Empower Texans said Sunday it will open a political outpost in Houston, a signal that the conservative political action committee may emerge as a player in upcoming municipal elections.
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On Friday, Empower’s fiscal policy analyst Christopher Paxton criticized Houston’s elected officials for complaining about having to rein in government spending.
“Too many Houston politicians have decided the real problem is the limit on government growth, not endlessly growing government,” Paxton said in a blog post. “It is high time that Houstonians held their elected officials accountable and demand that the council address major fiscal challenges without raising taxes or complaints.”
That “high time” may come next year, when Houston voters will elect a new mayor and 16 city council members. Several Republicans are expected to run for the city’s top job – meaning Empower’s endorsement could help a candidate advance to the runoff in a crowded field.
Empower Texans is the astroturf group headed by Michael Quinn Sullivan, the self-appointed overlord of the state Republican Party. The one benefit to this is that Empower will provide an easy way to identify anyone that you should be sure to avoid like the plague in any election. Any candidate they endorse is just about by definition someone you should not vote for. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for their endorsements next year. Campos has more.