Less than three months after saying he would consider a run next year for attorney general of Texas, third-term U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, told the American-Statesman’s Danny Yadron on Wednesday that the AG option is no longer on his plate.
Asked if he was still mulling a run for attorney general, McCaul replied: “No, I’m running for re-election.”
This confirms an earlier statement from a McCaul spokesman. While it would have been nice to have an open seat here, Democrats fortunately have a good candidate in Jack McDonald, who has already raised over $300K and previously said he’d run no matter what McCaul decided. Indeed, the DCCC has already targeted McCaul, firing off a few radio ads over his vote against the stimulus.
And according to SSP’s analysis of the presidential vote, Barack Obama improved nicely over John Kerry’s numbers – McCain won the district 55-44, versus Bush’s 62-38 pounding. In a separate analysis of Texas demographics, Crisitunity observed that the 10th CD had the largest raw increase in Hispanic population from 2000 to 2006 of any district in the Houston or Dallas areas. That trend has doubtless continued, putting the GOP on ever-thinner ice.
McCaul, meanwhile, is far from entrenched – he won his last two elections with just 55% and 54% of the vote, running against underfunded opponents both times. I think this is going to be an interesting race.
I said this before, but if anyone can tell me or anyone how to increase the democratic performance in the district above 33% in Harris county, congrats, you have won the race.
This is Katy, TX. Land of elite shopping malls and concrete parking lots that stretch on for miles over very flat land
Get to work number crunchers and strategists. I want to know how.
McCaul is sitting on just $62,431. That’s the lowest total of any Texas Republican incumbent in one of the toughest districts. This time he may be outfunded. And a non-Presidential year is probably another bonus for a Texas Democrat.
Eighty nine Republican incumbents were reported on the SEC site today and McCaul is one of the most hurting. That’s 141 so far (mostly complete).
Among those looking in sad shape: Mark Souder, IN-3, $27,807; Tom Latham, IA-4, $113,993; Joe Cao, LA-2, $60,526; Fleming, LA-4, $51,619; Lee Terry, ME-2, $95,495; Patrick McHenry, NC-10, $64,936; John McHugh, NY-23, $169,788; Jim Gerlach, PA-6, $124,289; Joe Wilson, SC-2, $57,775; Wittman, VA-1, $$37.949; Wolf, VA-10,$40,238. Wplf will be 70 and he is off two relatively hard and expensive races against Judy Feder. It screams retirement to me. McHenry has raised a lot of money but spread it around to buy influence. He’s abrasive and scandal ridden.
That’s a lot of low hanging fruit.