The national press might be anointing Barack Obama, but U.S. Rep. Ciro Rodriguez, D-San Antonio, watched the returns from North Carolina and Indiana and put his superdelegate support behind Hillary Clinton. In his announcement, he said the voters in his district favored Clinton, "and I will respect their decision." That leaves nine Texas superdelegate votes undecided — five of them under the direct or indirect influence of Texas Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie. He's got a vote. Betty Richie, his wife and a Democratic National Committee member, has got a vote. And the rules say three delegates will be chosen at the state convention — appointed by the chairman and approved by a Party committee. Here's our chart, updated:

It appears that voters in Eustace have elected Mark Sanders to their city council.Sanders, a political consultant and former reporter who's worked in statewide campaigns for Republicans (like Kent Hance), Democrats (Tony Sanchez Jr.) and Independents (Carole Keeton Strayhorn), got 75 percent of the vote, which means he got 69 votes. He finished second in a field of six candidates, with the top three getting council seats. The top vote-getter pulled in 77 votes; number three got 64 votes. Eustace is in northeast Texas, near Athens.

Texas Democrats want the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals to look at a Midland candidate's eligibility.Midland City Councilman Bill Dingus filed to run against House Speaker Tom Craddick, R-Midland. After some Republican rumblings about his eligibility, the Texas Democratic Party asked a federal judge whether Dingus is eligible, as a city council member, to also run for state rep. The court didn't rule on that question, instead kicking the case to state courts. But U.S. District Judge Walter Smith wrote that Dingus isn't eligible to run. Dingus responded to that by resigning from the City Council. And now the TDP is going to the New Orleans-based federal appeals court for another crack at the question.

Put R. Ted Cruz on your list of potential candidates for attorney general, should an opening occur in that office in the next couple of years.Cruz was until recently the state's solicitor general, working for Attorney General Greg Abbott. He left for private practice a few weeks ago (joining the Morgan Lewis law firm as a partner this week), became a father, and somehow got other Republicans talking about his political future. Abbott hasn't said he's going anywhere, but even the squirrels on the Capitol grounds have heard the rumors that he'd like to run for lieutenant governor or even governor in 2010.

Roland Gutierrez, a former San Antonio city councilman, is the newest member of the Texas House after a swearing-in this week.

He was unopposed in the contest to finish the term of Rep. Robert Puente, a Democrat who resigned earlier this year (and who was named interim CEO of the San Antonio Water System a week ago). Gutierrez is also the only candidate on the ballot in November.

Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia will speak at the Texas GOP convention in Houston next month.

So will Mitt Romney, the former presidential candidate and Governor of Massachusetts. The Republican Party of Texas made Gingrich part of the afternoon lineup on Friday, June 13; Romney will speak at the dinner that night.

Carl Richie Jr. is closing his solo lobby shop to become vice president for government affairs at TXU Energy (the retail company borne of last year's TXU buyout). He'll start the new gig June 2.

Mindy Carr is joining another TXU spinoff. She'll join Oncor, the distribution company, as government affairs director. Carr was most recently at the Texas Land Title Association.

Paige Cooper is leaving her lobby biz for a spot in the intergovernmental affairs section at the Attorney General's office. She worked in the House for ten years before she started lobbying four years ago.

Dr. Jose Gonzalez is the new medical director for Medicaid and CHIP at the Health and Human Services Commission. He's a pediatric endocrinologist and professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. He'll start next month.

Dr. Hilton Israelson, a Dallas periodontist, is the new president of the Texas Dental Association; the new president-elect is Dr. Matt Roberts, from Crockett.

Gov. Rick Perry made some appointments:

• Jerry Lowry of New Caney and Larry May of Sweetwater to the Texas Commission on Jail Standards. Lowry is an exec with the Greenspoint District (a real estate development), and May is a CPA.

• Nine people to the Judicial Compensation Commission, which sets judge's salaries and, by extension, the retirement benefits of legislators and other state officeholders. The new commissioners are Betsy Whitaker, a Dallas lawyer who'll chair the panel; Ramiro Galindo, chairman of the Galindo Group in Bryan; Tom Harwell of El Paso, an exec with medical device manufacturer Ethicon Endo-Surgery; Harold Jenkins, president of CTJ Maintenance in Irving; Pat Mizell, a Houston attorney with Vinson & Elkins; Wanda Rohm, president of Presto Printing in San Antonio; Linda Russell of Kemah, CEO of the Woman's Hospital of Texas; Austin attorney Mike Slack; and Bill Strawn, also of Austin, founder of an executive search firm called Strawn Arnold Ashpitz Groover.

• Darrel Brownlow, a Floresville exec with Cemex USA, to the Evergreen Underground Water Conservation District Board. That's a reappointment.

Deaths: Alice Finley, the House's Journal Clerk when she retired in 1995. She was 70. And one of her contemporaries, Cynthia Gerhardt, a longtime Capitol staffer whose last job before retirement was chief clerk of the Texas House, after a ten-year fight with cancer. She was also 70.

On the eve of a court fight, Rep. Nathan Macias has decided to concede to Doug Miller, who beat him by 17 votes in the Republican primary.Macias sued for a recount after the Republican Party of Texas and the Secretary of State signed off on the votes, and was supposed to go to trial for an election contest on Monday. But on Friday afternoon, he issued this statement saying he's giving up, and taking some last swipes on the way out.

Today, I have decided to discontinue the Election Contest. It's unfortunate, but the reality is that in any civil litigation, resources are always a major factor. Therefore, I have determined that my remaining resources would be best used toward achieving these specific goals - election system reform, and my future service to you as an elected public servant. Using all the information we have discovered, I will submit a detailed summary and plan to the appropriate committees in the House and Senate as well as the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, the Republican Party of TX and County officials. As you can imagine, to try any case in the court system is not only a matter of the facts or truth, but also includes matters of judgment, matters of procedure and quite frankly resources. So my family and I have determined it best for all parties involved to no longer pursue this election in the courts. With the Supreme Court denying our request for a new judge and understanding the potential for this litigation to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, only to have a judge rule against the facts, is not my idea of a good investment. In addition to the other reasons for my decision, I have just learned of some recent disturbing interaction between our opposing counsel and the court, which only reinforces my decision to allow other avenues to resolve the issues in this election. We did indeed find double voters, we did indeed find felons who voted, there are indeed certain types of unsigned ballots - all clear violations of the law, and we even found a Democratic ballot in a Republican box in one county. We discovered out of district voters, alphabetically listed sign in sheets without signatures, and instances of more ballots than voters in certain precincts. Let's not forget the extremely suspicious irregularities that occurred with Doug Miller's sister-in-law counting the ballot box that came in three hours and forty-five minutes after the polls closed and well after significant election results had been publicly released. Even with all that, we have decided to let the Attorney General and the Legislature deliver any criminal or civil remedies necessary to guard the trust of the citizens. I want to ensure everyone that the Texas Attorney General is conducting an ongoing criminal investigation into the events that occurred on March 4th. I trust, if there was any criminal activity that occurred that evening, our able Attorney General will find it. My office will fully cooperate with the AG's office. Let me say, I have always and will always be proud and honored to serve the great citizens of Bandera, Comal, Gillespie and Kendall counties. I will continue to serve faithfully and with integrity through the remainder of my term. Those who know me well and best know that this has never been about me or a right to power, but has always been about you, the citizens that love our Hill Country and Texas so very deeply. In fact, during the campaign it was repeatedly claimed by my opponent that, "you might wonder if Macias cares more about illegal immigrants than Texans." Ladies and gentlemen, that sickens me to the core of my being, and I'm sorry for those who were swayed by that bald-faced lie. I love our great nation and our state and will defend it against all enemies foreign and domestic until the day I die. I want to comment on the casino gambling PAC, A.K.A. Texans for Economic Development who ran an estimated $180,000 coordinated negative campaign along side Miller. Let me only state that their campaign material/whisper campaign, painting me as anti-agriculture and for higher taxes, was completely false and they know it. Also, it is a shame that most, not all, of the local/regional media appear incapable of reporting the news in an unbiased manner to allow the voters to decide an election. They are accountable, not to me, but to you, the citizens who trust them to give the entire unbiased story. They don't have to agree with me, but I trust that some day soon the citizenry will call them to account. In any given campaign cycle, there are conditions that affect down ballot races, and this Presidential election year was no exception. For all the conservatives who crossed over and voted in the Democratic primary, the reality is that it had a profound impact on our State Representative race. I know this because many of you have personally contacted me with regrets for having crossed over. For the sake of my fellow citizens, I wish Mr. Miller future success and respectfully ask him to always remember his promise to the citizens of the 73rd District…Conservative Representation. Unlike your previous State Rep, I will contact Mr. Miller and make myself available to him. To the 14,667 individuals that voted for me, and the thousands of my close supporters and contributors, I say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for the hundreds of cards, letters and email encouraging me in our battle for truth. Your determination and loyalty were simply incredible. I am most encouraged by the young men and women who sacrificed their time for our campaign. Despite the results, I encourage them to stay the course and continue to engage the issues for the cause of faith, family and freedom. I also encourage all of you to demand conservative Republican representation from your next State Representative. To all the voters who legally participated in this election I want to thank you for taking seriously your right to vote and I honor the outcome of this election. I will do all I can to bring about the necessary changes in election law that will further your trust in our sacred right to vote. I want to thank my campaign and legislative staffs and legal team for all their hard work, loyalty and uncompromising commitment to doing what's right. You all are second to none. To my dearest wife and children, Thank you and God Bless You for all you have done, and the sacrifices you have made for our communities and our State. You are simply amazing and I'm proud to be known as your husband and your dad. I gave the Lord the glory for our victory of 2006 and I give Him the glory for the results in 2008. There are many great tragedies occurring across our nation and around the world even today, so let's keep this in perspective. I will be fine. I have a gracious Heavenly Father, a wonderful life and loving family and friends. Let me leave you with an analogy in case some believe that my public service life is over. The great turn of the century pastor Dwight L. Moody, when nearing the end of his life on earth, said these words to his congregation. "Many of you will soon be reading in the obituaries 'Dwight L. Moody is dead.' Don't you believe it for one minute; I will have never been more alive." So it is with me. I'm truly grateful for the abundant life I live now and in the future. May God richly bless you and may He continue to bless the Great State of Texas! Remaining at Your Service, Nathan