TX-01: Prospecting For 2010

Crossposted from Burnt Orange Report and the Screwie Louie Blog, a place for discussing Louie Gohmert and Texas’ 1st Congressional District politics.

I have been spending some time over the past few days thinking about candidate recruitment for 2010. After a difficult couple of decades, the Democratic Party doesn’t have a deep bench in the 1st District. Still, there are some candidates whom I believe could make this district very competitive. Although no one, to my knowledge, has expressed in running yet, I have put together a list of names of candidates who could possibly be worth recruiting. These are some of my thoughts:

THE CELEBRITIES

There are at least three candidates whom I would describe as top tier recruits, capable of putting up a serious fight against Louie Gohmert in 2010.

Richard Anderson: Far and away, Richard Anderson is my dream candidate. As Harrison County Judge, Richard Anderson holds the position once held by Max Sandlin, the last Democrat to represent the 1st District.

As a former Texas State Senator, Judge Anderson also has residual name recognition that extends beyond the borders of his home county into a good portion of the 1st District. His legislative experience would serve him well if he were to run and win.

Judge Anderson is an electrifying speaker, well connected in the legal community, where he could potentially raise a lot of money. He is photogenic, charismatic, and a fantastic stump speaker.

Unfortunately, though I think he might be tempted, he’ll likely choose not to run (at least not this year). Anderson is up for reelection in 2010, and with redistricting right around the corner, he will probably run for a second term in the Courthouse and wait the chance that the district will be more favorable in 2012.

Martha Whitehead: When Kay Bailey Hutchison was first elected Senator in 2003, Gov. Ann Richards selected Whitehead–who was Mayor of Longview at the time–to fill Hutchison’s position as State Treasurer.

Whitehead ran for statewide reelection in 1994. I still remember this wonderful ad she had on television in which she argued that the Treasurer’s office was a redundant bureacracy and promised to make it “disappear” if she were reelected. At the end of the ad, on cue, Whitehead literally disappeared.

Whitehead was reelected that year (the year George W. Bush was first elected Governor). She fulfilled her campaign pledge and helped make the Treasurer’s office disappear. And then she disappeared back to Longview where she retired from elective office and returned to her career as a Hospital executive.

It’s been a long time since that election, and Whitehead has spent the time comfortably outside the public eye. Why would she want to get back in politics now? With Ann Richards having passed away in 2006, with Hillary Clinton’s Presidential campaign making history in 2008, and with Kay Bailey Hutchison likely making a run for the Governor’s mansion in 2010, perhaps Whitehead might want to reappear to make a bit of history herself.

Hank Gilbert: Hank Gilbert is your High School Shop teacher. Literally. He is a former teacher and native East Texas rancher, and boy does he look and talk the part.

Hank was the Democratic nominee for Texas Agriculture Commissioner in 2006, and he won more votes than any other statewide Democrat. He has strong appeal among rural voters, and among traditional Republican voters (of whom there are many in the 1st District).

Hank has also, shrewdly, spent a great deal of time leading the fight against the Trans Texas Corridor–an endeavor which has endeared him greatly to Democrats and Republicans alike.

I have a hunch, though, that Hank is still eying that Agriculture Commissioner race in 2010. Either way, this guy is going to be among the top Texas Democrats to watch in the next election cycle.

THE JUDGES

Five other names that must appear on this list are those of the other County Judges elected in counties completely contained in the 1st District.

• Randy Williams (San Augustine County Judge)
• Charles Wilson (Sabine County Judge)
• David Anderson (Panola County Judge)
• Phil Parker (Marion County Judge)
• Dean Fowler (Upshur County Judge)

These are all Democrats who have been elected in counties which, for the last decade, could only be described as Republican strongholds. For this reason alone, they deserve to be considered potential recruits for a campaign against Louie Gohmert.

None of these officials, though, would bring with them the automatic fundraising power or name recognition of the three “celebrities” on my list. In fact, their counties are all among the least populous in the 1st District. Panola and Upshur are the largest, and they have only a small fraction of the voters in Smith County, Gohmert’ s home county.

Still, with the support of their base, a lot of hard work, and a little bit of luck, any of these County Judges could break out and be a serious contender against Gohmert in 2010.

THE DARK HORSES

Christina Anderson — If anything, Christina Anderson is even more impressive than her husband, Judge Richard Anderson (see above). Anderson would bring to the campaign her passion for education (she is an Educational Consultant) and a deep understanding of the important issues facing our nation’s schools.

If she were to run, she might also be able to draw on the same fundraising universe as Judge Anderson. In addition, I would expect her to draw considerable attention from the national fundraising network, EMILY’s List.

With Judge Anderson up for reelection in 2010, would Christina want to spend most of her time leading up to the election outside Harrison County? I suppose that depends on how vulnerable they think he will be to his Republican challenger.

T.J. Burrow — Burrow is the Business Manager for the local IBEW Local in the Longview/Marshall area. I met him at a Democratic Party event one time and had an opportunity to pick his brain about labor politics. I found him to be bright, charismatic, and engaging.

The number one legislative goal of the American labor movement right now is the Employee Free Choice Act which is designed to make it easier for workers to organize and bargain collectively. It is conceivable, though, that Congress won’t have time to move this legislation this year, given the economic crisis, health care, energy, and other issues that must be dealt with sooner rather than later.

2010, then, might be the election year in which EFCA breaks out as a big issue. What better candidate to make the case for greater labor protections than an genuine labor leader? If T.J. were to run, he would certainly get a financial and manpower committment at least from his own union, and perhaps from the broader labor community.

Karen Roberts — A prominent Tyler attorney, and former Chair of the Smith County Democratic Party, Roberts has the polish, poise, and political sophistication one would expect from a top tier Congressional candidate.

I have spoken to people familiar with her tenure as Smith County Democratic Party Chair, and the consensus is that she did manage to leave the party financially flush. Years of practicing law in Tyler have left her with a rolodex that she will be able to automatically tap for campaign cash.

As is the case with Martha Whitehead and Christina Anderson, there is the potential that Karen Roberts could tap into a pent-up demand for strong, well-qualified female candidates. Lest we forget, Democratic Women’s Clubs are the heart of the Democratic Party organization in East Texas, and not a lot of work gets done without Democratic Women carrying a big part of the weight.

MORE NAMES TO COME?

This is hardly an authoritative or comprehensive list. It is possible that there is another candidate out there who will surprise everyone and make a strong run in 2010. On the other hand, many of the individuals on this list would probably laugh off the thought of running for Congress. Others might secretly be holding out for a more favorable opportunity post-redistricting.

Those of us who want a real, viable option on the ballot in 2010 have an obligation today to make the case in any way possible that our district needs one of these individuals, or some other individual not on this list, to mount a serious challenge to Louie Gohmert sooner rather than later.

I look forward to hearing any comments that others might have on this subject.