Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones Will Seek Hutchison’s Senate Seat
August 2, 2008 by Vince Leibowitz · 18 Comments
Texas Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones will run for U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison’s seat in the United States Senate in 2010 if Hutchison vacates it to run for governor, according to Dallas Blog.
Ames Jones, an interior decorator and former member of the Texas House of Representatives appointed to the Texas Railroad Commission by Governor Perry in 2005 to fill the unexpired term of Charles Matthews, had previously hinted that she may have an interest in the race. The Dallas Blog post confirms she will run.
A native of posh San Antonio’s posh Alamo Heights, Ames Jones is the daughter of Gene Ames, Jr., a founding board member of the Petroleum Technology Transfer Council–a group her brother, Gene Ames, III, previously chaired.
Former Congressman Sandlin Gets Some Positive Press
July 29, 2008 by Vince Leibowitz · Leave a Comment
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:
Rove To Raise Funds For Hutchison In Texas
July 28, 2008 by Vince Leibowitz · 2 Comments
Last week, you will recall that we told you about Karl Rove coming to Texas to raise funds for various Republican candidates for Texas House. Today, Capitol Annex has learned that a fundraiser with Rove for Kay Bailey Hutchison is also in the works.
Hutchison is strongly considering a run for Texas Governor against Rick Perry in 2010. The Rove fundraiser is reportedly a tactic to scare Perry out of the 2010 race.
It’s no secret that there has been no love lost between the Bush and Perry camps over the years, and that Hutchison regards the current governor with disdain. Adding Rove to the mix spices things up a bit heading toward 2010.
Former Collin County Judge, Consultant To T. Boone Pickens Announces Run For Shapiro’s State Senate Seat
July 9, 2008 by Vince Leibowitz · 3 Comments
In a pretty classic case of putting the cart before the horse, Ron Harris, the Collin County judge who lost his re-election campaign in the 2006 GOP Primary and has since been serving as a consultant to T. Boone Pickens, has announced he will seek the District 8 seat in the Texas Senate presently held by Florence Shapiro (R-Plano).
Of course, Harris says, he’ll only seek the seat if Shapiro runs for the U.S. Senate Seat held by Kay Bailey Hutchison.
The problem? That’s more than an “if.” For one thing, Hutchison has to announce a run for governor and vacate the seat in the Senate in time for the 2010 election cycle. Otherwise, Hutchison can opt to run for Governor while remaining in the U.S. Senate, meaning the seat won’t likely be vacant until she’s sworn into office–and is able to appoint someone to the seat (a someone who is not likely to be Florence Shapiro).
Of course, via the McKinney Courier-Gazette, this guy seems to think he knows exactly what Shapiro will do:
Hutchison Blasts Perry On New Business Tax
June 5, 2008 by Vince Leibowitz · Leave a Comment
In what will no doubt become the central theme of the 2010 GOP primary for Governor, U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison criticized Governor Rick Perry about the state’s new business tax before the Texas Association of Business in Dallas yesterday.
AP notes:
Greg Abbott’s Campaign Cash
May 28, 2008 by Vince Leibowitz · 1 Comment
Back in 2002, everyone knew that Greg Abbott wouldn’t be content staying as Texas’ Attorney General for too long. In fact, some were surprised he didn’t make a move up the political ladder in 2006.
Now, the Dallas Morning News is taking notice of the fact that Abbott just happens to have more cash on hand than any other GOP politician:
Shapiro Has Eye On Hutchison’s Seat
May 9, 2008 by Vince Leibowitz · Leave a Comment
Add State Sen. Florence Shapiro (R-Plano) to the list of people who have an eye on U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison’s senate seat–if and when Hutchison resigns to run for governor (or be sworn in as governor, or retire, morphs into a griffin, become a shampoo spokeswoman, etc.):
Perry Already Working To Remove Foes From 2010 Governor’s Race
April 23, 2008 by Vince Leibowitz · Comments Off
Texas Governor Rick Perry is already doing his best to put potentially strong Democratic challengers to his bid for a third term in 2010 in a position where it would be very difficult for them to run against him. Case in point: John Montford, the former State Senator who was chancellor of Texas Tech and is now an executive with AT&T:
John Montford, a former state senator who’s now an AT&T executive, would make a good University of Texas System chancellor, Gov. Rick Perry told several San Antonio legislators Monday.
“He seemed to suggest that if it were up to him, he had a preference for a non-academician and that John Montford would be considered — was in the running,” Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, said Tuesday.
Of course, John Montford would not be my first choice as the Democratic nominee in 2010. However, many political insiders do view him as a potential contender and, of course, he’d have no shortage of funding for the race. Montford, of course, has also been mentioned as a possibility for mayor of San Antonio in some circles.
Perry Will Seek Third Term As Governor
April 17, 2008 by Vince Leibowitz · Comments Off
If you heard the faint remnants of a blood-curdling scream about an hour ago, it was probably the collective fright of the GOP establishment upon hearing that Rick Perry had formally announced that he will seek re-election as governor in 2010.
Trautman Will Challenge Bettencourt: Why This Is One Of The Most Important Races Of 2008
December 5, 2007 by Vince Leibowitz · Leave a Comment
With more than 250 counties in Texas, we aren’t able to pay attention to every single county level race–even in the major urban counties. However, one race that we are sure to follow is that of the race for Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector.
Why will we be following the Harris TA/C race? Two reasons:
1.) Paul Bettencourt is one of the biggest dangers to Texans’ right to vote.
2.) Because Diane Trautman can defeat him.
Today, former House District 127 candidate and university professor Dr. Diane Trautman announced that she will file for the Democratic Party’s nomination to challenge Bettencourt.
This is great news not only because Trautman is a great candidate and will add a lot of depth to the slate that is set to turn Harris County ‘blue,’ but also because Bettencourt could aptly be called one of the most dangerous politicians in Texas.
