Luna Resignation & Possible Successors; Special Election?
The surprise resignation of State Rep. Vilma Luna (D-Corpus Christi) seems to have shocked everyone. Her resignation, effective at the end of the month, has also resulted in massive speculation about who will replace her on the November general election ballot. She was unopposed.
Early names as possible replacements included Solomon Ortiz, Jr., son of the Congressman of the same name and former Nueces County Democratic Chairman.
Though Ortiz is probably the early leader as a replacement, subscription-only Capitol Inside is reporting that Ortiz isn’t the only one being named as a possible replacement:
But Ortiz will face major competition from Danny Noyola Sr. - an activist who appears to have the support of a faction that backed Barbara Canales-Black in a bitter fight against State Senator Juan Hinojosa of McAllen for an open seat in the upper chamber four years ago. Noyola, whose son is a member of the State Democratic Executive Committee, has been in the news in recent weeks as a veteran educator who was forced out of job as principal of Corpus Christi Miller High School and reassigned as vice-principal at Moody High School in a controversial school board decision late last month. The elder Noyola, a former superintendent in the West Oso school district, already has the support of former Texas House member Hugo Berlanga in a bid for the state House that he’s expected to make.
Some Corpus Christi political players are promoting the possibility of a bid by local business owner Nelda Martinez for the seat that will open up when Luna steps down officially on July 31. Martinez put an end to former lawmaker Jaime Capelo’s state House career when she captured 36 percent of the 2004 Democratic primary vote to force a runoff that she eventually lost to State Rep. Able Herrero in his initial campaign for the HD 34 seat.
Martinez raised a substantial sum of money for the House race two years ago when business interests that back tort reform legislation switched their support to her after Capelo was eliminated in the first round of the race. But Herrero had more support from the Democratic base and won the runoff with 55 percent of the vote. It’s unclear at this point if Martinez would be able to qualify as a resident of HD 33 in time to qualify as a candidate for the race.
Luna’s HD 33 is located entirely within the confines of Corpus Christi and is considered fairly safe for Democrats.
However, it is important to note it was held by a Democrat who took no small amount of flack for being fairly cozy with the GOP House Leadership (Craddick) and was considered pro-business. Luna also was the only Democrat who helped carry Republican water during the debate over the Sharp/Perry/TTRC tax plan in the special session earlier this year.
Keep in mind, though, it would not be out of the question for Perry to call a special election for Luna’s seat. Though he didn’t earlier this year when State Senator Frank Malda and Tom DeLay resigned, Republicans either had nothing to gain (in the Malda SD) or everything to lose (DeLay CD).
A Special Election is one way Republicans have a good chance of gaining back this district (since they didn’t field a candidate against the pro-business Luna), though I think Perry would be in serious hot water from Dems for calling a special election here but not in the other districts.
And, given that the replacement for Luna will be selected in a manner similar to the replacement for DeLay is being selected (by precinct chairs as electors), I wouldn’t be surprised if the GOP tried to force a special election in some way if the new nominee is more liberal than Luna.
Unlike two other House districts that are located in Nueces County, HD 33 is contained exclusively within the Corpus Christi city limits and covers the heart of the South Texas coastal town. While President George W. Bush carried the district with 54 percent of the 2004 vote, the Democratic Party’s statewide candidates on average had the support of 52 percent of the voters there in the general election that year. Democrats don’t appear to be concerned the odds of losing HD 33 in a possible special election before the November vote. But a special election would be the GOP’s only chance of wrestling HD 33 away from Democrats in light of the fact that Republicans fielded no one to challenge Luna this year.
While Democratic activists have been upset with Luna in recent years as a result of her ties to the Republican House leadership, there’s no denying that the Corpus Christi area will lose significant short-term clout in the lower chamber with the incumbent’s early exit. After crossing party lines to support Speaker Tom Craddick in his first bid for the House’s top job after the 2002 elections, Luna went from being a B-team player when her own party controlled the lower chamber to one of its most influential members as the House Appropriations Committee vice-chair for more than three years. She not only played a key role in the state budget debate but had significant sway in battle over an expanded business tax and other levies that legislators approved in a special session on school finance this spring.
Luna took some of the steam from her critics when she campaigned for the Democratic national tickert two years ago - and she’s had the inherent protection that comes from being a lawyer in a firm run by Corpus Christi lawyer Mikal Watts, who’s emerged in recent years as a major political contributor on the state, local and federal levels and one of the world’s most successful personal injury lawyers.
The younger Ortiz, who won the county chair’s post in 2002 but did not seek re-election this year, had been hinting for the past couple of years that he was seriously considering a race against Luna. Like most county chairs in political hotbeds like Corpus Christi and Nueces County, Ortiz received mixed reviews as the Democratic Party’s top local official. As a state House candidate, Ortiz will hope to benefit from the name identification and immediate resources he will have as the son of a longtime congressman. But he will try to avoid inheriting baggage that his father has shouldered lately amid publicity about privately-funded worldwide travel under the auspices of his elected position and association with lobbyists such as former Congressman Tom DeLay’s brother, Randy DeLay.
Luna made history as the first Hispanic woman to represent Corpus Christi in the state House after winning a special election to replace 10-year House veteran Eddie Cavazos in 1993. She overcame challenges from a Democratic primary challenger in 1994 and no trouble against Republican opponents in 1994 and 1998. Luna received two-thirds of the 2002 general election vote against Lauro Cuellar after he switched parties in the wake of a failed bid for re-election as Democratic county chair two years before that. There was speculation in 2004 that Luna might try to unseat in a primary race for Congress before she filed for re-election instead.
Luna has held sway in other South Texas House races at the same time she’s enjoyed more power than other Democrats in the lower chamber in the budget panel’s number two slot, as a member of the Legislative Budget Board and as an appointee to special school finance committees. She drew more anger from Democrats while helping House leaders pass a new congressional map in 2003 as a member of the Redistricting Committee.
Popularity: 8% [?]
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(On Jul 5th, 2006 at 5:12 am)
Nice Article.