TX-23: An Update

(I agree with Karl’s correspondent – the way to win here is to let the DCCC do it’s thing. I never like to knock a fellow Dem, but it’s clear that Ciro ran a less-than-great campaign in his primary against Cuellar. So the outside help is welcome. – promoted by DavidNYC)

Another update on this race is here.

Below is an update from a friend in the know down in San Antonio.

Here’s the lowdown as of sometime today… DCCC people were flying into town today to tell Ciro’s what’s going down.  If he liked it and was willing to play by the rules, fine.  If not, they’re gonna pack it up.  I’ll probably have more information on this meeting sometime later on this week.

From what I hear, the D-trip might just run this entire campaign as an independent expenditure.  Let Ciro try and raise some money so he can do his own thing, but run mail, field (the real field program) and any other media stuff through the d-trip. The DCCC is bringing in a top notch field person to run their show and that’ll be that.  If there is one way to win this district with Ciro at the helm, this is basically the way to do it.

Additionally, our statewide Democratic candidates are coming together to help Ciro out either way, as our state party does little. From David Van Os, former Attorney General candidate (below the fold):

All the recent statewide candidates are coming together to join Barbara Radnofsky as co-hosts of a luncheon fundraiser for Ciro Rodriguez in Houston on Monday (November 20, details to follow). We are all standing together to demonstrate our determination that the Democratic community must come together and go all out for this opportunity to get rid of Henry Bonilla and replace him with a true representative of the people, Ciro Rodriguez.

Further, tonight at the Bexar County Democratic Executive Committee meeting, John Courage publicly donated $2,000 to Ciro’s campaign.

The Texas Democratic Party, to no surprise, is dragging its feet. But we statewide candidates are plenty used to that because we all experienced the TDP’s inertia over the past year. So we are not waiting around for the TDP and I encourage all of you to join us and make Ciro’s campaign your #1 political priority for the next month. Please right now set aside the runoff election day as a day that you are going to be in the 23rd congressional district knocking on doors all day getting the Democratic vote out.

Go to Ciro’s website and contact the campaign to find out the other different ways you can help. Also please call and write the State Party Chair, Boyd Richie, and insist that the large paid staff in the party office all be sent out to the field in the 23rd to help win this election behind our candidate, Ciro Rodriguez.

In my recent race for Texas Attorney General the voters honored me by giving me majorities in some of the rural west Texas counties that are in the new district with which Ciro is not familiar. I am fortunate to enjoy some good support networks in those counties and I have offered to travel to the area with Ciro and introduce him to my supporters and ask them to exert maximum effort to get out the votes for his candidacy. Ciro’s campaign manager accepted my offer on the spot at the Bexar County CEC meeting tonight. I look forward to doing whatever I can to help pull this one out. I believe that other recent statewide candidates are going to do so also. Several of us will be with Ciro Monday at the Houston fundraiser and will be discussing plans with him and his campaign manager for campaigning for him.

The parts of southwest and west Texas that are in the reconfigured 23rd are Democratic country. Henry Bonilla has been lying his way into people’s votes for much too long. Ya basta!