2008 Senate: Eight Candidates Who Could Win

With all of the uproar last week over the mentions of who may or may not be considering a run against U.S. Senator John Cornyn next year, we thought we’d take a look at the race as well.

However, instead of looking at who might or might not be in the race, we decided to look at the race from the standpoint of candidates we believe could win.

So, here’s our list of ten candidates who could win the race.

Representative Pete Gallego (D-Alpine). Gallego, 45, has served in the Texas House since 1990. He represents HD 74, which is the largest (geographically) House district in Texas and covers much of the Texas-Mexico border region. Gallego has an impressive resume, dating back to being the first Freshman ever elected to chair the Texas House Democratic Caucus. Some pluses for Gallego include that, as a representative of such a large district bordering Mexico, he has some first-hand border experience he could bring to the United States Senate. That, of course, would combine with a ton of experience on a variety of domestic issues that would translate well to work on the federal level.
Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo). Though he’s been pounded by liberals such as myself in the past for being, “too conservative,” Cuellar is a Texas Democrat who could win this race at the statewide level. A former Texas House member, and Texas Secretary of State before going to Congress, Cuellar has statewide name recognition. Advantages for Cuellar include that his voting record in Congress is just conservative enough that he would be immune from some degree of hammering from the far-right on various issues. While his record isn’t as liberal as most would like to see in a U.S. Senator, it’s that very record that could make him palatable to middle-of-the-road and disenchanted Republican voters in 2008.
State Senator Leticia Van de Putte (D-San Antonio). Aside from members of Congress, no member of the Texas Legislature has the type of unique national reach as does Senator Van de Putte. Advantages include that, as chairwoman of the National Conference of State Legislators, Van de Putte has a national platform and reach that could help her raise the funds needed to compete on the kind of stage that goes with a Senate race. Plus, she has a background in both the House and Senate in Texas that is pro-people. As a pharmacist, she’s also got an advantage on all-important medical related issues that are always part of a Senate race: she’s dealt first-hand with things like prescription drug programs and that could appeal to a lot of the state’s senior voting population.
State Rep. Mark Strama (D-Austin). Though he has only been on “the stage” in the House since 2005, Strama is no stranger to Texas politics, having worked for State Sen. Rodney Ellis and on Ann Richards’ 1990 campaign for Texas Governor. Advantages for Strama include that he knows first-hand how to incite the Netroots and young people to vote. He was Director of Programs for Rock The Vote in the mid-1990s, and even founded the first company to register voters online.
Representative Rick Noriega (D-Houston). As a Lt. Colonel in the Texas National Guard who has seen service in Afghanistan, Iraq, Noriega would bring a unique perspective to a U.S. Senate race as someone who has actually seen an overseas tour of duty in the “War on Terror.” He’s also had national exposure as a result of having been tapped by Houston Mayor Bill White to help handle the city’s response to evacuatees related to Hurricane Katrina.

Mayor Bill White (D-Houston). Being re-elected as Mayor of the nation’s fourt-largest city by a 91 percent vote certainly gives White some advantages. That his work spearheading the city’s response to Hurricane Katrina has earned him a shared Profiles in Courage Award can’t hurt either. Plus, White would have no trouble raising money for a senate bid.
Congressman Nick Lampson (D-Stafford). By virtue of being “the DeLay slayer,” Lampson has national prominence and a lot of support statewide. Add that to his previous terms in congress and you have a candidate who could win statewide.
Secretary Henry Cisneros (D-San Antonio). Former San Antonio Mayor and Health & Human Services Secretary Henry Cisneros is one of a very, very few politicians who could overcome some of the “negatives” that have been attached to him and his career in the past and still have mass appeal. While the Right would attack him from all sides, he’s got the kind of “rock star” quality that could propel him to win a race against Cornyn.

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