Part 1 is here, part 2 is here, part 3 is here, and the full endorsements page is here. I had thought this would finish up all the races of interest for us, but then I decided the Republican races were sufficiently interesting as well, so I’ll do those tomorrow.
CD18: Sheila Jackson Lee
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee
Sheila Jackson Lee is so deeply entrenched in her congressional seat, knocking her off her throne is pretty close to mission impossible.
She won her post 24 years ago after downtown power brokers — notably Enron CEO Ken Lay — abandoned then-congressman Craig Washington over his opposition to NAFTA and the space station. Since then Jackson Lee has become legendary for her aggressive self-promotion, whether it’s speaking at Michael Jackson’s funeral or planting herself on the aisle before State of the Union speeches to get her picture on television shaking the president’s hand.
But even Democratic politicos who joke about her insatiable appetite for camera time have come to respect Jackson Lee as a hardworking voice for progressive causes. With almost a quarter-century of seniority, she now serves on the House Judiciary, Homeland Security and Budget committees. She likes to brag about her role in securing federal funds for a wide range of needs — from education to veteran services — for constituents in her district.
As you know, I agree. Nothing to see here, let’s move on.
SBOE4: Lawrence Allen
Lawrence Allen, Jr. who was first elected to the board in 2004, has been a principal, assistant principal and teacher across town and is now community liaison at Houston Independent School District. He holds a bachelor’s and two master’s degrees from Prairie View A&M University. As the senior Democrat on the board, Allen, 56, says that he sets the tone for his fellow Democrats about how to approach an issue in a professional way that’s not cantankerous. His collaborative style has been useful in steering this board away from the shores of political controversy and toward fact-based governance.
Since Allen has been on the Board for more than a decade, some could argue that it’s time for a change. However, Allen’s opponent, Steven A. Chambers, is not the person that voters should turn to as his replacement. Chambers, a pastor and educator, told the editorial board that he believes creationism should be taught as an option alongside evolution in Texas schools. After years of struggles with religious fundamentalists, the board has finally started embracing science standards and rejecting dogma. Electing Chambers to the board would risk reigniting this debate and undo the progress made by the board.
This isn’t my district, but I’ll sign on to that. Say No to creationism, always and in every form.
SD15: John Whitmire
Sen. John Whitmire
Long-time State Senator John Whitmire, 68, is facing two talented challengers in the March 6 Democratic primary, but we endorse him for re-election because his experience and political skills will be needed as recovery from Hurricane Harvey continues.
State storm aid has been hard enough to come by even with him in Austin. We can only imagine how it would be without him and his 44 years in the state legislature, the last 35 in the Senate.
He is the dean of that body, has a deep knowledge of how it works and a rare ability in these polarized times to bridge political differences to get things done.
[…]
Of his two opponents, we were particularly impressed by Damian Lacroix, 43, a lawyer who offers a vision of a Texas Democratic Party that fights for its ideals and tries to heighten the contrast with Republicans rather than working behind the scenes for smaller and smaller gains.
“Being a state senator is more than just passing legislation and regulation,” Lacroix told the editorial board. “It is also being able to galvanize people and getting a message out to people, bringing them into the fold.”
There’s something to what LaCroix says, but especially when you’re in the minority you need some of each type. Whitmire’s the best we’ve got at the first type. There are more appealing options elsewhere in the Senate to add to the LaCroix type.
HD147: Garnet Coleman
Rep. Garnet Coleman
After 27 years on the job, state Rep. Garnet F. Coleman, 56, knows his way around the Texas Legislature about as well as anybody there and better than most. He’s a liberal Democrat in a sea of conservative Republicans who manages to get a surprising number of things done.
“Some people know how to kill bills, some people know how to pass bills. I know how to do both,” he told the editorial board.
[…]
Coleman has a long history of working on issues of mental and physical health and of seeking funds for the University of Houston and Texas Southern University, both in his district, which extends from downtown southeast past Hobby Airport.
He also says the state needs a revolving fund like the water development fund that local governments can tap into for flood control projects.
It was an oversight on my part to not include Rep. Coleman on the list of people I endorse. He’s one of the best and he deserves our support.
HD146: Shawn Thierry
Rep. Shawn Thierry
Freshman state Rep. Shawn Nicole Thierry, a 47-year-old attorney, showed a lot of promise in her first session of the Texas Legislature last year as she learned the ropes of being a Democratic legislator in a heavily Republican body.
She was successful enough to get six bills through the House of Representatives — not bad for a rookie legislator — and worked with Republican state Senator Lois Kolkhorst to pass a bill in the special session that extended the Task Force on Maternal Mortality and Morbidity.
The task force, which is studying our state’s Third Worldish maternal mortality rate and what to do about it, was scheduled to end next September, but now will continue until 2023.
Thierry has learned the importance of the personal touch in legislating – it was her letter to Gov. Greg Abbott that convinced him to include the task force issue in the special session.
As noted, Rep. Thierry was selected by precinct chairs as the substitute nominee for HD146 in 2016 after Borris Miles moved up to the Senate to succeed Rodney Ellis. She wasn’t my first choice for the seat – I’d have voted for Erica Lee Carter if I’d been one of the chairs who got to vote – but I agree that she’s done a good job and deserves another term. And with all due respect to her two male opponents, the Lege needs more women, not fewer.
HD142: Harold Dutton
Rep. Harold Dutton
State Rep. Harold V. Dutton, Jr. has served as representative for District 142 since 1985 and we see no compelling reason to lose his seniority and its advantages at a time when Democrats need all the help they can get.
The 73-year-old attorney has been a loyal fighter for his heavily black and Hispanic district that starts in the Fifth Ward and goes east then north to 1960. In last year’s legislative session he authored 106 bills, a big part of them having to do with criminal justice.
He cites improvements to the Fifth Ward’s Hester House community center as his proudest achievement, but he also passed laws that restored the right to vote to ex-felons, effectively stopped red-lining by insurance companies and protected home-buyers from fraud in the use of contracts for deeds. He is involved in efforts to improve struggling district high schools Kashmere, Worthing and Wheatley.
He is also responsible for the state bill under which the Texas Education Agency is threatening to shutter those schools. That might make him vulnerable to a strong challenger.
Rep. Dutton is definitely getting dragged on social media over his authorship of that bill, and also over some nasty remarks he’s directed at Durrel Douglas, who’s been among those fighting to save the mostly black schools that are at risk. His opponent isn’t particularly compelling, but he could be vulnerable going forward. I don’t have a dog in this fight – like most veteran legislators, Dutton has some good and some not-so-good in his record, but his seniority gives him a fair amount of clout. I expect him to win, but this is a race worth watching.
HD139: Jarvis Johnson
Rep. Jarvis Johnson
State Rep. Jarvis Johnson is being challenged by former Lone Star College board chairman Randy Bates in the largely black and Hispanic District 139 on the city’s near northwest side.
He served three terms on the Houston City Council before winning his first term in the Texas House in 2016, succeeding Sylvester Turner who left to run for mayor.
Johnson, 46, is a strong supporter of vocational education, proposes that police officers be required to get psychological exams every two years, holds job fairs in the district and wants to prevent gentrification of historic neighborhoods such as Acres Homes.
Bates, 68, was on the Lone Star board for 21 years, seven of those as chairman, and the main building on its Victory Center campus is named for him. He’s an attorney who heads Bates and Coleman law firm.
He ran for the state seat in 2016 and is running again because he said people in the community complained that Johnson “is not doing enough for our district.”
We have a lot of respect for the work Bates did on the Lone Star board, but he didn’t give us a compelling reason to support him over Johnson.
This is almost certainly the best chance to defeat Rep. Johnson, who doesn’t get the seniority argument that most of the other incumbents listed above have. He didn’t do much as a freshman, but that’s hardly unusual for a member of the minority caucus. I don’t have a strong opinion about this one.
HD27: Wilvin Carter
Four-term incumbent state Rep. Ron Reynolds is running for re-election despite the fact that he may be facing a year in jail for his conviction in 2016 for five cases of misdemeanor barratry, also known as ambulance chasing for his law practice.
He’s being challenged in his Fort Bend district by another lawyer, Wilvin Carter, a former assistant attorney general and Fort Bend County assistant district attorney. The district includes Sienna Plantation, Stafford and most of Missouri City. No Republicans are running for this seat so this Democratic primary essentially serves as the general election for District 27.
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The unfortunate thing about Reynolds is that he is has a strong record for supporting environmental protection and gay rights, but with the possible jail sentence hanging over his head it’s hard to support him. He is a lawmaker who has been convicted of breaking the law, which is a breech of trust. Also, practically speaking, how much can he do for his constituents if he’s behind bars?
Voters should support Carter instead.
Reynolds is good on reproductive choice and a whole host of other issues as well. The Chron has endorsed Reynolds’ opponents in recent years due to his legal troubles and they have been pretty harsh about it, but here they recognize the dilemma. Reynolds’ voting record and personal charm have helped him maintain support, and I would bet on him being re-elected. I continue to hope he will step down and get his life straightened out, but that doesn’t appear to be in the cards.
I admire the work of Lawrence Allen Jr., incumbent for State Board of Education, District 4. However, to be fair, I followed up with questions to his opponent, Steven Chambers, regarding his reported views on teaching Creationism alongside evolution in science curricula. I also asked him to list some of his endorsements. I’ve included an excerpt from the text of his reply message and an excerpt from his position document he attached to his message.
First, here is his reply message:
“Thank you for sending this note with your reflection and questions. It means a great deal to me that you would take the time to ask rather than assume my position on something like this, especially in light of how I was framed in the Houston Chronicle OpEd. My comment on Creationism was taken out of context and I have since written a letter to the public as well as sent a letter to the Chronicle requesting a “correction” and print of my letter as well. I suspected foul play when I initially never even received an invitation to screen with the Chronicle and had to reach out to them to even be interviewed along side my opponent. But we press on.
I have attached for you to read and hopefully share if your networks my position on the matter. Also, in terms of endorsements, I only screened with 5 committees (AFL-CIO, Baptist Minister’s Association, GLBT-Caucus, Houston Black American Democrats, and the Chronicle). I have received/accepted endorsements from the GLBT and HBAD.
Please feel free to reach out if you have any other questions. Your support is valuable.
Best,
Steven
http://www.Steven4StateBoard.com”
Also here is Steven’s position document that was attached to his reply message:
“Dear Neighbors,
On February 14th, I screened for the endorsement of the Houston Chronicle alongside my primary opponent. During this interview we were asked whether or not we believed the concept of creationism should be taught in schools. To this question I responded that I believed students should be challenged to view all creation narratives, those rooted in science as well as faith traditions, with a critical lens and encouraged to come to their own conclusions. I cited my experience as a student at Vanderbilt Divinity School, where I learned to view all scientific theory, faith narratives, and social doctrine through a critical lens. As I said that day in front of our Chronicle screeners and my political opponent, I believe that rigorous education and curriculum stems from enforcing strong critical thinking skills. Students should be given the right to analyze all narratives of creation, those rooted in the many faith traditions (not just Creationism) as well as those supported by scientific theory (Evolution). If we are to be genuine advocates for the advancement of students in the area of the humanities, math, science, health, the arts, I see no other way to accomplish this than through the advocacy of critical analysis.
Unfortunately, the Op-Ed published by the Chronicle on February 18th took my share out of context and proceeded to create their own narrative for who I am and what I said and believe in. As an educator for over ten years, I have never introduced doctrines of my personal faith into a classroom or any educational space I’ve facilitated, nor would I encourage any educator to do the same. I am a firm believer that true, rigorous education allows students the space to enter a curriculum with the agency to question authorship and theory so that they may conceptualize their own conclusions. As life learners, it is my hope that we all approach information shared with us with a critical lens; from news articles in the Chronicle to classroom textbooks depicting slaves as indentured servants. I am an educator who is not afraid to ask tough questions, speak up for what I believe positions our children for quality education, and run a race that may not be comfortable for some. This is why I remain humbled in the rallying cry of my supporters who proclaim that “A Vote for Steven is a Vote for Students!””
Well, that is certainly different from what was reported. I hope this info helps us make a more informed choice between these two fine candidates. — Mark Mabry