Fellow Houston blogger Alex Whitlock has endorsed Democrat John Sharp for Lt. Governor, noting that the race is all about qualifications, and Sharp has them in spades. Moreover, he notes that his fellow Republicans are starting to see it that way, too.
“I am a dedicated Republican who whole-heartedly supports the Republican ticket. However in the Lt. Governor’s race I believe John Sharp is the better choice. I have seen him in action and trust him to be a conservative problem solver.” -State Senator John Carona (R-Dallas)
Glad as I am that Sharp is doing well and that he’s got crossover appeal, I can’t help but be wistful at the realization that more progressive candidates are still all but unelectable at the state level. After eight years of being shut out, though, I’ll take what I can get and work on it from there.
I don’t think very many Republicans are considering crossing over (myself included), because almost every race is about more than qualifications (except maybe dog catcher, and you’d still probably be able to find some political angle there).
As Austin becomes more partisan, you might be right about that. However, Sharp is an exception and he’s made bureaucratic cuts that most Republicans only talk about. I personally wouldn’t care about his qualificiations if he was a liberal warrior.
Whitlock
Sharp made substantial cuts, but he used accounting tricks (which have fallen out of favor lately, and for good reason) that exaggerated savings and left many budgetary problems to be delt with later. Now he’s still claiming the entire amount as “cutting government.” That’s not only dishonest, it also undercuts his qualifications.
If his main claim to fame is the 1991 budget, where he proposed “a combination of budget cuts, accounting tricks and tax increases (according to the Chronicle),” I’m not thinking “conservative credentials,” I’m thinking desparation and dishonesty.
Dewhurst has my vote.