Leticia Van de Putte As LG Better for GOP State Senators Than Dan Patrick - And They Know It

[TexasTowelie]

It might be easy to assume that a heavily Republican Texas State Senate would favor the GOP candidate for Lieutenant Governor in 2014's upcoming general election. Republicans held a majority in the last legislative session and will continue to hold that majority in 2015. The Lieutenant Governor also presides over the State Senate, and it would seem that the majority would want a leader from their own party.

Not so, reported the San Antonio Express News. Though many senators may back Dan Patrick publicly - especially when they were fighting for their seats against Tea Party challengers - what they say on the campaign trail may not reflect what they think is best for the Texas Senate. And what is best for the Texas Senate is most decidedly not an extremist like Dan Patrick.

The Lieutenant Governor wields a great deal of power in the Texas State Senate. The LG makes committee assignments, including deciding whether members remain or become chairs of their committees, and also controls the traffic of bills coming onto the Senate floor. Essentially, the LG controls the legislative agenda of the Senate.

Traditionally in both the House and the Senate, the committee chairmanships are divided in a way that closely reflects the partisan makeup of the body. Being a committee chairperson gives a senator a great deal of influence in that committee and on the legislative agenda of the Senate: they choose which bills get heard, which bills get a vote, and effectively determine which bills will make it onto the Senate floor. As Lieutenant Governor, David Dewhurst appointed Democrats to chairmanships - including Leticia Van de Putte. This is a move Patrick has criticized in his campaign against Dewhurst, saying that under his watch, he may not appoint a single Democrat to a chairmanship.

More at http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/14966/leticia-van-de-putte-as-lg-better-for-gop-state-senators-than-dan-patrick-and-they-know-it .

[Gothmog]

1. Leticia van de Putte should be able to beat Dan Patrick

Patrick is a nut case and is alienating the sane portion of the GOP base. Van de Putte is a very effective senator and I think that she can beat Patrick. Here is a decent piece of analysis from Off the Kuff http://offthekuff.com/wp/?p=59416

I’ve noted before how Democrats are rooting for Patrick to win the runoff since he is viewed as being more beatable in November. Some people have expressed skepticism of this, partly on the belief that there are no ticket-splitters any more. I get that, but there are plenty of such people left in Texas. We saw a great example of it in 2010. Bill White received over 387,000 more votes than Democratic Lt. Governor candidate Linda Chavez-Thompson, while Rick Perry collected over 311,000 fewer votes than David Dewhurst. That’s nearly a 700,000 vote swing towards White. People often don’t realize how big the swing was towards White because the Republican tidal wave of 2010 was too big for it to matter, but in a more normal year, 700,000 votes is more than enough to make a difference.

Consider this scenario: Turnout in November is 4.9 million voters – a bit less than 2010, but more than any other off year. The average statewide Republican wins with a 57-43 margin, which I think we can agree is healthy enough to invite plenty of post-electoral scoffing at Battleground Texas and any thought of a blue state in the foreseeable future. Well, in this scenario a Bill White-sized swing is just about what it would take to tip an election, since the average vote tally would be 2.8 million to 2.1 million. If there’s any Republican candidate capable of inspiring that kind of disloyalty among his fellow Republicans, it’s Dan Patrick.

Van de Putte should pick up more votes than Wendy Davis and may win the Lt. Governor's race even if Wendy loses. I would prefer for both Wendy and Leticia to win but I would be happy to get control of the Texas senate.