Texas primes for primary run-offs
By far, the most contentious is the race between Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and tea party-backed Ted Cruz to fill retiring Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson’s seat. Each is attempting to paint himself as more conservative than the other. However, many voters feel they would probably vote very similarly if elected to the upper chamber.
As expected, the race for one of the Railroad Commission positions is between Christi Craddick — the daughter of former Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick — and veteran state lawmaker Rep. Warren Chisum, R-Pampa. Contrary to what the name would indicate, the Railroad Commission does not affect transportation, but regulates the oil and gas industry. Craddick has never held public office, but boasts knowledge of the industry through her energy legal work. Chisum has served in the Texas House for more than two decades and has chaired both the Appropriations and Environmental Regulation committees.
The other Railroad Commissioner race is between incumbent Barry Smitherman, newly appointed by Gov. Rick Perry, and newcomer Greg Parker. Commissioner Smitherman has been endorsed by several statewide conservative leaders, as well as all of his former opponents. Parker is considered a tea party darling but only won 26% of the vote in the primary. The seat was vacated by Commissioner Michael Williams, who is rumored to be on the governor’s short list to take over the Texas Education Agency after a failed attempt to represent Central Texas in Congress.
The battle for Supreme Court justice is between incumbent Justice David Medina and Justice John Devine. Medina was the top vote-getter in the primary and has the advantage of great name recognition. However, Devine is known as the “Ten Commandments” judge for his fight to keep the text prominently displayed in his courtroom, making him a favorite of social conservatives.
The lone statewide Democratic Primary races is for U.S. Senate between former state Rep. Paul Sadler and Grady Yarbrough. Sadler is best known for his expertise in education policy and favoring teachers’ interests. Yarbrough is a retired educator but is no stranger to the political scene. He ran for four other statewide offices under both the Republican and Democrat banner.
The key for all of the races is voter turnout. Texas voters are experiencing fatigue with elections at the end of May, the beginning of June and now at the end of July. There are also many other local races that will determine the final makeup of the House and maybe the Senate if the Lt. Governor position is vacated.
So, I’ll see you at the polls!
