Tx Capitol Report | A view from the Texas state capitol

Widow of past Democratic Lt. Governor endorses Margo

The widow of the late Democratic Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock has endorsed Dee Margo in the race for House District 78. She will also campaign with him next week, according to a release from the campaign.

Margo faces state Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, in the election Nov. 2. Early voting has already started.

Here is the statement from Jan Bullock:
 
“I seldom get involved in political campaigns anymore, and only in the rarest of circumstances cross party lines.  But this election is too important, and there is no doubt in my mind Texas needs more leaders like Dee Margo.  Dee is best suited to deal with the issues facing El Paso and work with other leaders in El Paso and around the state to get the much needed funding to complete the Texas Tech Medical School.  Dee is the best candidate to return civility to Austin.  When my late husband was Lt. Governor it didn’t matter which political party followed your name, the fact we are Texans always came first.  Dee understands this.  Beneath it all, Dee is a proven leader that has worked with others no matter which party, to do big things for El Paso.  We need leaders like Dee Margo, and that’s why he has my whole-hearted support.”

Watch debate for governor

The state's largest newspapers will sponsor a debate at 6 p.m. tonight between three of the four candidates for governor.

Democratic candidate Bill White, Libertarian Kathie Glass and Green Party nominee Deb Shafto will participate in the debate at KLRU in Austin. Republican Gov. Rick Perry chose not to participate.

Below is a live video stream courtesy of KLRU. It will last about an hour and may not be available afterwards.

Update: I deleted the live stream video because it was no longer available after the debate. I will try to find an archived video to post for anyone who may have missed the debate.

Former Democratic contender backs Perry

Farouk Shami, the Houston haircare magnate who ran against Bill White in the Democratic primary, has endorsed Republican Gov. Rick Perry.

Shami was with Perry at an event in Brownsville when he announced his support of the governor, according a press release from the Perry campaign. Below is his comment:

"Gov. Perry has not only been true to the values that matter most to the people of Texas, he is also a conservative leader that has led our state in job creation and renewable energy. As a former Democratic gubernatorial candidate, I believe jobs and the future for Texans is beyond partisanship. I am proud to endorse Gov. Perry for the general election. His proven track record of helping businesses grow and invest for a cleaner and stronger tomorrow is the reason why he is the best choice for Texas governor."

Below is a comment posted in January on Shami's campaign website in response to a Republican gubernatorial debate between Perry, Kay Bailey Hutchison and Debra Medina.

"Things in Texas are heading in the wrong direction. The cost of health care and health insurance are out of control, the quality of basic public education is falling, and our air, land and water are under constant threat from polluters. We simply can't settle for more business as usual."

His website also has these mentions of Perry during the primary elections in January:

"Governor Rick Perry announced he won't seek the endorsements of the state's newspapers. If we had the record of failed leadership that Perry has, we wouldn’t want to be held accountable, either. Farouk Shami believes the people of Texas deserve better and Shami is eager to sit with the editorial boards of the state’s newspapers and the people of Texas to talk about jobs, green energy and getting Texas back in the hands of the people and not career politicians."

And,

"Once again, Rick Perry has shown Texas what failed leadership looks like. The Texas Enterprise Fund has been raided to provide benefits to corporations that are not delivering on the promise to bring jobs to Texas. We need to utilize the Texas Enterprise Fund (EF) to provide small grants to businesses employing 25 or fewer people that have a strong business plan and will be able to grow with the added capital, in addition to using the fund to close deals with large corporations. The small businessman is the backbone of the Texas economy."

 

Pat Haggerty's mom endorses State Rep. Joe Moody

    Eleanor Keily Haggerty, a Republican whose sons include current and former officeholders in El Paso, has thrown her support to Democratic state Rep. Joe Moody in the November election.
    In doing so, she snubbed Republican Dee Margo. It was Margo who defeated her son, Patrick Haggerty, in a heated Republican primary election two years ago.
    Margo, 58, then lost the general election to Moody, 29. Now they are in a rematch for the House District 78 seat.
    Moody is “a good man,” Eleanor Haggerty said. “He's young but he's honest and he is learning. Dee Margo I despise. He ran against Pat, and he was a liar and a cheat.”
    In 2008, Margo's campaign tried to paint Haggerty as a tax-and-spend liberal who was too close with Austin lobbyists.
     Haggerty in turn ran commercials that called Margo a carpetbagger who moved into the district with support from then-House Speaker Tom Craddick.
    Margo said he has earned the support of residents in the district, including some who had been in Pat Haggerty’s camp. He highlighted an endorsement he received from another member of the family, Republican County Commissioner Dan Haggerty.
    “She's a good mom and she's defending her son,” Margo said.
    But, Margo said, he would focus the homestretch of campaign on the economy and other important issues, not on her political leanings.
    Eleanor Haggerty, 90, wrote her endorsement in a letter, which Moody’s campaign then sent to more than 7,000 homes this week.
    In it, she said she voted for Moody in 2008 and she plans to do so again because she believes he is the better candidate. She said she could never vote for Margo because she was deeply hurt by his “slanderous” and “negative” campaign against her son.
    She said Moody had continued the work that her son began on the Franklin Mountains State Park, property tax relief for veterans and combating gangs.
    “Obviously, being the matriarch of a family that has been in public service she knows what leadership takes,” Moody said. “I am very proud to represent her because I think she recognizes hard work and leadership.”
    Margo said he did not believe that her endorsement will sway voters.
    He added that Pat Haggerty's new role as a lobbyist for the city would require them to bury their differences and work together if he is elected. Pat Haggerty said he does not plan to make an endorsement in the race.
    Dan Haggerty donated $100 to both Moody and Margo. He has appeared on campaign literature supporting Margo.
    “It's funny because of course our family has been kind of at odds with Margo and I've always loved Joe Moody. I think he's a nice guy,” Dan Haggerty said. “I thought I would wave a little olive branch there and went to one of (Margo's) fundraisers and dropped $100 in the bowl because he is a Republican.”
    After that donation, Haggerty said, he received a phone call from Margo asking if he would endorse him in the race. Haggerty agreed.
    “We'll do well with either one of them,” Haggerty said. “I appreciate what Joe did in his first term. He did a fine job. Dee's a little full of himself, but I think he'll do a good job. He's got some good connections down there.”

State Rep. Norma Chavez celebrates Hispanic Heritage at VP's residence

State Rep. Norma Chávez, D-El Paso, today attended a Hispanic Heritage month celebration hosted by Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, at their home in Washington D.C.

"It is an honor to join Vice President Biden and Dr. Biden to recognize National Hispanic Heritage Month and celebrate the rich contributions that Latinos have made, not only in Texas but across the nation," Chavez said.

New television ads in House District 78 race

State Rep. Joe Moody and his Republican challenger Dee Margo have begun airing television commercials in the House District 78 race.

Neither commercial directly mentions the other candidate in the race but expect that to change as the campaign heats up.

See both commercials below:

 

The Dee Margo Plan - Television Commercial from Dee Margo on Vimeo.

Libertarian candidate says she will confront Gov. Perry today

Kathie Glass, the Libertarian candidate for governor, said she plans to "confront Rick Perry face-to-face" today at the Tenth Amendment Town Hall Meeting in Humble, Texas.

Glass issued a statement calling Perry a "do-nothing governor" and criticizing him for not doing enough to secure the border.

We are awaiting a comment from the Perry campaign.

Below are some of her quotes:
 
“Rick Perry is the just about the last person who should lecture us on state sovereignty,” Glass said.  “He carelessly tosses around words like ‘sovereignty’ and ‘secession,’ but does nothing but beg Washington alternatively to leave us alone or to come defend our border.”

“Today, I will confront our do-nothing governor, just as I will confront those in Washington, D.C. who seek to impose unconstitutional acts on Texas in violation of the Tenth Amendment.  Since Rick Perry is obviously afraid to debate me, this encounter may be the only opportunity to contrast how I would act as head of a sovereign state and fulfill my constitutional duty as commander in chief of the Texas military.”
 
“I will again call upon Governor Perry -- as I did in August -- to call a special session to nullify Obamacare and also to defend our border using our Texas State Guard,” Glass said. “Voters need to ask themselves this: if former Democrat Rick Perry has done nothing on these fronts during his ten years as governor, what make you believe he will do anything different in the next four years?”

City to hire lobbyist for state legislative agenda

The city of El Paso could spend up to $40,000 on a lobbyist to help it through a difficult legislative session in Austin.

On Tuesday, City Council members will vote on hiring former state Rep. Pat Haggerty to help the city push its legislative agenda as state lawmakers consider cuts to services and programs during a session with a projected budget shortfall of up to $21 billion.

Mayor John Cook said Haggerty's main focus would be lobbying for state funding to build a visitor center at the Franklin Mountains State Park. Haggerty will also work with state lawmakers to seek a $5 million appropriation that would help the city purchase land near Castner Range to make it part of the state park. 

Cook said the former lawmaker would also assist the city with other parts of its legislative agenda that are still in the works.

If the contract is approved, Haggerty will make $2,500 per month through December. He will receive $5,000 per month from January through June 30. He will also be reimbursed for "pre-approved reasonable" travel expenses to El Paso to meet with the Mayor, City Council and staff. His entire compensation will be capped at $40,000.   

Governor's race back to solid GOP in poll

Two weeks after moving the race for Texas governor into a leans Republican category, Rasmussen has returned it to solid Republican on its gubernatorial scorecard.

Perry now holds an 11-point lead over White, according to an Oct. 6 Rasmussen poll of 750 likely voters. That's a five point increase from the poll a couple of weeks ago that had Perry with a 48-42 advantage over White.

The latest poll also indicates that two percent of voters preferred another candidate and four percent were undecided. The margin of error for the poll is +/-4 percentage points.   

Endorsements in House District 78 race

Candidates for House District 78 have announced four endorsements.

Hispanic Republicans of Texas will officially endorse businessman Dee Margo today.

State Rep. Joe Moody received endorsements from the Texas State Teachers Association, the Texas Federation of Teachers and the Texas Parent political action committee.

Margo

Hispanic Republicans of Texas is a political action committee that counts George P. Bush as one of its founders. The group says its mission is to raise the number of Hispanics running as Republicans in the state.

Sonya Medina, a Hispanic Republicans of Texas board member, said the group endorsed Margo because   "Dee is ready to serve, and we look forward to helping elect a Hispanic Republican in District 78.”

Margo recently released a campaign video that talked about his upbringing. In it he talked about his Hispanic grandfather who did not speak English until he was 18 but went on to become a doctor.

“As it stands today, Hispanic leaders are disproportionately under-represented as officeholders especially as Republicans," Medina said. "Hispanic Republicans of Texas has been established to close the gap, build leadership within the Hispanic community and support those, like Dee Margo, who are ready to serve as elected leaders of this state."

Moody

The Texas State Teachers Association put their support behind Moody. The group also endorsed Democrat Bill White in the governor's race.

"Joe Moody is a good friend of public education and educators," said TSTA President Rita Haecker. "TSTA is proud to support Joe because school children and their teachers need his continued help in Austin. He has a strong education report card."

Lucy Clarke, the president of the El Paso Federation of Teachers and Support Personnel, said the group endorsed Moody because of "his past record of support on issues regarding students, school district employees, and education retirees."