first-time candidate said he hopes to appeal to Democrats and Republicans while doing what he can to boost Davis’ bid for governor.
Collier, 52, was, until earlier this year, chief financial officer of Houston-based Layline Petroleum. Though he has supported Republicans in the past, he said he now views the Republican Party as too extreme. After Davis’ filibuster, Collier said his interest in running for statewide office increased as he considered becoming part of a broader Democratic ticket led by Davis.
“I have just been working under the assumption all along that she would run,” Collier said.
[…]
The following is an edited and condensed transcript of the interview.
TT: What made you decide to run for comptroller?
Collier: My résumé and experience and education is tailor-made for this job. And to have a Democrat holding the Republican Legislature accountable would be a very worthwhile experience. I should also say that I had already concluded that if I were to go into politics, I couldn’t be a Republican.
TT: How long have you considered yourself a Democrat?
Collier: I’ve voted in every election I can recall. I’ve voted for a lot of Republicans, and I’ve voted for a lot of Democrats. I’ve only voted in one primary, for the [2012] presidential election. I voted against everybody but Mitt Romney. He was the businessman. The rest I had no time for.
[Republicans] have gotten more and more extreme, especially on the social issues. Ultimately, there’s no way I can be a Republican. I’m pro-choice. I support gay marriage. And I think we need immigration reform. So I can stop right there. With those three views, I could not be a Republican.
TT: What are your thoughts on how Susan Combs has performed as comptroller?
Collier: She is a Republican and a former legislator, and I think she just went with the flow. I don’t think she was a dynamic, forceful, impactful, objective executive. She did not play the watchdog role. The comptroller that I was most impressed with was [Democrat] John Sharp. That’s who I compare comptrollers against. I thought he was very dynamic, very effective, very innovative, ran these performance reviews that I thought were a very good thing. I’d like to bring these back.
Again, he sounds good to me. I look forward to meeting Mr. Collier, and to seeing the rest of the ticket get filled out. One more name I can add to the mix is Fort Bend County Democratic Party Chair Steve Brown, who has told me he’s thinking about running for Railroad Commissioner. If everyone else who has been reported to be at least thinking about running is in fact running, we’re already in pretty good shape. BOR has more.
Agreed, he sounds impressive and comes across as surprisingly polished in the Trib interview for a first-time candidate. The fact that quality candidates seem interested in running this cycle is very encouraging. I wish we could do better recruiting for senate districts in addition to statewide positions. SD-17 sticks out in my mind.
Actually there are still quite a few pro-choice, pro-gay marriage, and pro-immigration reform Republicans, although it is rare to find Republicans who support all three of these at the same time. And there certainly are other Republicans who would gladly kick such apostates out of the Party if they could.
On immigration reform, the Texas GOP radically shifted its Platform at the most recent state convention.
I have to agree with Mainstream. There are indeed quite a few “Republicans” who agree with the Leftists that it is right to kill an innocent life. I of course, am quite comfortable in my belief that it is wrong to kill an innocent life. And this is why the Leftists in both parties never talk about adoption as a choice.
There are indeed “Republicans” who seek, as the Leftists do, to silence, censor & destroy the First Amendment. I, of course, am quite comfortable in my support of the First Amendment.
There are indeed “Republicans” who disregard the Rule of Law and support the lawbreakers over the law abiders. They are the “Republicans” who write and pass laws that exempt themselves & their campaign contributors from following the law. They seek to pass amnesty to exempt law breakers from the consequences of their words & actions. They agree with the Leftists.
I, of course, am quite comfortable in stating my beliefs, articulating my principles as opposed to those who shrink from doing so.
Collier sounds qualified, and better than another Republican hack, but I can’t get that excited for someone who voted for Mitt Romney because Romney was a “businessman.” Government is not run like a business; government is there to do what business cannot.
If Collier couldn’t see how destructive Romney would have been as President, it’s hard to get excited for him. I wonder if he is going to never say whether he voted for Romney or Obama in the general.