Former Congressman Sandlin Gets Some Positive Press

Former Texas Congressman Max Sandlin (D-Marshall) has had several bouts of positive press since his defeat in 2004 following Tom DeLay’s mid-decade redistricting scheme that put him out of office.

The latest was from Cox News Service, and appeared in the Lufkin Daily News yesterday:

Dressed in a solid blue suit, red tie and black cowboy boots, Sandlin, 55, his hair going thin and grey, looks like he could still shift gears from a Capitol Hill caucus to an East Texas chow wagon with little effort. He concedes the strain of that exhausting lifestyle took its toll on his first marriage, which broke up after 19 years and four children.

“Sure, because you’re separated, you live in two different places, you wind up having two separate friends, a different focus,” he said. “Your spouse doesn’t want to hear about the Medicare prescription drug plan or the continuing (budget) resolution or what’s happening with Medicaid.”

Word has been floating around East Texas lately that Sandlin will be running against everyone’s favorite ideological howler monkey, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Tyler). Gohmert, of course, farther right-wing than his East Texas district actually is (the going joke in the district is that the only constituency he really represents is East Texas mega church Green Acers Baptist). However, he’s not had a credible opponent since Sandlin in 2004, meaning there are no really reliable numbers to show exactly how the district has shifted–though it is pretty clear it isn’t nearly as rightwing as Gohmert is.

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