But what will our village do without its idiot if ol’ Sid loses?
Sid Miller
Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is getting a primary challenge from Trey Blocker, the longtime lobbyist, ethics adviser and attorney from Austin.
“I’m running because we need to bring honesty, integrity and fiscal responsibility back to the Department of Agriculture,” Blocker said in a video announcing his campaign Wednesday. “We need to restore TDA to its core mission of promoting, protecting and preserving Texas agriculture and rural Texas. And we need a commissioner who can be an articulate, intelligent defender of our core conservative values.”
Blocker’s long-rumored run against Miller sets up potentially the most serious primary challenge yet to a statewide official in 2018. Miller is seeking a second term after three years on the job marked by a number of high-profile controversies, ranging from a Texas Rangers investigation into out-of-state, taxpayer-funded trips he took — no charges were ever brought — to the time his Twitter account sent out a message using the c-word to refer to Hillary Clinton.
Miller courted controversy early in his first term, when he pushed for dramatic fee hikes for a wide range of services the department offers — a move that irked farmers, ranchers and his former colleagues in the Texas House. A state audit later found that the higher fees generated millions more dollars than those programs cost to operate in 2016.
“Over the past four years, we’ve watched a career politician, embroiled in ethical controversies, raise taxes and grow government at a level that would make Bernie Sanders proud,” Blocker says in the video. “Asking our elected officials to be ethical shouldn’t be too much to ask for.”
While Blocker is critical of Miller’s leadership of the Texas Department of Agriculture, the challenger also is looking to provide a contrast with the incumbent on one of the biggest issues in Republican primaries: immigration. “I don’t think we’re tough enough on the immigration issue,” Blocker said in another video Wednesday, calling for a “moratorium on current levels of immigration until we have true reform.”
A career lobbyist who is also an immigration hardliner? Throw in religious extremism and you’ve got the modern Republican trifecta. If you’d prefer a candidate who’s actually worth voting for, you might check out Kim Olson. We can do so much better than either of these two jokers.
Thank you for raising the fee for a Political Action Subdivision License from 12$ to 60$ ,you lost my vote.
You lost my vote when you raised fees for a Political Action Subdivision License,12$ to 60$. I will remember when you get voted out.