Tx Capitol Report | A view from the Texas state capitol

To run or not to run

State Rep. Chente Quintanilla, D-El Paso, has placed an order for design work on signs that will read: "For County Commissioner Precinct 3, Vote Chente Quintanilla."  But Quintanilla will not yet confirm that he plans to run for the county seat instead of seeking reelection to State House District 75. "I have not ordered the signs completely, just the design to see if I like it and at that point I'll say go do it or don't do it," Quintanilla said. Read Thursday's El Paso Times for more.

 

Perry parodies

It has been a tough week for Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

His performance in last week's FOX News debate has not only been the subject of several comedy performances but left some political pundits weighing in on whether he can win the Republican Primary election. 

A Fox News poll of 925 registered voters that was released today shows former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney leading the other Republican candidates in the race. Perry was in second place with 19 percent of voters polled Sept. 25-27.

Last month, the same poll had Perry leading with 29 percent of those surveyed, compared with Romney's 22 percent.

Check out a clip that includes a portion Perry's performance below:

 

 

Below are two comedy clips about the performance:

 

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Rick Perry's Debate Gaffe & Arizona's Primary Date
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

 

 

Possible candidate ready to jump into District 75 race

The chances that state Rep. Chente Quintanilla, D-El Paso, will seek reelection to his state House District 75 seat seem a little cloudier.

Quintanilla said last week that he was still weighing whether to seek reelection or run for a spot on the County Commissioners Court. 

But it seems Quintanilla may have given Hector Enriquez, a salesman with T & T Staff Management, his blessing to start gearing up to run a campaign for the seat.  

Enriquez, a former Socorro Independent School District trustee, said he is waiting on Quintanilla's final decision before jumping into the race. And, he says Quintanilla has not given him any assurance that he will not seek reelection. If Quintanilla changes career paths, Enriquez said he will be ready to announce his candidacy for state office.

Enriquez was in Austin this week attending the Texas Tribune Festival and talking with people about his potential candidacy. He was accompanied by political consultant  Moises Bujanda.

Mayor Cook talks about his future

Mayor John Cook, who is currently battling a recall effort, said he plans to retire after completing his term unless he is recruited for a statewide office.

Some have speculated that Cook might run for state House District 78, a seat currently held by state Rep. Dee Margo, R-El Paso, but the city's mayor said that will not happen.

"After having been the mayor, which is like the coolest job ever, I think anything after that is sort of really like a downgrade," Cook said. "So, I'm probably not interested. The only thing that might get me to change my mind is if somebody was to seriously ask me to run for a statewide office. And, I can see there might be several openings, so at least I can get a strong Democrat's name on the ticket but it would only be if people really came and asked me if I would consider doing that."

Asked about what statewide offices he would be interested in, Cook said "something like Land Commissioner or something like that."

Quintanilla still weighing his options

State Rep. Chente Quintanilla, D-El Paso, remains tight-lipped about his future in the state Legislature.

Quintanilla, a five-term state lawmaker, will run for office next year but it is unclear whether his "Chente por la gente" campaign signs will be for his reelection to the state Legislature or for County Commissioner.

Quintanilla has been considering stepping down from his seat representing House District 75 to pursue the County Commissioner Precinct 3 position. He said he is nearing a decision but he's "not there yet."

"I'm going to Austin next week," he said. "I'm going to sit down with some people. Whatever I'm going to do I'll send you a copy of the sign I'm going to use."

 

UPDATE: Tea Party wants Perry to bring back anti-sanctuary cities legislation

Tea Party organizers and other advocates of tougher immigration laws are calling for Gov. Rick Perry to come back to Texas to tackle "unfinished business."

The group delivered a letter to Perry's office today asking  him to either call lawmakers back for a second special session or to issue an executive order banning sanctuary cities in the state. 

An anti-sanctuary cities bill, which would have allowed local law enforcement to question the immigration status of anyone they detained, failed to pass during the regular 140-day session and the 30-day special session that followed. 

"Gov. Perry needs to clarify his position on illegal immigration and he needs to come back to Texas and finish the people's unfinished business," said JoAnn Fleming, executive director of Grassroots America and chair of the Texas Tea Party Caucus Advisory Committee.

Asked if the Perry planned to call another special session or issue an executive order banning so-called sanctuary cities, Lucy Nashed, a spokeswoman for the governor, simply said this:

"We welcome these folks support for efforts to outlaw sanctuary cities and, if these folks are still interested in this, then we encourage them to talk to their lawmakers in the Legislature. He's already made his position on this clear and it is up to the legislature to enact the legislation."

 

 

City Rep. Holguin will stay put

We are entering election season and with that always comes speculation of who may be challenging incumbents for state office. So, from time to time, I will try to address that speculation in this blog.

East Valley city Rep. Eddie Holguin Jr., a Democrat, expressed interest in the state House District 76 seat during the last election but only if former state Rep. Norma Chávez decided to run for the state Senate instead of seeking reelection. 

Chávez did run and lost her bid for reelection to freshman state Rep. Naomi Gonzalez, D-El Paso. Now that Gonzalez is up for reelection there has been speculation that Holguin will step into the race.

Holguin said that will not happen.

"I just got reelected to my City Council seat a few months ago and I'm really focused on continuing my work representing the citizens of District 6," Holguin said. "I want to fulfill my commitment to the residents of District 6."

Just to make sure I asked Holguin if there was a chance that he may still run for state representative during this election cycle?

"No, I don't think so," he said.

El Paso mentioned in GOP debate

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is already making headlines for calling Social Security a Ponzi scheme, defending executions under the state's death penalty and challenging the science behind climate change.

But what El Pasoans will likely remember most from his first GOP presidential debate on Wednesday is his mention of their city as he challenged President Barack Obama's insistence that the border is safer than ever before.

"For the president of the United States to go to El Paso, Texas and say that the border is safer than it's ever been, either he has some of the poorest intel of a president in the history of this country or he was an abject liar to the American people," Perry said. "It is not safe on that border."

The comment further angered El Paso leaders who say they are constantly battling misconceptions that the border city is not safe. The city has consistently ranked among the safest in the country and last year was named the safest large city in the United States by CQ Press, an independent research organization.

"It's incredibly frustrating to have the governor of our state use the national stage to denigrate our community," El Paso County Judge Veronica Escobar said. "We are not unsafe. Every time he says that, it hurts us."

Perry did not specifically say El Paso was unsafe in his comment but city leaders say the statement simply adds to others he has made that create misconceptions about El Paso.

Last year, Perry incorrectly stated on national television that bombs were exploding in  El Paso. The comment came shortly after a car bomb was set off in Cuidad Juárez, the Mexican city that shares a border with El Paso.

"I'm starting to believe that he wishes we were unsafe," Escobar said in a Facebook post.

President Obama calls Gov. Perry about Texas fires

President Barack Obama today called Gov. Rick Perry about the fires that persist in Texas.

Below is a media release from the White House about their conversation:

Readout of the President’s Call to Texas Governor Rick Perry Today the President called Texas Governor Rick Perry to express his concern for citizens of Texas impacted by the unprecedented fires. During the call the President extended his condolences for the lives that have been lost as a result of these events, and made clear that the federal government, through DHS/FEMA and the U.S. Forest Service, will continue to make federal assistance available to state and local officials as they fight the fires.  The President also assured the Governor that requests for additional assistance, including as recovery begins, would be quickly assessed. Following the call, the President directed his national security staff to continue to work closely with FEMA, the Forest Service and the State of Texas to ensure we were making all resources available. Over the last several days, at the request of the Governor, the Administration has granted eight Fire Management Assistance Grants, making federal funds available to reimburse eligible costs associated with efforts to combat the fires. FEMA is actively working with state and local officials to conduct damage assessments and to identify areas where additional federal assistance may be warranted

 

Rep. Pickett seeking reelection

State Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, today said he is seeking reelection despite rumors floating around that he might not run again for the House District 79 seat.

"I'm running," Pickett said, adding that he planned to make a formal announcement in October. "I've been made offers over the last few years. They're pretty substantial but I don't know that I'm ready or even want to do that stuff."

Pickett recently hired Mike Breitinger, the executive director for the El Paso Central Business Association, as his new chief of staff. 

The state representative said rumors started because his friend state Rep. Burt Solomons, R-Carrollton, is wrestling with whether or not to seek reelection so people assumed that Pickett might also be considering leaving office.