Texas Presidential Primary Endorsements: Who Has Endorsed & Who Is Up For Grabs

With the Republican and Democratic Presidential Primaries all but certain to come to Texas, one key aspect to the process will clearly be endorsements. Endorsements from members of the Congressional Delegation, legislators, former officeholders, Democratic activists, and more will be up for grabs. How much these endorsements will matter in the final vote may remain to be seen but, nonetheless, they will be making news a lot in the next few weeks.

We’ll take a look at two groups: those who have endorsed and those who could be key endorsements for presidential candidates in Texas.

First, let’s look at those who have already endorsed.

(For both categories, we’ll rate each endorsement with a “Matter Factor,” meaning how much we believe the endorsement matters on a scale of one to 10 with 10 meaning the endorsement is very important to a candidate in terms of gaining Texas votes.

Governor Rick Perry. First endorsed Rudy Guiliani, now supports McCain. Matter Factor: 4 (Governor 39 Percent’s support can hardly be considered something to bring a landslide toward his chosen candidate.)

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo). Endorsed Clinton. Matter Factor: 5 (All depends upon whether or not the endorsement is strong enough to be tracked and supported by Valley and Laredo political machines, which help drive Latino vote in his district).

Rep. Gene Green (D-Houston). Endorsed Clinton. Matter Factor: 6.5 (Green is well respected, and his opinion matters to his constituents, but will the endorsement carry minority voters from Houston to Senator Clinton?)

Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (D-Mercedes). Endorsed Clinton. Matter Factor: 5 (Machines are more key than endorsements in the Valley and this district, and it all depends upon whether or not political machines go the same way; From Edinburg north to Alice, that’s pure machine territory; the Gulf Coast parts of the district are another story, and it is difficult to say if Hinojosa’s endorsement will translate to votes there).

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Houston). Endorsed Clinton. Matter Factor: 7 (It may seem odd that controversial Sheila Jackson Lee’s endorsement would matter, but it will. Her constituents will likely take notice that Jackson Lee, who is African American, has endorsed Clinton and not Obama. Plus, Jackson Lee has the mechanisms in place to drive up turnout in her district for Clinton.)

Rep. Solomon Ortiz (D-Brownsville). Endorsed Clinton. Matter Factor: 5 (In this Gulf Coast/Rio Grande Valley District, the machines matter, and it depends upon (a) the position the major machines take and (b) if they take a position. If they don’t, Ortiz’s endorsement may mean more.

Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-El Paso). Endorsed Clinton. Matter Factor: 5 (In this El Paso-based District, politics is so funky it’s unclear what impact Reyes endorsement would have.

Rep. John Carter (R-Round Rock). Endorsed Romney. Matter Factor 3 (Romney holds a narrow, divided lead in the most recent polls in Texas, but grassroots GOP primary voters tend to be more conservative, and it is difficult to believe any Congressional endorsements from GOP Congressmen will make much of a difference to GOP Primary voters).

Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Midland). Endorsed Romney. Matter Factor 2 (West Texas is conservative, and, believe it or not, that Romney is a Mormon will make a difference to some of the evangelicals that populate West Texas. This is actually an endorsement that’s pretty out-of-touch with the district.

Rep. Kay Granger (R-Fort Worth). Endorsed Romney. Matter Factor 4 (Granger is Vice-Chair of the GOP Conference in the U.S. House, but how much sway she has over individual voters in Fort Worth when it comes to anything other than her race remains to be seen–by far.)

Rep. Lamar Smith (R-San Antonio). Endorsed Romney. Matter Factor 5 (This matters because Smith can bring money to Romney. In terms of votes, however, the impact is not near a five. This district is a wild card, and Smith doesn’t hold the keys to controlling any serious voter turnout.)

State Rep. Garnet Coleman (D-Houston). Endorsed Obama. Matter Factor 8 (Coleman can drive some serious votes–not only in his district but across the state because he is widely viewed as one of the state’s key progressive Democratic leaders. This endorsement matters more because he has the mechanics in place to drive up turnout in Houston/Harris County)

Henry Cisneros (D-San Antonio). Endorsed Clinton. Matter Factor 6 (Cisneros still has a lot of name recognition–especially in the Latino community, and his endorsement will matter. However, the “baggage” that comes with it could give Obama something to snipe at, should he elect to use it.)

Gary Mauro (D-Austin). Endorsed Clinton. Matter Factor 5. (Former Land Commissioner Gary Mauro, who challenged Bush for Governor in 1998, is a given considering his long history with the Clinton family dating back to the McGovern campaign in Texas decades ago. However, Mauro has been out of politics a while, and it’s unclear what impact his endorsement will have.)

Former U.S. Senator Phil Gramm (R). Endorsed McCain. Matter Factor 3 (Even Texans are starting to forget who Gramm was. Plus, his “dead pheasant” scheme on life insurance on retired teachers a few years ago alienated him with a lot of people)

(Note: We don’t know how accurate the following list still is, but it came from Cuellar’s website, and we added our ratings, etc.).

Fort Worth City Councilwoman Wendy Davis. Endorsed Clinton. Matter Factor 4 (Given that Davis is now a candidate, don’t expect her to do much campaigning for Clinton, given she’s running in a senate district that is not a total lock.)

Carol Alvarado, former Houston Mayor Pro Tem, House Candidate. Endorsed Clinton. Matter Factor 5. (Alvarado has a good network, but it’s occupied electing her to the Texas House. If she uses it for Clinton, it will be effective.)

Former Houston Mayor Lee Brown. Endorsed Clinton. Matter Factor 5. (Can’t hurt Hillary in Harris County.)

State Senator Mario V. Gallegos (D-Galena Park). Endorsed Clinton. Matter Factor 8. (If Hillary Clinton gets the man who risked his life to stop Voter ID on the trail, it will equal instant media buzz. Plus, since Gallegos’ heroics speaks to progressives, it could translate into support.)

State Representative Hubert Vo, Houston. Endorsed Clinton. Matter Factor 5 (Vo can help with the Asian American vote and has a compelling story that would gain media attention if he went on the trail outside Harris County. Plus, he can use his network to help in huge-as-hell Harris County.)

State Representative Senfronia Thompson, Houston. Endorsed Clinton. Matter Factor 6 (When Senfronia speaks, people do listen. Plus, she’s got a nice network, is African American and not endorsing Obama, and is in Harris County.)

Former Governor Dolph Briscoe, Uvalde. Endorsed Clinton. Matter Factor 3 (Texans under 40 have a hard time remembering who Dolph Briscoe is. BUT, he can presumably pick up the phone and bundle a train-load of cash).

State Senator Carlos Uresti, San Antonio. Endorsed Clinton. Matter Factor 4 (Has a quality network and access to San Antonio and Valley machines, if they go for Hillary.)

Former U.S. Senator and Congressman Bob Krueger, New Braunfels. Endorsed Clinton. Matter Factor 3. (No current political network of supporters to encourage; name recognition declines every year, but still an all-around great guy).
State Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, Corpus Christi; State Representative Abel Herrero, Corpus Christi; State; Representative Juan Manuel Escobar, Kingsville. Endorsed Clinton. Matter Factor 4 (Each has a good network, but much of their effectiveness could center around what political machines are doing in those areas)

State Representative Richard Peña Raymond, Laredo. Endorsed Clinton. Matter Factor 5 (Raymond gets a leg up on the above three because he has statewide name recognition.)

State Representative Veronica Gonzales, McAllen, State Representative Rene Oliveira, Brownsville; State Representative Armando Martinez, Weslaco. Endorsed Clinton. Matter Factor 4 (Influence is tough to call in machine country).

State Representative Aaron Peña, Edinburg. Endorsed Clinton. Matter Factor 5 (Isn’t a machine darling, so he has a network that is independent of the machines that could bring non-machine voters into the Clinton Camp regardless of what the machines do)

Another key factor in the race, of course is who will endorse or who could endorse. Here is a quick run-down:

Former Democratic Governor Mark White. Matter Factor 4-6. (The man whose name was a dirty word to high school football coaches thanks to House Bill 72 and No Pass, No Play, has by far redeemed himself in Texas politics and his education record, clearly, is something that is now smiled upon as opposed to frowned upon. Whether his endorsement matters could vary widely: it could mean money for the campaign, but it could still turn off some folks. Plus, his name recognition isn’t exactly the widest in the state anymore.)

Former Texas AG Jim Mattox. Matter Factor 7. (People still love Jim Mattox in Texas. It could change some minds, and probably send some people toward whatever candidate he endorses.)

Former State Treasurer Martha Whitehead. Matter Factor 1 (A few Texans still remember that she abolished the office of State Treasurer, but she’s drifted into relative obscurity and has no known political network to speak of, although that doesn’t diminish the fact that she’s still a great lady.)

Former Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Rylander Strayhorn. Matter Factor 6 (Yes, she lost the race for governor in a five-way, but a lot of Texans still love One Tough Grandma. She could change some Republican minds and possibly swing independents toward whatever Republican she endorses, provided she doesn’t flip-flop and endorse a different person every day of the week for four days.)

Lt. Governor David Dewhurst. Matter Factor 3 (Aside from bringing his own money to the table, what’s he got for a Republican? He’s a virtual unknown nationally and not too many people in Texas just jump through hoops to find out what he’s up to.)

State Senator Dan Patrick (R-Houston). Matter Factor 9 (He’s got his own radio show and enough radical, right-wing devotees to fill the Astrodome (at least), so this could be a coveted endorsement for whomever is interested in nabbing up the wingnutters–especially those in Harris County.)

State Senator Kirk Watson (D-Austin). Matter Factor 6 (Watson hasn’t endorsed since Edwards (his initial pick) left the race. But, Watson has some mechanisms in place to hike up voter turnout and make his endorsement known, so he’s in play.)

House Minority Leader Jim Dunnam (D-Waco). Matter Factor 7 (Dunnam’s endorsement matters because it could bring a lot more endorsements from other legislators. Plus, it’s always nice to be able to throw in the face of the opposing campaign that you have the endorsement of the Minority Leader.

House Speaker Tom Craddick (R-Midland). Matter Factor 5 (One word from Craddick and the moneyh will start money flowing, presumably. However, his high negatives will probably keep any GOP Presidential Contender who has any sense from seeking the endorsement. Could you seriously imagine anyone wanting the endorsement?)

State Sen. Leticia Van De Putte (D-San Antonio). Matter Factor 8 (An endorsement from the past-Chair of the National Council of State Legislators and popular San Antonio Senator could bring some folks in Texas and elsewhere into the fold. However, since she’s co-chair of the Democratic National Convention, don’t look for her to endorse.)

Charlie Wilson (D-Lufkin). Matter Factor 7 (Former Congressman Charlie Wilson, of Charlie Wilson’s War fame gets a big fat seven because of his celebrity and name recognition.)

Jim Turner (D-Crockett). Matter Factor 5 (This former Congressman still has some pull in his home congressional district, so someone might seek his endorsement to help in East Texas).

Smith County Sheriff J.B. Smith. Matter Factor 3 (If you want to get the attention of people in East Texas and you are a Republican, get on TV with this guy. However, his scandal-ridden past may make people shy away from that, although he’s pretty popular in Smith County–the most populous between Dallas and Shreveport–and a key for an R to have a good showing in East Texas.)

Sheriff Lupe Valdez. Matter Factor 5 (This endorsement will not only matter in Dallas, but to GLBT Democrats across the state. An endorsement for a D to seek, for sure.)

Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal Matter Factor 0 (We just threw this one to make sure you were still paying attention. Not even Huckabee would want Chuckie and his racist emails on his endorsement list.)

The Dirty Thiry Bunch: Fred Head, Ben Z. Grant, Bob Gammage, etc.: Matter Factor 4 (It would make for good press coverage for a D to get these three members of the Dirty Thirty, but the only one who presumably has any real organization to get out any word would be Gammage. It matters because it’d make every Texas daily newspaper as an AP story, because God knows we can’t get enough of the Dirty 30–decades later.)

Sylvester Turner, Speaker Pro Tem. Matter Factor 2 (He is a “Craddick Democrat” through and through, but if a candidate wants to sweep Harris County, they’d need to at least get access to his machine, although his endorsement would most decidedly not be welcome in Progressive circles).

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