https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2008-03-14/601859/

Election Wrap-up

March 14, 2008, News

Travis Co. for Obama

It's often noted that Austin is a lot different from the rest of Texas. Hillary Clinton should be thankful for that. Unlike the state as a whole, which split the popular vote slightly in Clinton's favor, Travis Co. was pretty lopsided for Barack Obama. Of 210 voting precincts, only eight went for the former first lady, and unless you lived in the southeast corner of Travis or east of Marble Falls, it was less a matter of, "Did your precinct go for Obama?" but rather, "By how much?"

Overall, 62.58% of Travis residents voted for Obama; for our purposes, that percentage is the dividing line between "heavy" and "light" pro-Obama. The Illinois senator went as high as 84.9% in Precinct 121 (LBJ High School), had four precincts go more than 80%, and many more more than 70%. Clinton, on the other hand, could do no better than 58.2% in Precinct 403 down in Creedmoor, and one precinct she won by a mere plurality of 49.9%: Precinct 427 (Allan Elementary in East Austin), which she took by only three votes. – Lee Nichols

Millions of Democrats

Austinites love their democracy – as usual, Travis County had a higher voter turnout than the state as a whole: 41% vs. 33%. They are also more sold on the idea of early voting than other Texans: Contrary to the norm in most places, Travis residents casting ballots early (116,055) outnumbered election day voters (111,438). Statewide, it was the reverse: 1.8 million voted early, and 2.4 million waited until the big day. In Travis, 186,426 Democrats went to the polls, compared with 41,067 Republicans. Statewide, it was 2.9 million Dems vs. 1.4 million Republicans.

Don't read too much into those state numbers, though. It's doubtful they represent a shift of Texans to the left. The Dem turnout was driven by the hotly competitive presidential primary; since the GOP nomination was all but sewn up for John McCain, it should be presumed that many Republicans didn't feel motivated to turn out. And let's not forget that Austin's borders now stretch up into Williamson County. WilCo recorded 78,521 ballots cast, including 49,490 in the Democratic primary and 28,848 in the Republican one. – L.N.

Still Counting the Caucus Vote

So who won the 67 national Democratic presidential delegates up for grabs from those crazy precinct caucuses on election night? Sorry, but we (and you) won't know for certain until after the state Democratic Party convention in Austin, June 5-7. Part of the problem is that precinct captains weren't required to report their results until the county (or in the case of large urban counties, senatorial district) conventions are held March 29 – so the results shown on the Texas Democratic Party website (www.txdemocrats.org) were those that were voluntarily reported, and by Thursday, the volume of results called in had slowed to such a trickle that the party stopped updating the website. So the tally shown there is unofficial and very incomplete, but we at least know that Obama has picked up 23,918 of the 88,074 precinct delegates available, and Clinton has 18,620. Assuming substantial numbers of those delegates don't flip their votes – they can but usually don't – then once those delegates are winnowed down at state, the percentages likely mean Obama has secured roughly about 18 of the 67, and Clinton about 14. The remaining 35 we'll just have to wait and see. – L.N.

Noriega on Victory

It was a nail-biter, but it's finally official: With all of Texas' 8,247 precincts reporting, Houston state Rep. Rick Noriega did indeed avoid a run-off in his race to be the Democrats' U.S. Senate nominee. Candidates need 50% plus one vote to win outright, and clearing that bar was by no means certain for Noriega on election night. He started with a bare 50.26% of the early votes and for a while dipped under 50% as counting continued but finally finished with 51.01%. His main hurdle was that recurring problem for Democrats, San Antonio retiree Gene Kelly, a perennial candidate for whom many people vote either out of whimsy or confusion with the dead dancer. Kelly took 27%, Corpus Christi schoolteacher Ray McMurrey (the only opponent Noriega and the media took seriously) got only 12%, and San Antonio security guard Rhett Smith took less than 10%. But Noriega says he wasn't sweating: "In all honesty, we had prepared for a run-off given the number of candidates in the race and given the number of voters that were turning out that we didn't know who they were," Noriega told the Chronicle a couple of days after the election. "Given that [I'm] just a state representative, one of 150 in the state, we had to get out and introduce ourselves ... so quite frankly, we were pleasantly surprised. We're very humbled by the vote of confidence." But if he had this much trouble winning the primary against two names and one pseudo big-name, what does this say about his chances against Republican incumbent John Cornyn? "It means it'll be a tough fight, and I'll win the general election." – L.N.

D.A.'s Race: Public-safety PACs weigh in

Union representatives from Travis County's five public-safety entities gathered last week in Wooldridge Square Park to announce their endorsement of Mindy Montford in the April 8 run-off race for Travis Co. district attorney. The four-way field of primary candidates – assistant district attorneys Montford, Rosemary Lehmberg, Gary Cobb, and Rick Reed – was whittled to two on election night, leaving Montford, a trial court prosecutor, and Lehmberg, the office's first assistant D.A., to battle it out for the top spot. The political action committees of the county's two largest public-safety unions – the Austin Police Association and the Travis County Sheriff's Officers Association, which represents the Sheriff's Office's correction officers – had endorsed Cobb, who pulled a third-place finish on election night. Last week, however, those two joined with the Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services Employee Association, the Austin Firefighters Association, and the Travis County Sheriffs' Law Enforcement Association (which had already thrown its weight behind Montford) to announce their combined support for Montford. "This is a historic day," said Brett Spicer, TCSLEA PAC chair. "This is the first time I can remember in 10 years that every public-safety organization [has] united behind one candidate. That speaks volumes about Mindy Montford." Wuthipong "Tank" Tantaksinanukij, APA vice president, said the public-safety groups were looking for a candidate interested in working with and communicating more with each group. Whereas Lehmberg represents the old guard – she has worked in the office six months longer than 30-year veteran D.A. Ronnie Earle – he said Montford is the candidate that best represents the future and is whom the police union believes will "bring fresh eyes to a 30-year institution." – Jordan Smith

*Oops! The following correction ran in the March 21, 2008 issue: An editing error in last week's ongoing coverage of the district attorney's race ("D.A.'s Race," News, March 14) produced the erroneous statement that the Travis County Sheriff's Officers Association represents the D.A. office's correction officers. Of course, the association represents the correction officers employed by the Sheriff's Office. The Chronicle regrets the error.

CD 10: Endorsements don't vote

Something in which we won't be placing too much stock in the future: Democratic club endorsements. After Dan Grant just rolled Larry Joe Doherty on the endorsement front, one might figure he was a lock to become the Democratic challenger to Rep. Michael McCaul in the Congressional District 10 race. One would figure wrong.

The most important battleground for the Democratic primary in this Austin-to-Houston district, obviously, is Austin. The Travis County portion of the district accounted for more than half of the votes cast, which is why Doherty moved from Washington Co. to Austin to run for the seat. We were pretty sure that at least Travis would break for lifelong Austinite Grant, but no: Doherty took 57% here. And that turned out to be his weakest county. Back home in Washington County, Doherty took 76%, and in the other major population center of the district, Harris County (where Doherty built his successful legal malpractice career), he took 65%.

At a party for campaign volunteers two nights after the election, Doherty said his dominant win was what he expected, because he had something better than endorsements – he had polling data (the same poll that had drawn accusations of push-polling from Grant supporters).

"That inappropriate accusation of push-polling was a ruse to try to get a free look at a poll that we paid serious pollsters to do for serious reasons," Doherty said. "And after that poll came in, we knew which direction to take the message in this campaign, and we knew why. It wasn't a push poll, and it wasn't a campaign that was going to be won with negatives. Our message was solid, it was responsive to what the voters were interested in, and it was positive."

That's a reference to Grant's negative TV ads, which ridiculed Doherty – who starred as Judge Larry Joe in the Texas Justice television series – as a mere "TV personality." Doherty's ads, by contrast, made no mention of Grant and instead talked about "cleaning up Congress."

"[Campaign consultant] James Aldrete just did a magnificent job of analyzing the polling data and sculpting the message to fit my strengths," Doherty said. Losing the battle for Democratic club endorsements didn't matter, he said, because "Travis County is so much more than what it used to be that the voters that determined the outcome of this election are not part of an old system."

A consolation prize for Grant: As he campaigned outside of Gullett Elementary in his home precinct – with Doherty's wife campaigning just a few feet away – he said, "I have to win this precinct." He did. Precinct 239 went 68% in his favor. Great campaign line, as he greeted voters going into Gullett: "Hi, I'm Dan Grant. I'm running for Congress, and I went to school here." – L.N.

Travis Co. Constables: Danny Thomas returns

Never underestimate the power of prayer – or name ID – in a low-profile constable race. "I'm a praying man," Precinct 1 candidate Danny Thomas acknowledged before last week's Democratic primary election. Thomas is also a well-known figure in his East Austin community, which forms the greater share of Precinct 1. A former Austin City Council member, he is also an ordained minister and a retired Austin police officer who now serves as an Austin Police Department community liaison. And he came in first in a three-way race, advancing to an April 8 run-off against Janie Serna. Third-place candidate Willie Joe Madison entered the race as the presumptive front-runner – he serves as the precinct's chief deputy constable, and he had the endorsement of outgoing Constable Luke Mercer and several Democratic clubs. But Thomas apparently had prayer and a higher profile on his side. He got almost 42% of the vote.

In the other constable races, there were few surprises. In Precinct 2, incumbent Republican Bob Vann handily beat challenger Carl Joiner, while in a nasty race on the Democratic side, Adan Ballesteros edged Paul Labuda by 52-48%. In Precinct 3, incumbent Democrat Richard McCain took more than 55% to beat challenger Robert Eller, currently a deputy constable in Precinct 4. And in Precinct 4, incumbent Maria Canchola got more than 60% against Alonzo "Al" Reyes, currently an officer in the Precinct 3 constable's office. – Amy Smith

Stealth to the Right?

The high primary turnout of Democrats is being seen as a good sign for House Democrats in November. But with so many seats in the Texas Lege uncontested in November, the removal of several incumbents during primaries could in fact signify a shift to the right and to reps even more friendly to House Speaker Tom Craddick.

El Paso Republican Pat Haggerty, first elected to House District 78 in 1988, a GOP rebel who led last session's anti-Craddick walkout, was defeated by well-funded party establishment (endorsed by Gov. Rick Perry) candidate Dee Margo (who now must face popular Democratic Assistant District Attorney Joseph Moody). And two conservatives lost their seats for not being conservative enough. In Houston's HD 130, ex-cop Allen Fletcher defeated incumbent Corbin Van Arsdale, blasted for the sins of supporting tax bills and sponsoring a failed journalism shield law. Up in Dallas (HD 101), freshman Thomas Latham lost to Mesquite Mayor Mike Anderson, who ran on a platform attacking the evils of taxes, illegal immigration, and sexual predators. He faces a November contest against Democratic lawyer Robert Miklos.

The bloodletting was even more brutal among Democrats. In Houston, defrocked veteran Al Edwards got his revenge on freshman Borris Miles by taking back HD 146 – the seat Edwards held for 26 years before being ejected by Miles in the 2006 primary. While Edwards gained a reputation for grandstanding – for trying to place his own likeness on the Juneteenth Memorial Monument and for his "booty bill" to ban overly suggestive high school cheerleading – he was also one of the longest-serving Craddick Ds. (Miles' brief tenure had produced its own controversy.)

In El Paso, Haggerty wasn't the only anti-Craddick rep ousted in the primaries. Dem incumbent Paul Moreno lost HD 77 by 3 percentage points to Marisa Marquez. Moreno had attacked Marquez for taking $49,000 in contributions from the anti-tort Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC, a big contributor to Craddick-friendly campaigns. In another rough race, two-time HD 43 Rep. Juan Manuel Escobar lost 54-46% to South Padre Island board Alderwoman Tara Rios Ybarra. Like Marquez, Ybarra was attacked for being a "Craddick D in waiting" and endured a Texas Ethics Commission complaint for spending campaign contributions before she had a campaign; in turn, she alleged (without naming names) that a break-in at her campaign office in November was politically motivated.

Anti-Craddick Dems could take some solace in the ejection of noted Craddick D Kevin Bailey in HD 140 (Houston), to be replaced by Armando Walle. – Richard Whittaker

*Oops! The following correction ran in the March 21, 2008 issue: Due to an editing error in the March 14 News section, two stories reported and written by Richard Whittaker – "Stealth to the Right?" and "And They're Off! ... Again" – were mistakenly attributed to Lee Nichols. The Chronicle regrets the error.

And They're Off! ... Again

Campaign managers call run-off elections wasteful drains on resources. They also seem inevitable, and that holds true this primary season, with several congressional and legislative races statewide coming back for another vote on April 8. For Congress, there's one Democratic run-off, with neither Steve Loven or Eric Roberson getting the 50%-plus-one needed to decide who takes on Congressional District 32 Republican U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions in November. The Republicans have one rerun as well: After a crowded first round to face Democrat Nick Lampson in CD 22, Tom DeLay's old seat, Pete Olson (former staffer to Sen. John Cornyn and, before him, Sen. Phil Gramm) and Shelley Sekula Gibbs (former Houston City Council member who finished DeLay's final unexpired term but lost to Lampson in 2006) elbowed past eight others, but neither sealed the deal.

The GOP could waste most time and money in Texas House races, with four undecided slots remaining. Three are to replace retiring Republican incumbents: In House District 112 (Dallas), Angie Chen Button and Randy Dunning compete to replace the retiring Fred Hill, with no November challenger. In HD 144 (Pasadena), Ken Legler and Fred Roberts will face off before taking on Democratic hopeful Joel Redmond to fill veteran GOPer Robert Talton's seat (which he abandoned to become one of the also-rans in the CD 22 race). In HD 55 (Temple), either Ralph Sheffield or Martha Tyroch will face Dem Sam Murphey to succeed retiring Diane White Delisi. The most brutal race looks to be in HD 81, where eight-term incumbent George "Buddy" West ran second in a four-horse race, to former District Judge Tryon Lewis. – R.W.

WilCo's Hottest Races

Birkman clears primary. Williamson Co. Precinct 1 Commissioner Lisa Birkman may have fended off a Republican primary opponent in her bid for a second term, but judging from last week's turnout, the county's fledgling Democratic Party could give Birkman and other GOP stalwarts a run for their money in the general election. Birkman collected 2,480 votes to challenger Steve Laukhuf's 2,163. But Precinct 1 Democrat Mike Grimes netted larger numbers than Birkman and Laukhuf combined, with 6,611 votes. (Similarly, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton each garnered more votes than Republican winner John McCain in this GOP-entrenched county.) As with most contested WilCo political races, the Birkman-Laukhuf contest wasn't pretty. In one debate, for example, Birkman, who has the backing of the GOP party bosses, made personal attacks on her opponent and several times called him a liar. Birkman's main platform was that she had built roads and trails, while Laukhuf countered that of the half-billion dollars allocated for roads during Birkman's term, only a fraction benefited Precinct 1. In his campaign push, which involved visiting 5,000 homes, Laukhuf showcased his community service – he's the current head of the Round Rock Chamber of Commerce – and promised to work toward building bridges between warring factions in the controversy-torn county. But another hurdle for Laukhuf was that a pro-Birkman political website, sponsored by GOP officers, essentially trashed Laukhuf's character and accused him of un-GOP behavior. Griffin loses to Lotto winner. Lotto-millionaire Robert Chody defeated three-time incumbent Precinct 1 Constable Gary Griffin by a vote of 2,500 to 1,923. The Griffin-Chody contest was a study in contrasting personalities. During the campaign, Chody spoke humbly of his family and his faith while trumpeting his support from county officials. Chody ran on a platform of enforcing handicapped parking and underage drinking laws. Griffin also professed a love of God, family, and country but fiercely defended his determination to rid the county of pervasive cronyism and corruption. Griffin, who sued the county after commissioners slashed his budget, had few well-placed allies in the Republican Party. In winning the race, Chody managed to overcome negative publicity surrounding a lawsuit filed against him when he was an Austin Police officer. The suit, filed by the mother of an East Austin teen, alleged that he used excessive force on the teen in a 1998 incident, and he left the Austin Police Department shortly after the city settled. – Patricia J. Ruland

Peace at the Tax Assessor?

Given the carpet-bombing nature of his rhetoric against incumbent Nelda Wells Spears, former state Rep. Glen Maxey was positively gracious to her after she shot down his entire squadron with 74% of the vote last week. Ever loyal to the Democrats, Maxey said in a statement that whatever shortcomings he felt Spears had: "I hereby pledge my full support to Ms. Spears and have this race as my number one priority in Travis County. Don Zimmerman [her Republican opponent in the fall] has a long history of political work that few of us could even charitably say has been constructive. ... On just about every issue where I've seen Don Zimmerman take a position, he's been wrong. I intend to help Ms. Spears in every way possible to send him packing."

Maxey also said he intends to continue his Democratic organizing work. "I'm working with the Obama campaign to help him win the maximum number of delegates at the Texas Democratic State Convention." Still, that wasn't quite good enough for ardent Spears supporter Bill Aleshire. In a March 7 reply to the Chronicle Newsdesk blog (austinchronicle.com/newsdesk), the former county judge – and tax assessor previous to Spears – wrote: "You need to know that Glen Maxey has yet to place a phone call to Nelda Spears to congratulate her. Perhaps he realizes that he also owes her an apology for the deceitful campaign he ran against her." – L.N.