Who Won, Who Lost - (add your stories)

[sonias]

Texas Tribune 3/3/10
Who Won, Who Lost
For the last two months, we've brought you news and analysis on nearly two dozen hotly contested primaries. Here's a look at who won, who lost, and who's headed for runoffs in the top legislative and congressional races.

(snip)
HD-7

David Simpson narrowly defeated GOP incumbent Rep. Tommy Merritt, R-Longview in an unexpected upset. Simpson, who served as mayor of Avinger (pop. 464) from 1993 to 1998, says the local Tea Parties drafted him to oppose Merritt. He is a devout Christian who campaigned largely on an anti-Washington, anti-immigration platform. He describes his bid for office as a “mini Scott Brown race.” “I was asked by the people and it was about the people," Simpson said.

Merritt currently leads the House Public Safety Committee. He's known for his independent streak, which is probably the reason he has drawn opponents in every GOP primary but one since 2000.

(snip)
HD-36

Palmview attorney Sergio Muñoz Jr., is headed to the Texas Capitol after handing former school district trustee Sandra Rodriguez a decisive defeat in the HD-36 Democratic Primary. With no GOP or third-party candidate on the ballot for November’s general election, Muñoz will claim the seat currently held by state Rep. Ismael “Kino” Flores, D-Palmview.

Flores decided not to seek another term in the Legislature after he was indicted last year by a Travis County grand jury on charges that he hid sources of income, gifts, real estate holdings and other information from his financial disclosure forms. Muñoz Jr., is the son of former state Rep. Sergio Muñoz. He fended off allegations from Rodriguez that he was Flores’ handpicked successor. Rodriguez nearly upset Flores two years ago, losing by less than 1,000 votes.

I'm heartbroken that Sandra Rodriguez didn't win in HD-36 to replace Kino Flores. What a shame! :cry:

I'm sorry to see Tommy Merritt lose his race. He really was one of the independent thinkers on the R side - which of course meant he would fail their "party purity" test.
He wouldn't vote with the Rs on photo voter ID and they nailed him for it.

[WolverineDG]

1. I'm still in shock over my local races

Makes me wonder if people in Laredo REALLY want decent government (with the exception of one county precinct, but that race is in a run-off now & it's all down to turn-out).

dg

[sonias]

2. Want to talk about any of them specifically?

I see that Norma Chavez is going into a runoff. That probably helps her since getting people out for the second time is harder and incumbents have an advantage there. Plus she will have some resources to keep her going.

On the good side is that racist Betty Brown (R-wingnut Athens) lost!
:woohoo: I'm dancing over that one.

I hope the rat who replaces her will be less crazy but you never know. Of course she will want a recount. Too bad she didn't support verifiable elections!

Texas Tribune 3/3/10
The Dead Incumbents Society
(snip)
Terrell Republican Betty Brown narrowly lost her re-election bid to challenger and former aide Lance Gooden by 108 votes. Brown could ask for a recount due to Gooden's close margin of victory.

[sonias]

3. TX Senate District 29 - Shapleigh's replacement

Welcome to the TX Senate, Senator Jose Rodriguez. I hope you will work as hard as Senator Shapleigh! :toast:

Texas Senate District 29 - D
Precincts reporting - 100%
Jose R. Rodriguez 22,248 69.50%
Liza Montelongo 6,383 19.94%
Louis Irwin 3,382 10.56%

:kick:

[WolverineDG]

5. Where to start?

The county judge race, where the person with the real ideas & integrity got slimed, so it's a run-off between the incumbent & a new-comer/insider who campaigned on being a "Christian?" :eyes:

The 111th District Court race where the Republican masquerading as a Democrat *almost* won & the *best* candidate came in 3rd?

:(

dg

[sonias]

7. That's too bad about the best candidate coming in 3rd

But at least your closet republican running as a Democrat didn't win.

I know the campaigning on "Christianity" is making me mad too. The candidates are trying to appeal to the conservative Latinos who are very religious. It works in the Rio Grande Valley.

It worked against Sandra Rodriguez in HD36 when Sergio Munoz put out ads saying Sandra was pro-abortion, a tactic used by the most extreme anti-choice people. Really a low point in that campaign. The ad said, "a vote for Sandra Rodriguez is a vote to silence that heartbeat." I already don't like Sergio Munoz. :grr:

[WolverineDG]

16. well there's a run-off in the DINO's race

hopefully the real Dem will win.

dg

[sonias]

4. Another race to dance to - McLeroy becomes extinct

State Board of Education District 9 - R
Precincts reporting - 100%
Thomas Ratliff 56,207 50.38%
Don McLeroy 55,368 49.62%

McLeroy=Loser

:rofl:

[texastoast]

17. +1000

I just can't be happy enough. Now on to the other idiots on the SBOE.

[sonias]

18. Another idiot would be my SBOE Rep

Ken Mercer in SBOE 5. We absolutely have to win this race in November.

Our sane and very qualified Democratic candidate in this race - Rebecca Bell-Metereau
http://www.voterebecca.com/

[sonias]

6. Hector Uribe wins Land Commissioner

Land Commissioner - D
Precincts reporting - 100%
Hector Uribe 291,221 51.67%
Bill Burton 272,359 48.33%

:toast:

[NoPasaran]

8. The vicious Repub battle in HD-47 heads to a runoff

David Sewell 25.02%
Holly Turner 35.57%
Paul D. Workman 39.4%

Holly Turner is the carpetbaggin' fake baby-totin' teabagger in the race, Workman is the left-wing liberal donatin' NARC (Not A Real Conservative), at least according to each other's mail lit. Two takes on the political humor goldmine from Kelso and McBlogger.

[sonias]

9. Workman's mailer in the Kelso column

The other mailer that drew my attention came from Paul Workman , who is running for state rep against Turner.

The mailer clearly states that Workman has spent "25 years as a rock-solid Republican in Travis County" and is a "Local Board Member of Citizens for Lawsuit Abuse."

I didn't know there was an organization called Citizens for Lawsuit Abuse. Wonder if Workman also sat on the Board for People for Earmarks, Citizens for Lower Teacher Pay and Americans for Executing the Wrong Guy.

"Yeah, uh, we, uh, unfortunately — he's a local board member of Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse," said Eric Bearse , Workman's spokesman. "It is a typo." No kidding?

:spray: :rofl:

The sad thing is I can totally believe that Texas Rs would proudly sit on these committees: "Citizens for Lower Teacher Pay and Americans for Executing the Wrong Guy" :(

[ParkieDem]

10. RRC was interesting on the GOP side

Most Republicans I know were upset that Victor Carillo lost his primary. They fear this will hurt them with Hispanics.

[sonias]

12. I just posted about this at the same time you did

I agree 100% - this will hurt them with Latinos - big time. And I can't wait to collect their hides on this one too.

[sonias]

11. Texas Railroad Commissioner Victor Carrillo was tossed

http://www.statesman.com/opinion/all-the-election-drama-was-down-ballot-311735.html">AAS 3/3/10
All the election drama was down ballot
Editorial Board

For election night suspense, all the action was down the ballot and well below most voters' radar.

The high-profile races didn't yield surprises, but there was a big upset in the Railroad Commission race in which an unknown, underfunded candidate who barely campaigned knocked off incumbent Victor Carrillo. Carrillo, a former Taylor County judge, lawyer and geologist, expressed a fear earlier this week that his Latino surname made him vulnerable, and his premonition proved right.

It was a premonition rooted in history. In 2001, Gov. Rick Perry named Xavier Rodriguez, now a federal judge, to the Texas Supreme Court. He was defeated in the 2002 GOP primary by little-known challenger Stephen Wayne Smith, who spent $9,500, compared to the more than $550,000 spent by Rodriguez. In that case, the name factor made GOP leaders nervous, but they acknowledged the power of the name factor.

David Porter pulled off the upset of Carrillo despite a minimal investment of time, money and expertise in the primary.

When are Latinos going to learn the lesson that Texas Republicans do not like Spanish surnames? If they keep playing with fire, they will continue to get burned.

My hope is this of course plays into the Democratic winner's hands. Our own candidate Jeff Weems who now has a clean slate. Running against an unknown who is not an incumbent.

Congratulations to Jeff Weems and let win this race in November. :toast: :bounce:

[sonias]

19. Carillo is hurting bad today

Texas Tribune 3/3/10
Carrillo: Hispanic Surname Caused Election Loss
Victor Carrillo, a Republican incumbent for who ran for reelection to Railroad Commission, believes he lost the primary to a relative unknown, David Porter, solely because of voter prejudice based on his Hispanic name. Some analysts we've spoken to today agree, though Porter called such notions "absurd." Carillo just released a frank letter to supporters, excerpted here:

As you now surely know, last night I was defeated (61% / 39%) in my statewide Republican Primary by my opponent, David Porter. Porter, an unknown, no-campaign, no-qualification CPA from Midland residing in Giddings filed on the last day that he could file while I was waiting in Abilene to bury my dad. He has never held any elected office, has no geoscience, industry, or legal experience other than doing tax returns for oil and gas companies.

(snip)

Early polling showed that the typical GOP primary voter has very little info about the position of Railroad Commissioner, what we do, or who my opponent or I were. Given the choice between “Porter” and “Carrillo” — unfortunately, the Hispanic-surname was a serious setback from which I could never recover although I did all in my power to overcome this built-in bias. I saw it last time but was able to win because the “non-Carrillo” vote was spread among three Anglo GOP primary opponents instead of just one. Also, the political dynamics have changed some since 2004.

Many of you have begun to call and/or write to express your concern over the whole situation. You are correct to be concerned over the fact that the GOP (our party) still has these tendencies to not be able to elect or retain highly qualified candidates who WANT to continue serving the public as I do. It is indeed a shame. Nevertheless, I refuse to walk away in shame because I know that my team and I did just about all we could have done to ensure that the primary electorate knew of my qualifications, expertise, and experience. The rest was beyond my control. I also urge party leaders to not alienate the Hispanic/Latino voter in Texas, as we now comprise about 39% of the population and we remain the fastest-growing minority group in the nation.

Poor Victor, he just can't believe his chosen party is composed of a bunch of racists. :eyes:

Sonia

[sonias]

13. Puncher Rick Green in R Runoff for TX Supremes

And in more crazy news former Texas House of Representative Rick Green who lost his seat to Patrick Rose is at the top of a 6 body pile up for TX Supremes Place 3.

Texas Tribune 3/3/10
The Supremes
(snip)
Green, who represented the Dripping Springs area in the Texas House from 1999 to 2003, said he was "cautiously optimistic" about the night’s returns and "real thrilled" about the prospect of a runoff, and that he thought his campaign had "good ground game and a good Internet presence." The former lawmaker made headlines in 2006 for a public row with his Democratic successor, state Rep. Patrick Rose, whom he allegedly punched and shoved on Election Day. While in the Legislature, Green attracted criticism for using his Capitol office as the setting for a health supplement infomercial for a company and arguing successfully for the parole of a man who had lent $400,000 to his father’s company. He also made Texas Monthly’s list of the 10 worst legislators.

I have a problem with this news report using "allegedly punched"? It wasn't just an allegation - Green was convicted of a Class C misdemeanor.

Grits for Breakfast blog 4/9/07
Punching, shoving and the politics of race, power and prosecutorial discretion
Via Pink Dome, for those who thought Shaquanda Cotton's second degree felony conviction for shoving a teacher's aide was justified, tell me what you think about former state Rep. Rick Green getting deferred adjudication on a Class C misdemeanor for punching state Rep. Patrick Rose. Cotton was prosecuted on a second degree felony for "shoving" someone with an open hand, while Green (right, with Rose) curled up his fist and threw a punch.
(snip)
Green's C misdemeanor shows me the prosecutor in Shaquanda Cotton's case had plenty of discretion if he'd wanted to pursue a lesser charge. Someone will accuse me of "playing the race card," but it's fair to wonder if Cotton and Green both received "equal protection under the law." It seems to me Mr. Green received a little more protection than Ms. Cotton.

Go ahead Texas Rs make Green your candidate - please, pretty please! :crazy:

The crazy R will go up against our candidate Jim Sharp! A very good potential for a Democratic pick up on this dysfunctional court.

[sonias]

14. Sumners ousts Vasquez from Harris County tax office

In another stunning defeat of the incumbent, the Harris county Rs ousted Leo Vasquez. Don't get me wrong - I don't like Leo and I'm glad he's out. But I rather that our candidate Diane Trautman had beat him in November. These R primaries are ugly when it comes to Texas Rs voting for Latinos. They just won't do it.

Houston Chronicle 3/3/10
Sumners ousts Vasquez from Harris County tax office

Don Sumners won the Republican nomination for county tax assessor-collector Tuesday, ousting incumbent Leo Vasquez on his promises to continue the anti-tax crusade that characterized his tenure as county treasurer in the 1990s.

Sumners campaigned on a slogan of "I was Tea Party before Tea Party was cool."

(snip)
Sumners in the November general election will face Diane Trautman, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. She also was the Democratic nominee in 2008. Paul Bettencourt defeated her, then resigned just weeks into his third four-year term.

This is looking better and better for us in Harris!

:kick:

[sonias]

15. HD-146: Way Too Close to Call (Borris Miles/ Al Edwards)

Texas Tribune
HD-146: Way Too Close to Call

In what's been a colorful race replete with accusations of cyber treachery and publicity stunts, unofficial voting returns show the contest between incumbent Al Edwards and challenger Borris Miles is going to be a squeaker. Miles' 11-vote hold over Edwards will almost certainly lead to a recount.

The stand-off revives a longstanding rivalry between the two candidates, who have competed against each other to represent the district twice before. Edwards won the seat in 1979 and has held it ever since — except for when Miles dislodged him briefly in 2006, capitalizing on fallout over Edwards' support of Tom Craddick and introduction of the infamous "Booty bill," a piece of legislation that Edwards intended to curtail an "epidemic of sexy cheerleading." Edwards won the seat back in 2008, after news broke of Miles' erratic behavior at a Christmas party, where he allegedly waved a pistol in the air and forcibly kissed another man's wife.

Keeping it weird in Houston. I hope Borris will keep his mind focused this next session.

And speaking of weird TX Congressional 22 - A Democratic candidate, or should I say LaRouche candidate wins without a runoff :wtf:

U.S. House District 22 - D
Precincts reporting - 100%
Kesha Rogers 7,465 52.29%
Doug Blatt 3,954 27.69%
Freddie "John" Wieder Jr. 2,858 20.02%

[derby378]

20. TX-22 is in some serious trouble

We told you recently about the newest entry into the Hall of Weirdness that is Sugar Land's 22nd Congressional District: Kesha Rogers, a Lyndon LaRouche follower who was running in the Democratic primary by calling for the impeachment of President Obama.

She won. Easily.

Rogers took 52 percent of the 14,300 or so votes cast in the Democratic primary, probably not a few of which came from mischievous cross-over Republicans.

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2010/03/democrat_impeach_obama.php

[sonias]

21. It's a write off

If I were in CD-22 I would skip that race.