The editorial reviews on Talmadge Heflin’s House challenge to overturn his electoral loss to Hubert Vo are coming in, and it’s as you’d expect.
The Statesman says “Heflin is asking his House colleagues to give him the seat he didn’t win anyway”.
The Chron says Heflin will “clearly do anything to retain possession of the District 149 seat he’s held for two decades, even if it includes thwarting the will of the district’s voters”. Note how they also pick up on the implicit questioning of Republican County Clerk Bev Kaufman’s competence.
Even Dan Patrick’s boyos are telling Heflin to pack it in.
Andrew D has some related stuff. The official recount, which does not affect the challenge, begins today. There are two other challenges giong on in the House as well – I’ll have more on this later. I’ll post more editorials as I find them.
It is becoming increasingly clear that these recounts and election challenges are part of a larger strategy to preserve Craddick partisan margin in the Texas House of Representatives.
Go after Gonzalez-Toureilles and Strama, in addition to Vo, then concede the first two and claim to be reasonable. As for Heflin, they can assert massive fraud and let the 88 R-62 D House seat their colleague even though he lost.
Talmadge lost by 32 votes, several Republicans have said so. But has anyone considered the possibility that he returns to the House, as Republicans engage in the politics of personal stupidity, and is now the ex-chair of appropreaitions who would widely be considered an election theif? I would not want to be in his fat shoes in that situation. What is he really fighting for? It makes me think Craddick is behind it all.
Vo Wins Again
Andrew reported on it earlier, but it’s official. The recount gave Hubert Vo an extra vote for a 33-vote victory margin over Talmadge Heflin. Let the election-stealing begin! The Houston Chronicle has the story as well. Kuff has some more…