John Sharp: He Will Not Endorse

Former Texas Comptroller, two-time candidate for Lt. Governor and chair of Rick Perry’s Texas Tax Reform Commission will not make an endorsement in the race for Texas governor.

Mr. Sharp, who ruled out his own run when he agreed to lead Gov. Rick Perry’s Texas Tax Reform Commission, said his work to craft a tax-swap plan would keep him out of gubernatorial politics.

“I’m not messing with that,” he said of the campaign. “When I took this, I told them all [other candidates] that I’m going to do this and not mess with that.”

Mr. Sharp is the second candidate from the top of the Democratic ticket four years ago not to endorse Democratic nominee Chris Bell. Laredo businessman Tony Sanchez, who ran for governor then, is supporting independent Carole Keeton Strayhorn.

Before everyone reads as much into this as the Dallas Morning News would like you to, note this:

Jason Stanford, a spokesman for Mr. Bell, said the campaign didn’t take Mr. Sharp’s neutrality as a slight.

“It seems like a logical decision given the position he’s in” with the tax panel, he said. “We’re just glad he stayed out of the primary.”

It’s obvious Sharp’s stuck between a rock and a hard place on this one. Although I have spoken out strongly against the plan the TTRC came up with earlier this week, I’m still a John Sharp fan.

I, for one, believe Sharp’s motives for taking the TTRC post were genuine: he wanted to help Texas. There was a lot of speculation Perry did this to take him out of the race for governor. Maybe that’s true, but I don’t think Sharp would have taken it if he ever had the intention of getting in the race in the first place.

John Sharp being nice to Rick Perry doesn’t tick me off because I feel quite sure, in his “heart of hearts” (to use an overly-United Methodist phrase here), John Sharp still believes in all he’s ever stood for.

There are some Democrats I wouldn’t say this about, but to me, John Sharp has always been and always will be “The Real Deal.” You can disagree with me on that in the comments, but, inasmuch as I disagree with the TTRC and Sharp’s proposal, he still has my respect.

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