State Rep. Richard Raymond, D-Laredo, is betting big on his own candidacy for a spot in Congress, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Raymond reported $430,398 on hand at the end of September, including $300,000 in loans. That $300,000 includes $100,000 from his own accounts and $200,000 borrowed from IBC bank and guaranteed by Raymond. It was enough to move him past U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, and former U.S. Rep. Ciro Rodriguez, D-San Antonio, in the financial race for that seat. Cuellar ended the period with $289,798 on hand. Rodriguez had $49,527 in the bank.
 

State Sen. Frank Madla, D-San Antonio, says the rumors of his political retirement are premature and unfounded: He's running for reelection next year. Madla, elected to the House in 1972 and the Senate in 1992, has been the subject of retirement rumors for most of the year, and others -- like state Rep. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio -- have actively sought support for a Senate run. But Madla says he'll seek another term. 

State Rep. Todd Baxter, R-Austin, is calling supporters and others to tell them that he plans to resign from his HD-48 seat to pursue job opportunities in the private sector. Baxter had been expected to seek reelection and had drawn three serious Democratic opponents, including attorney Andy Brown, former Eanes ISD trustee Donna Howard, and former Austin ISD trustee Kathy Rider. Baxter, who'd been a Travis County commissioner, was part of the big Republican sophomore class that shifted control to the GOP after redistricting. He first won election to the House -- against incumbent Rep. Ann Kitchen, D-Austin -- in 2002, and then prevailed in a very tight reelection battle in 2004. Ben Bentzin, a Republican who ran against Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos, D-Austin, in 2002, says he's "seriously assessing the opportunity" presented by Baxter's decision to retire. Bentzin lost to Barrientos, but tromped Barrientos in the House district, getting 56 percent of the votes. He said he out-performed Baxter in the House district by about three percentage points, and would be trying to capitalize on those numbers if he ran for the House. He says he'll decide by the end of the week. Baxter, in a written statement, said he'll resign as of November 1 to pursue "professional and family goals." He didn't endorse anyone, but said he expects the seat to remain in GOP hands "and I do not plan to be a casual observer in the upcoming elections." Baxter's resignation would presumably prompt a special election, but it's hard to say how fast that might happen. When Elizabeth Ames Jones, R-San Antonio, left the House to accept an appointment to the Texas Railroad Commission, Gov. Rick Perry ordered a quick election so that her voters wouldn't go unrepresented during the regular session. When Joe Moreno, D-Houston, was killed in a highway accident later in the same session, Perry ordered a November special election, leaving Moreno's chair empty during two special legislative sessions on school finance. Chances are pretty good there will be another special session on school finance before the regular legislative session in 2007; whether Perry will hurry to fill Baxter's shoes is an open question. One more thing: Bentzin is a Perry guy. He's one of a group of George W. Bush supporters -- Mavericks -- who formed a state political action committee earlier this year to support Texas candidates. Their first endorsement went to Perry. 

Laney's got a race; Carrillo lends support to a couple of Republicans. Rep. Pete Laney, D-Hale Center, has an opponent: Republican insurance agent Jim Landtroop of Plainview. Laney beat his last two opponents handily, though HD-85 is the most Republican House district in Texas that's still held by a Democrat. The average statewide Republican candidate got 68 percent of the votes in that district in the 2004 elections (George W. Bush got 76.3 percent), compared with 59.1 percent statewide. Laney, meanwhile, got 58.8 percent against his Republican opponent that same year. The challenger's website: www.jimlandtroop.com. That district grabs a small part of Abilene, and Landtroop's website lists Railroad Commissioner Victor Carrillo, a former Abilene city council member and Taylor County Judge, as one of several supporters. While we're on the subject, Carrillo is endorsing Rob Beckham -- a former colleague on that city council -- in his race to succeed Rep. Bob Hunter, R-Abilene. Hunter decided to quit after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. Beckham, who unsuccessfully challenged then-U.S. Rep. Charlie Stenholm, in 2002, is one of several candidates either considering or joining the HD-71. Celia Davis, a Republican who's been involved in Develop Abilene and other groups, working on military affairs and economic development, is also looking at it. And some Republicans are trying to draft Susan King, who's president of the Abilene ISD Board. 

One of the Texans who filed for bankruptcy before the deadline for a change in bankruptcy laws last week was Bill Ceverha, according to The Dallas Morning News. Ceverha, a former House member, was the treasurer for Texans for a Republican Majority, and earlier this year lost a civil suit related to the 2002 elections. He told the paper that judgment -- and the prospect of another, similar suit -- triggered his financial fix. Sugar Land Mayor David Wallace, after trying to connect the dots for several weeks, won't run for state comptroller against Susan Combs. She had too big a head start, locking up donors, volunteers and others Wallace would need for a serious campaign. Plus, the governor and others at the top of the GOP would have frowned on a challenge; Combs endorsed Perry early, over Kay Bailey Hutchison -- her former boss -- and Carole Keeton Strayhorn -- the woman she wants to succeed. After that bit of help, she had many of Perry's supporters either on her side or agreeing to stay out. You know what they say about real estate titles: Mark Lehman is moving into a new office and a bigger title at the Texas Association of Realtors. He's the trade group's new vice president of public affairs, a job he's basically been doing since the August 2004 departure of Bill Stinson from that group. Lehman's in charge of legislative relations and a couple of political action committees -- one for campaigns and one for "issue advocacy." After five years with the Texas Cable Television Association, Kathy Grant is leaving to hang out her own lobby shingle. She'll still do some work for TCTA, but is also looking for other clients. Ernest Angelo Jr. moves into the center chair at the state's Public Safety Commission. Colleen McHugh left that board to join the board of regents at the University of Texas; her replacement hasn't been named. Gov. Rick Perry appointed W. Edwin Denman of Lake Jackson to the 412th Judicial District Court. He's been a private sector lawyer up until now. And the Guv named five people to the Texas Medical Board (it used to be the Medical Examiner's Board): Julie Attebury, a financial manager for a property company in Amarillo, and Dr. Lawrence Anderson of Tyler, a dermatologist, are being appointed for the first time. Three reappointments: Dr. Jose Manuel Benavides of San Antonio, Dr. David Garza of Laredo, and Paulette Southard of Alice.