By Robb Orr, GalleryWatch.com
Austin, TX –
The final day for filing to run in the 2006 Texas elections has come and gone, and in its aftermath, a sea of incumbents facing opponents in the March primary election. Republican Reps. Mike Krusee of Round Rock, Betty Brown of Athens, Dan Flynn of Canton, Leo Berman of Tyler and Tommy Merritt of Longview are among those facing competition from their own party. Rep. Roy Blake, Jr. (R-Nacogdoches) will face tough competition in the Republican primary from Wayne Christian, an eight-year veteran of the Texas House who formerly held Blake's seat.
Two veteran Democratic Houston legislators are facing primary opponents. Incumbent Kevin Bailey in District 140 will run against John Reyes, nephew of former Houston City Council member Ben Reyes. District 146 incumbent Al Edwards, who hasn't had a Democratic opponent in more than 10 years, is facing two challengers in the primary. Other Democrats facing challenges in the primary include Reps. Garnet Coleman of Houston, Helen Giddings of Dallas, Joe Pickett of El Paso and Norma Chavez of El Paso.
The most attention in this year's pool of candidates, however, went to Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn, who surprised many by leaving the GOP at the 11th hour to enter the gubernatorial race as an independent. "I am a Republican, but I know we must set partisan politics aside and do what's right for Texas. That is why I am running for governor as a Texas Independent," she said. While Democratic leaders said Strayhorn's party switch is a sign that even Republicans know their leadership has failed, Republican leaders slammed Strayhorn for leaving her party in the name of political ambition. "Today the truth has come out: Carole Strayhorn is no Republican," said GOP Party Chairman Tina Benkiser. Republicans should be outraged that Strayhorn "has lied, deceived and now abandoned the very people who put her in office all for her own selfish ambition," she said.
Meanwhile, Rep. David Swinford (R-Amarillo) spent this week awaiting two opinions from the Office of the Attorney General regarding the constitutionality of a Texas Residential Construction Commission (TRCC) review being conducted by the Comptroller of Public Accounts. The issue goes back to Aug. 16, when Rep. Todd Smith (R-Bedford) sent a letter to the Comptroller requesting that her office research, analyze and report on the impact of the enabling legislation for TRCC on Texas homeowners and the Texas economy. "I fear homeowners in Texas may be discouraged from purchasing new homes and renovating older homes, harming not only their dreams but the Texas economy," wrote Smith.
When Swinford got wind of Smith's letter and the Comptroller review, months after it had been underway, he wrote a Dec. 16 letter requesting two opinions from the attorney general relating to whether the Comptroller has the constitutional authority to report on the enabling legislation of a state agency and asking about the scope of an agency investigation being conducted by the Comptroller.
U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Sugar Land) on Saturday submitted a letter to his Republican congressional colleagues stating that he would abandon his bid to remain House majority leader. The move clears the way for House Republicans to hold leadership elections amid DeLay's money laundering trial. Earlier in the week, several more subpoenas were issued in connection with DeLay's trial. Four subpoenas were issued by the Travis County District Attorney relating to contributions made to DeLay's Texans for a Republican Majority Political Action Committee (TRMPAC). The state later issued another four subpoenas for photocopies of records in the care of people or agencies tied to a $500,000 contribution made by the National Republican Congressional Committee to the U.S. Family Network in 1999.
Gov. Rick Perry continued his requests for assistance for the fire-ravaged counties in West Texas. On Tuesday, Perry asked the Small Business Administration to make citizens in Callahan, Cooke, Eastland, Erath, Hood and Montague counties eligible for long-term, low-interest rate loans to defray the costs of losses from wildfires. Perry said more than 25 homes and businesses in the region have suffered damages equivalent to more than 40 percent of their values.
Congressman Randy Neugebauer (R-Lubbock) sent a letter to President Bush urging him to take the necessary steps to allow more federal dollars and resources to be available in the wake of the wildfires. In the letter, Neugebauer and fourteen members of the Texas congressional delegation support Perry's request for a federal emergency declaration in Texas. "A federal emergency declaration would mean additional resources would be available to combat the fires, respond to this disaster, and help families and businesses affected by this emergency," Neugebauer said.
Afterthought: It was starting to look as if Texans might learn more about the candidates running in Texas House District 39 than they wanted to know. As of Monday's filing deadline, Democratic incumbent Armando Martinez was set to face off with a familiar opponent in the primary: his wife, Jessica Reyes-Martinez. Although they are in the midst of a divorce, a child custody suit and, according to The Monitor, not on speaking terms, both vowed an election based on politics, not personal matters. "I'm actually running for office, not against him," Reyes-Martinez told The Monitor. "It just happens he's in office right now." Just 36 hours after filing, however, Reyes-Martinez was deemed ineligible because of an incomplete ballot application.