A Tale of Two Parties

Texas Republican Convention delegates congregate outside the Fort Worth Convention Center on June 7, 2012.
Texas Republican Convention delegates congregate outside the Fort Worth Convention Center on June 7, 2012.

The Republicans have a big tent, full of voters, and it turns out that some of them disagree with some of the others. That, more or less, is the trouble with being a majority party in a state where other parties can't mount a serious challenge in statewide races, and in most races for legislative and state judicial jobs.

The Democrats are rebuilding. They were near parity after the 2008 elections, but that was obliterated in the 2010 elections. Worse, the Republican majorities put in place that year were just in time to draw redistricting maps that are designed to give the GOP a legislative majority for the next decade.

* * * * *

Republicans wrote a platform that includes a call for a national guest worker program — a move they hope will quell claims they are hostile to Hispanics. Interestingly, the Libertarian Party of Texas eased its immigration platform, taking out language that referred to some immigrants as "invaders." The Republican version would allow immigrants into the country when they can ease labor shortages.

The Republicans also showed some signs that they're sensitive to how they looked to voters outside their Fort Worth convention. On day one, Gov. Rick Perry drew boos when he reasserted his support of David Dewhurst for U.S. Senate. The favorite for a lot of people in the hall is Ted Cruz. (Their boos sounded like "Dews" and "Cruz", depending on the spinner; they didn't sound like assent.) The next day, when Dewhurst his own self took the stage, the boo-birds were shushed by their fellow delegates. Whatever the intent, it sounded better on television and YouTube. Cruz's appearance on Saturday was the most boisterous of the three.

The GOP got a visit from former presidential candidate Rick Santorum who, after a day that included some campaigning on behalf of Senate candidate Cruz, made no mention of that race to the delegates at dinner. Instead, they got an upbeat speech sprinkled with campaign stories.

San Antonio's Joe Straus, who's been in trouble with some Republicans since he knocked off fellow Republican Tom Craddick to become speaker in 2009, got a mostly polite reception on stage. Off stage, his opponents wore "Oust Straus" stickers and mooned over Rep. Bryan Hughes of Mineola, who has filed papers announcing he'll challenge Straus for the speakership in January. Straus expects to keep the job and said the internal bickering among the Republicans could be helpful to the opposition.

Oh, and about that Perry speech on the first day: He told the delegates he won't be riding off into the sunset just yet.

* * * * *

Gilberto Hinojosa, as expected, won the chairmanship of the Texas Democratic Party, a day after a surprisingly and strongly partisan speech from outgoing chairman Boyd Richie.

Hinojosa has been telling Democrats in the weeks leading up to the convention that he wants to stop trying to win independents and to instead do what he believes made the Republicans successful: Preaching to the choir. He said a month ago that the Democrats have spent too much of their time trying to win over independents by taking more conservative positions. Instead, he says, they ought to enliven their own base.

In the short term, some of the Democratic candidates are discouraged. It's hard to raise money and without money, it's hard to campaign. Keith Hampton, a Democrat running against Sharon Keller, presiding judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, says he has no problem winning voters when he can talk to them about Keller, particularly the story of her turning away a late death penalty appeal after the court's 5 p.m. closing time (Keller has another version, but the incident drew her a spanking from the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct). But without money, Hampton says, he's in danger of polishing up a sales pitch no one will hear.

Democrats are looking for political and financial stars who can guide them out of the wilderness in Texas. They spotlighted twin brothers Julian and Joaquin Castro of San Antonio, Houston Mayor Annise Parker, and state Sens. Wendy Davis and Kirk Watson, among others. But there were plenty of people in Houston saying the party won't be rescued by stars — that it needs money and organization, too. That chicken-and-egg argument continued throughout the convention. 


2012 Primary Turnout by Voting Age Population

Quitting Accidentally and Other Campaign Notes

Bowie Democrat Lanhon Odom was unopposed in the HD-68 primary and says there was a hot race for district judge on the GOP ballot at home. So he voted in that primary. That makes him ineligible to run for the House as a Democrat and all that's left are Republicans. The winner of July's runoff between Drew Springer and Trent McKnight will get the seat.

• U.S. Reps. Pete Olson, R-Sugar Land, and Bill Flores, R-Bryan, jumped the fence and endorsed Felicia Harris in the CD-14 runoff against state Rep. Randy Weber. Weber finished well ahead of Harris in the first round of voting.

• The Texas Association of Business' political action committee made its general election and runoff endorsements. Some of the notable ones include David Dewhurst for U.S. Senate and Warren Chisum and Barry Smitherman for the Texas Railroad Commission.

In the U.S. House: Randy Weber, CD-14; Joaquin Castro, CD-20; Roger Williams, CD-25; Susan Narvaiz, CD-35.

In the Texas Senate: Charles Schwertner, SD-5; Ken Paxton, SD-8; Kelly Hancock, SD-9; Mark Shelton, SD-10; Larry Taylor, SD-11; Jeff Wentworth, SD-25.

And in the Texas House: Chuck Hopson, HD-11; Greg Bonnen, HD-24; Jacquie Chaumette, HD-26; J.M. Lozano, HD-43; Sid Miller, HD-59; Jim Landtroop, HD-88; Bill Keffer, HD-114; Steve Nguyen, HD-115.

The Texas Hospital Association will be with Bennett Ratliff in HD-115.

Jamaal Smith goes into the HD-137 runoff with endorsements from Democratic state Reps. Sylvester Turner, Borris Miles, Senfronia Thompson, Armando Walle, and Ron Reynolds. Reynolds is from Missouri City; the others live in Houston. Smith faces Gene Wu of Houston in the runoff.

• The list of endorsements of candidates by candidates is growing:

Chad Wilbanks is supporting Roger Williams in the Republican runoff for CD-25, over Wes Riddle.

John Pitchford will back Jeff Leach over Jon Cole in the HD-67 runoff in Collin County. Leach is a lawyer and a Plano native.

Charles Scoma and Lady Thombs will back Ken Sapp in his HD-91 GOP runoff against Stephanie Klick. Sapp, a former city councilman in North Richland Hills, finished ahead of Klick, former chairman of the Tarrant County GOP, in round one.

Fort Worth City Councilwoman Kathleen Hicks and Kyev Tatum endorsed Domingo Garcia over Marc Veasey in CD-33.

HHSC Commissioner Tom Suehs Retiring in August

Tom Suehs waiting outside Senate committee hearing on January 31, 2011.
Tom Suehs waiting outside Senate committee hearing on January 31, 2011.

Texas Health and Human Services Commissioner Tom Suehs, who has overseen the state's massive health agency since 2009, is retiring at the end of August.

“Thank you for the opportunity to serve our great state in a position that touches the lives of every Texan,” Suehs wrote in a letter to Gov. Rick Perry. “It has truly been an honor and a privilege.”

Suehs' announcement follows news last month that Billy Millwee, the state's Medicaid director, was retiring, leaving an even bigger void than anticipated at the top of an agency facing billions of dollars in unpaid Medicaid costs and struggling to institute a federal waiver that calls for complex hospital payment reform.

In his role as HHSC commissioner, Suehs oversaw the operations of Texas' five health and human services agencies, which account for more than 50,000 employees and combined annual budgets of more than $30 billion. Before Perry named him commissioner, he was deputy executive commissioner for financial services. 

In a statement, Perry praised Suehs' service to the state, saying he "helped steer the health and human services enterprise through significant and much-needed reforms, ensuring our taxpayer dollars are used effectively and efficiently to help our most vulnerable Texans."

It's been a rough several months for Suehs and other HHSC officials. They've got doctors outraged over Medicaid and Medicare cuts on one side. On the other, public and private hospitals are duking it out over who wins and who loses from a complicated new formula to determine how much they’re reimbursed for uncompensated care. Meanwhile, counties and hospital districts are facing their own mini turf wars, as they work to form the regional partnerships required by the waiver.

The high-profile health care resignations compound an already big leadership void; Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott is leaving next month. Combined, public and higher education and health and human services make up nearly 85 percent of the state's general revenue budget.

Questions in Higher Ed Coordinating Board's Future

In reviewing the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and considering its future, the Sunset Advisory Commission concluded that it should continue to exist for at least another 12 years.  That’s the good news.

Then there’s everything else.  Even if the odds of its continued existence are high, the ground is being laid for a very serious conversation about the coordinating board’s structure and operations when lawmakers convene next session.

The latest bruise to the coordinating board’s ego is a report from the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, commissioned last session. Legislators were willing to pay up to $350,000 (the final bill ended up being much less) for a consultant to tell them whether or not — as some lawmakers already sensed — they needed an organization other than the coordinating board to focus community colleges.

The short answer was, “Yes.” But the report put it this way: “Important constituents have lost faith in the agency’s ability to play the role of state system administrative body for community colleges and simultaneously fulfill its mission as the oversight agency for all postsecondary education in the state.”

The report recommended creating a temporary state agency, for an annual cost of no more than $1.5 million, to coordinate community colleges until the coordinating board rebuilds enough trust to get those functions back. It will certainly send a strong signal if the conservative, government expansion-averse Legislature follows that advice.

With most freshmen in Texas already enrolled in two-year colleges and many more being encouraged to attend to take advantage of the lower tuition rates there, the schools are likely to be central to the state’s higher education planning. 

Fred Heldenfels, the coordinating board chairman, disputed the conclusions in a letter he issued to everyone who received the report. He wrote that the authors neglected to interview key lawmakers and coordinating board leaders, including him. In most cases, they talked instead to staffers. The authors stand by their report.

But that’s not the only brushfire threatening the coordinating board’s reputation.  The Sunset report, while it concluded that Texas still needs the agency, also found that the agency “makes major decisions in isolation” and has a culture that “makes it difficult for the agency to foster a collaborative environment essential for moving the state forward on shared higher education goals.”

This week, Texas Higher Education Commissioner Raymund Paredes took to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram editorial page to clarify that federal and state policies, not coordinating board mismanagement, that led to more than $30 million in student loan money being left on the table in 2010-11.

Paredes wrote that the coordinating board has been aggressive in pushing colleges and universities to improve and making proposals that depart from the status quo, and he acknowledged “these efforts may lead to some tension.”

And it looks like that tension will sustain until 2013 — if it doesn’t worsen.

Texas Weekly Newsreel: State Conventions

The parties came out of their state conventions with completely different sets of problems. The Republicans want to keep the factions inside their big tent. The Democrats are struggling to raise a big tent of their own. And now, they're headed for the runoffs.

Inside Intelligence: Leaders, in Conventional Wisdom

Finding a difference of opinion on the top of the ballot runoff races wasn't easy with the insiders this week; they're largely in agreement. Whether they're correct is another matter, but we asked them to predict the outcomes of some of the races.

The short form? They think David Dewhurst will beat Ted Cruz in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate and that Paul Sadler will beat Grady Yarbrough in the Democratic primary for that office.

The insiders chose Christi Craddick and Barry Smitherman to win the Republican runoffs for two seats on the Texas Railroad Commission.

Most think Texas Supreme Court Justice David Medina will fend off a challenge from Houston Judge John Devine in that GOP runoff.

And 58 percent think Sen. Jeff Wentworth of San Antonio will beat Donna Campbell of New Braunfels in the GOP runoff for Wentworth's spot in the Legislature.

We've attached the full set of verbatim comments from this week's participants. Some samples follow.

.

Who do you think would win a Senate runoff held today?

• "The late runoff date rewards the candidate with the greatest intensity of support. That argues in Cruz's favor."

• "Passionate base trumps money."

• "Dewhurst will get 60% of the Leppert vote. Cruz is maxed out and turnout will be high."

• "With the Paul fanatics needing a place to call home, Dewhurst is in for a long, hot summer."

• "Assuming Dallas mainstream voters return to the polls and the Dew holds his base."

• "Money matters in politics"

Who do you think would win a Senate runoff held today?

• "If the Ds had their act together, this run-off wouldn't be necessary. This run-off says more about the state of the Texas Democratic Party than the name ID of either Sadler or Yarbrough."

• "Who would win? Who would win??  This runoff is simply to pick November's loser."

• "I think older Democrats thought they were voting for Ralph."

• "Perfect example of why the Ds are still not ready for prime time when it comes to statewide races."

• "Does it matter?"

.

Who do you think would win a Railroad Commission runoff held today?

• "Television"

• "I sure hope people look to those who've been involved in the business, rather than an attorney."

• "Daddy's money is the best kind of money."

• "Warren needs the time"

Who do you think would win a Railroad Commission runoff held today?

• "Beats me"

• "Insurgency."

• "Smitherman is already doing a GREAT job."

• "Smitherman"

.

Who do you think would win a Supreme Court runoff held today?

• "Medina may suffer the same fate as Xavier Rodriguez."

• "R's don't like Hispanic names"

• "I think Devine's voters will turn out. There's no enthusiasm for Medina."

• "Who?"

Who do you think would win a Texas Senate runoff held today?

• "Nearly two-thirds rejected Wentworth in the primary...that spells trouble for an incumbent"

• "The people want a committed CONSERVATIVE, not a tired politician."

• "Campbell may have peaked. Not sure she's got more votes out there."

• "San Antonio will not give up its Senator for an outsider."

• "Jeff would lose, which is slightly different from Donna winning."

 

Our thanks to this week's participants: Adam Haynes, Allen Blakemore, Andrew Biar, Andy Sansom, Anthony Haley, Bee Moorhead, Bill Hammond, Billy Howe, Bill Pewitt, Bill Stevens, Bradford Shields, Hugh Brady, Brandon Aghamalian, Bill Ratliff, Bryan Mayes, Bruce Gibson, Bruce Scott, Cathie Adams, Charles Stuart, Chris Britton, Charles Bailey, Cal Jillson, Clyde Alexander, Colin Strother, Craig Murphy, Christopher Shields, Dennis Speight, Dale Laine, Dan Shelley, Darren Whitehurst, David Dunn, Deborah Ingersoll, Dee Simpson, Denise Davis, Daniel Gonzalez, Dominic Giarratani, Mike McKinney, Robert Kepple, Elna Christopher, Andy Brown, Ed Small, Gene Acuna, George Cofer, George Allen, Gardner Pate, Harold Cook, Hector De Leon, Homero Lucero, Jack Gullahorn, Jenny Aghamalian, James LeBas, Jim Henson, Jay Arnold, Jeff Eller, Pete Laney, Jim Grace, Janis Carter, Parker McCollough, John Heasley, Jon Fisher, Jim Sartwelle, Jason Skaggs, Jay Thompson, Julie Shields, June Deadrick, Kathy Miller, Keats Norfleet, Kinnan Golemon, Ken Hodges, Keir Murray, Kerry Cammack, Kraege Polan, Ken Whalen, Lee Woods, Lisa Kaufman, Louis Bacarisse, Larry Soward, Luke Marchant, Luke Legate, Marc Campos, Matt Mackowiak, Michael Grimes, Mark Jones, Michael Quinn Sullivan, Michael Wilt, Nora Del Bosque, Nef Partida, Norman Garza, Mark Sanders, Pat Nugent, Dave Beckwith, Wayne Pierce, Jay Propes, Peck Young, Ramey Ko, Randy Cubriel, Rebecca Bernhardt, Richard Pineda, Richard Dyer, Rebecca Flores, Richard Khouri, Richie Jackson, Rick Cofer, Robert Miller, Bob Strauser, Royce Poinsett, Russ Tidwell, Ruben Longoria, Scott Dunaway, Seth Winick, Shanna Igo, Sandy Kress, Snapper Carr, Stan Schlueter, Jason Stanford, Steve Murdock, Steve Bresnen, Tom Banning, Tom Blanton, Tom Forbes, Thure Cannon, Tom Kleinworth, Tom Phillips, Tom Spilman, Trent Townsend, Tris Castaneda, Trey Trainor, Vilma Luna, Walt Baum, Corbin Casteel, William Chapman, Wil Galloway, Wayne Hamilton, Ware Wendell, Angelo Zottarelli.

The Calendar

Monday, June 18:

  • Centex Restaurant Association Golf Tournament, with Rep. Ralph Sheffield; Temple (11:30 a.m.)

Tuesday, June 19:

  • House Public Education Committee meeting (11 a.m.)

Wednesday, June 20:

  • House Higher Education Committee meeting (9 a.m.)
 

The Week in the Rearview Mirror

Conservation agreements with the states of Texas and New Mexico have led the federal government to put off listing the dunes sagebrush lizard as an endangered species. The agreements were hammered out by state officials in an attempt to avoid disruption of drilling in West Texas oilfields after they commissioned scientific studies that did not support listing the species as endangered. The voluntary program will affect about 250,000 acres of the Permian Basin. Officials with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will monitor the lizard’s progress on a yearly basis and could propose an endangered status again if they feel the need.

The Texas Republican Party addressed immigration issues at its statewide convention in hopes of attracting Hispanic voters, but the party's platform is drawing mixed reviews. The plan sets conditions for immigrants to gain citizenship through a guest-worker program, but also includes a stance against birthright citizenship. The compromise has provoked criticism from both the right and the left, and the jury is still out on whether it will garner support from Texas Hispanics.

At their state convention, Democrats added support for gay marriage to their platform. The language of the party’s position included references to President Barack Obama’s and Vice President Joe Biden’s recently voiced support for gay marriage. The party also added a plank on adoption saying that parents should be able to adopt regardless of their marital status. In another historic move for the party, delegates to the convention elected Gilberto Hinojosa as their first Hispanic chairman.

El Paso Mayor John Cook has avoided another recall election. Attempts to schedule an election have been thwarted by challenges to the petitions furnished by opposition groups. El Pasoans for Traditional Family Values, which initially led the charge against Cook for his support of benefits for same-sex couples employed by the city, saw its signatures challenged in court, and the case has gone all the way to the Texas Supreme Court, where it is still pending. Even if the case is settled, city charter requires that the election be held a year before Cook leaves office, requiring the city to hold the election before the end of June, widely perceived as impossible. A new drive to recall the mayor failed to garner the required 6,100 signatures by the June 4 deadline.

Fears about the privatization of food services at Texas A&M were eased when members of the committee examining the proposal were convinced of the plan's merits. Concerns about employee job losses were addressed with employee protections, and committee officials were shown revenue projections that would add considerable amounts of money to the university’s coffers over the next 10 years. Three companies were vying for the chance to get the private dining business; the committee chose two and approved the outlines of the deal.

Following a study showing that up to 25 percent of red-light tickets are going unpaid, the city of Austin is joining other Texas municipalities in asking the state to withhold vehicle registration forms from drivers until fines are paid. Cameras in place at 10 intersections have reduced the rate of crashes at those sites by more than 40 percent. But violators who’ve been ticketed and not paid haven’t faced any consequences — until now. The city’s plan is to report offenders to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, which will flag registration renewals, giving drivers an additional incentive to pay the ticket. The cities of Arlington and Garland have begun following a similar protocol, but it’s too early to gauge the results.

After arguing the issue for more than 10 years, attorneys on both sides of the Hank Skinner case are asking for the court to authorize DNA testing on evidence that went untested at the time of the death row inmate’s trial. Skinner’s attorneys joined the state’s attorneys in filing a motion with the Court of Criminal Appeals asking that the case be sent to district court so that DNA testing can be authorized.

In an effort to avoid violating clean air standards across the state, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has announced a $5.7 million grant program designed to get older vehicles off the road. Companies can apply for the grants when they replace at least 20 diesel vehicles in their fleet of 75 or more with alternative energy-sourced trucks. Those sources include electricity, natural gas, hydrogen, propane or methanol. Cleaner fuel sources could keep Texas out of hot water with the federal government if it prevents clean air standards violations.

The Battleship Texas was found to be taking on water over the weekend, and crews began pumping to locate the leak and patch it before the ship hits the bottom of the Houston Ship Channel. The 98-year-old ship is prone to problems due to its age. Sinking, though, isn't a concern: The ship is only sitting in about 30 feet of water and is just a foot from the bottom.

Political People and their Moves

At the Republican Party of Texas convention in Fort Worth, Steve Munisteri of Houston was re-elected the party chairman, and Melinda Fredricks of Conroe was kept on as vice chairwoman.

At the Texas Democratic Party convention in Houston, former Cameron County Judge Gilberto Hinojosa became the party’s first-ever Hispanic chairman.

Pat Dixon was reelected chairman of the Texas Libertarian Party by nine votes, and the party elected his opponent, Tom Glass, to be his vice chairman. 

Chris Lippincott has set up his own strategic communications, public relations and public affairs shop. The former Texas Department of Transportation spokesman is now operating as Hound’s Creek Consulting.

Mark Miner, who worked for Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst before he became spokesman for Gov. Rick Perry (and then for presidential candidate RP), is back in the fold; he's joined Dewhurst's campaign as a communications consultant now that his old boss is in a runoff. 

Gov. Rick Perry has appointed Jake Ellzey of Midlothian and reappointed Richard McLeon IV of Victoria to the Texas Veterans Commission. Ellzey is a retired fighter pilot of the U.S. Navy. McLeon is general manager of Rusk County Electric Cooperative and is an ordained priest serving the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas.

Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg announced that Dr. Charles Fischer, 59, was indicted by a Travis County Grand Jury on five felony cases. Fischer was employed as a psychiatrist at the Austin State Hospital until his dismissal on Nov. 14, 2011.

Deaths: Political writer Lori Rodriguez, most recently a reporter and columnist with the Houston Chronicle and the first Hispanic editor of the Daily Texan — the paper at the University of Texas-Austin. She was 62.

Former Rep. Alexander Mack "Bobby" Aikin III, D-Commerce. He was 65. Aikin served only one term, but stayed involved in politics and had a long family history to draw from: His father, who served in the Legislature from 1933 to 1979, authored a famous overhaul of the state's school finance system. 

Quotes of the Week

I tell people that running for Senate in Texas is an exercise in driving eight hours and speaking for four minutes.

Democratic candidate Paul Sadler

If the Republicans were here, I would welcome them, too, but I would not be hanging around.

Houston Mayor Annise Parker, to reporters at the Texas Democratic Party's state convention

What I'm running into is a sense of pessimism. It is a self-defeating, self-fulfilling prophecy. Democrats have been out of power for so long, they don't think statewide any longer.

Democrat Keith Hampton, candidate for presiding judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals

Here's one lawsuit I can strike off my list.

Attorney General Greg Abbott, whose office has more than a dozen lawsuits against the federal government pending, tweeting about Washington's decision to not place the dunes sagebrush lizard under special protection

David Dewhurst exploits deformed disabled vet in intro video. So sad. Liberals placate to heart strings so it meets expectations.

Katrina Pierson, a North Texas Tea Party activist and supporter of Ted Cruz, on Twitter

My face might be 'deformed' but not my character & honor!

Dan Moran, a veteran featured in a campaign video for David Dewhurst, in response to Katrina Pierson on Twitter

It takes away a tool that Democrats have used for years to drive a wedge between conservative Hispanics and Republicans.

State GOP delegate and TexasGOPvote.com commentator Bob Price on the inclusion of a guest worker program in the 2012 party platform

That’s a ridiculous question. I’m not even going to respond to that.

David Dewhurst in response to a question on whether he thinks rival Ted Cruz is sympathetic to communist causes