Among the Democratic losses in today’s Republican surge was state Rep. Jim Dunnam of Waco, leader of the House Democratic Caucus and a strong supporter of the public schools and teachers. According to final, but unofficial returns, he lost by a margin of about 52 percent to 46 percent to GOP challenger Marva Beck.
Until a few days ago, Dunnam wasn’t even considered endangered.
Despite strong Republican gains in the U.S. House, the U.S. Senate was expected to keep its Democratic majority, although Republicans picked up three seats previously held by Ds in Indiana, Arkansas and North Dakota. That still leaves Republicans seven seats short of capturing a majority.
Still waiting word from Nevada, where Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid faced a strong challenge from Republican Sharron Angle, a Tea Party favorite. Maybe Nevada voters (or at least most of them) will be as discerning as their counterparts in Delaware, who showed Tea Partier O’Donnell the door.
Here are some of the Democratic incumbent members of the Texas House who are losing, so far, in incomplete and unofficial returns: Jim Dunnam, Stephen Frost, Mark Homer, Jim McReynolds, Solomon Ortiz III, Abel Herrero, Patrick Rose, Valinda Bolton, Diana Maldonado, Joe Heflin, Carol Kent, Allen Vaught, Kristi Thibaut and Ellen Cohen.
There may be more, all struggling against a very strong Republican tsunami.
Some of you already may have heard that Gov. Rick Perry has written (his name will be listed as author, anyway) a book entitled, “Fed Up.”
Although those two words succinctly sum up the reaction of many Texans to Perry’s 10 years in the governor’s office, his own record, of course, is not the subject. The book, instead, will be more of Perry’s Washingtonbashing, the broadsides against President Obama and congressional Democrats, which the governor has made the centerpiece of his reelection campaign while dodging his own responsibility for Texas’ budgetary crisis and questions about his political cronyism.
In his column in today’s Austin AmericanStatesman, Jason Embry reports that Perry on Wednesday (the day after the election) plans to announce a national book tour, what he apparently hopes to turn into a “victory lap” and, according to some speculation, a notsosubtle exploratory tour for a spot on the 2012 Republican ticket. The speculation was heightened when, in comments reported by the Houston Chronicle’s Peggy Fikac over the weekend, Perry declined to guarantee that he will serve another full, fouryear term if reelected.
Perry supposedly ruled out a presidential race but also declared, “I don’t ever take anything off the table.”
The yappers on Fox TV will drool over the tour, and Perry’s Texas constituents will have to fork over hundreds of thousands of additional tax dollars to pay for the governor’s traveling security detail.
No one is going to stop the book tour, but there still is time for Texas voters who are legitimately “fed up” with the government in Austin to spoil Perry’s party.
If you didn’t vote early, go to the polls tomorrow and vote for Bill White for governor and for proeducation candidates endorsed by TSTA for the Legislature and the State Board of Education. TSTA members can find a list of endorsements in the most recent issue of the Advocate or under the “Members Only” section of our website, www.tsta.org.
