TX CD 23: Canseco, Larson Drop Pleasantries In Race To Challenge Rodriguez

It seems as though Bexar County Commissioner Lyle Larson and attorney Fancisco “Quico” Cansco have dropped the pleasantries in the race to see who will lost to Congressman Ciro Rodriguez (D-San Antonio) this fall:

Larson came out Thursday with guns blazing, accusing Canseco of “Washington-style politics,” by commissioning a push poll to distort Larson’s record.

How amusing. You can bet that, whichever one of these two wins the primary, they won’t call the push polling they conduct next September and October “Washington-style politics” and will defend their tactics at every opportunity. But, of course, in the GOP primary, that isn’t the case.

More:

Canseco confirmed that he paid for the poll. But he denied it was a push poll — a survey in which questions are framed to influence voters — insisting it was a “scientific” way to ferret out Larson’s negatives.

The poll also was designed, he said, to find Larson’s “positives,” and even determine Canseco’s own negatives.

“What you’re trying to do is smear me,” Larson told Canseco during an Express-News editorial board meeting.

Larson said constituents in his precinct have called to say they’ve been asked if they would be likely to support him if he “raised property taxes every year,” or “voted for and received large pay raises every year.”

In fact, Larson has never taken a pay raise while on the court, and has voted against every one proposed for commissioners. His salary remains at $49,368, roughly half what other commissioners earn.

Canseco’s campaign manager, Todd Smith, said he had written polling questions, but denied they included questions about Larson’s salary.

“Maybe there is one about the fact that property taxes have increased during his tenure,” he said, “because that’s a fact.”

Don’t you just love how they argue over property taxes and pay raises? I suspect that is the best they have, since the GOP platform is so unappealing to people in that district.
And then, a residency issue:

The long-time commissioner also hit Canseco about where he lives — outside the District 23 boundary.

Canseco said he lives only a block or so outside the district and insisted that he is familiar with the district and its needs.

The law does not require congressional candidates to live in their districts.

I believe the law doesn’t require Congressional candidates to live in their districts until after they are elected, to be quite clear. Oh, and look at this:

Larson also questioned Canseco’s claim that he is a lifelong Republican, producing records from the Webb County elections office that showed Canseco voted four times in Democratic primaries, from 1998 to 2002.

Canseco said he was familiar with the records, and that they were simply wrong, blaming the errors on Webb County record keepers.

Of course, if it were anywhere aside from Webb County, it’d be hard to believe.

And then, Larson tries to soften the very blows he has inflicted:

Larson said he didn’t think it was necessarily a big deal if Canseco had voted Democratic or lived outside the district — “Just don’t mislead people.”

A Republican tells another Republican it is okay for them to have voted in a Democratic Primary? Holy mother of God, I’m sure the National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee is just thrilled to pieces at that statement.

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