Thread: Texas Republicans want to eat state House Democrats for brea

Editorials & Opinions

Texas Republicans want to eat state House Democrats for breakfast
Posted Thursday, Mar. 11, 2010

Republicans are hungry this year.

That's easy to see in contests for seats in the Texas House. The GOP wants to turn its thin majority into a fat one, and Democrats seem either not that anxious to take control or just slower in figuring out how to do it.

The 150-member House started last year's session split 76-74, with Republicans ahead by the slimmest possible margin. Moderates on both sides had the power to sway any vote, and that drove hardliners crazy.

Even with the party primary runoffs not yet done, what's in store for November is plain. The rightmost part of the GOP has a driving urge to win back the sort of numbers and power it had in the 2003 and 2005 sessions.

The numbers already have changed. Rep. Chuck Hopson of Jacksonville has switched parties, giving the R's a 77-73 majority. A small step for the Republican kind maybe, but every step makes a difference when the numbers are so close.

Hopson easily won his first Republican primary with the help of some of the party's biggest donors, and he has only token Democratic opposition in November.

As the hunt begins, Republicans occupy 55 uncontested (by major party) House seats. Democrats hold 38. Six House Republicans did not run for re-election. Two of those seats have no Democrat on the November ballot, and the party hasn't put up much of an effort in the other four.

Where the fight really should be happening -- and is, at least on the Republican side -- is in those districts where the incumbent barely won the 2008 general election. These would be the stragglers at the back of the herd, the ones easiest for a hungry predator to overcome.

In 12 R vs. D matches two years ago, the winner took less than 52 percent of the vote. Some got less than 50 percent (whoever gets the most votes in a general election wins with no runoff). Three were Republicans, nine were Democrats. Hopson was one of the D's; he's now an R.

That means the Democrats have four ready targets. They seem to be seriously going after only one, the Houston seat held by freshman Rep. Ken Legler. Their candidate is attorney Rick Molina, and Houston Dems are excited about his race.

Republicans have eight Democratic soft spots to attack, and they're doing it with gusto. Their candidates hit hard with the angry-voter themes of the tea party movement and add a strong helping of traditional hard-right Republican ideology. It's everything from let's cut the state budget to let's stop the federal government from taking away our liberties.

They also have big money, and they're using it.

Business owner Larry Gonzales, 40, is in a Republican primary runoff with engineer John Gordon, 63, for a Round Rock seat held by freshman Democrat Diana Maldonado, 47. At the end of January, Gonzales received $55,000 in campaign donations from Bob and Doylene Perry of Houston.

Cindy Burkett, 51, a business executive and GOP activist from Mesquite, is running against first-term Democratic Rep. Robert Miklos, 44. Burkett got $15,000 from the Perrys at the end of January.

In El Paso, Dee Margo, 58, has received contributions of as much as $15,000 and $20,000 from local Republican donors in his race against another freshman House Democrat, attorney Joseph Moody, 29.

And right here at home, Republican Bill Zedler, 66, of Arlington is in what may turn out to be one of the hardest-fought contests. He's trying to win back the District 96 seat that was taken away from him two years ago by Rep. Chris Turner, 37, of Burleson.

Get ready to hear a lot about the desire for legislation on Voter ID, property tax limits, property appraisal caps, illegal immigration and general themes favoring traditional marriage, fighting abortion and out-of-control government. The Republicans are coming.

Mike Norman is editorial director of the Star-Telegram/ Arlington and Northeast Tarrant County.

http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/03/11 ... o-eat.html

Go Republicans in Texas, but please, please, please ... this time when you get the power, do the right things for your state and America. No more illegal immigration, no more free trade, get a State FairTax going, support the federal FairTax, HB 25 in the US House of Representatives, demand a lift of the ban oil drilling and legalize/regulate/tax under 2 the illegal drug trade in your state so we can shut down this illegal drug trade coming across your 100 mile long border with Mexico.

Lets Get R Done, Texas!!

Originally Posted by Dixie

The numbers already have changed. Rep. Chuck Hopson of Jacksonville has switched parties, giving the R's a 77-73 majority

It's already a majority and still the Republicans can't pass any bills to help rid this State of illegal aliens. Perhaps, like our Republican Governor, they don't really want to because so many their big business cash cows love illegal labor.