Craddick Dems Draw Fire In Hidalgo
October 12th, 2007 at 11:24 am
One of the key battlegrounds in the fight to see who will be the next speaker of the Texas House is in the districts of the ‘Craddick D’s‘ — that’s shorthand for the dozen or so Democrats that openly supported Tom Craddick (R-Midland) in his struggles to hold onto the speaker’s chair in the last regular session. Democratic activists have had quite a bit of success deposing Craddick D’s in the past. Think Ron Wilson, Al Edwards, Glenn Lewis, and Jaime Capelo.
One locus of the action this primary cycle will be the South Texas border county of Hidalgo, where two Hispanic Craddick D’s have strong challengers. The county is split in two: District 36, that hugs the border with Mexico and incorporates the Valley cities of Hidalgo, Mission, McAllen, and Pharr — and District 40, which contains the northern, more rural half of the county and the smaller border communities to the west such as La Joya and Sullivan City.
Rep. Aaron Peña (D-Edinburg) represents District 40. Rep. Kino Flores (D-Hidalgo) represents District 36. Both have been repeatedly rewarded by Craddick for their loyalty. Flores chairs the Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committee, while Peña chairs the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee.
Peña is facing a rematch against Eddie Saenz. Saenz is an engineer that ran against Peña in 2004 in a race that featured plenty of mud, money, and bad blood. Peña trounced Saenz in that race, winning 63.45 percent of the vote. At the time, Saenz ran at Peña from the right. This time, Peña has a record that can be attacked from the left. It remains to be seen whether Saenz can make the transition and do the shoeleather campaigning necessary to win. Saenz has already garnered the endorsement of the mayor of Edinburg, according to his blog. Peña also has a blog. This one will be fun to follow. Watch as both candidates blog maddeningly right up until the Texas Democratic primary on March 4.
Former teacher and probation officer Sandra Rodriguez has announced her intent to challenge Kino Flores. Rodriguez has the benefit of being endorsed by the well-funded Annie’s List. Her husband, Fernando Macias, is a former state district judge. Here’s a good preview of the race from the McAllen Monitor. Rodriguez’ best asset is her opponent. Flores has made plenty of enemies in his solidly Democratic district with his heavy handed approach, including a public feud with local power broker Billy Leo. Rodriguez has already attacked Flores for skipping votes on important Democratic issues such as voter ID and helping to enable a leadership that has actively tried to kick children off of CHIP.
In both contests, the issue of the Craddick D’s crucial votes to keep Craddick in power are figuring prominently. Flores and Peña are arguing that their devotion to the speaker has benefited their impoverished communities. Their opponents are questioning the incumbents’ Democratic credentials and their support for the Democrat’s agenda.
Stay tuned.
October 13th, 2007 at 8:57 am
as a texas democrat, i am upset that we have reps. like flores & peña on our rosters. i really hope the valley does the rest of the state a favor by getting rid of these two. in today’s political climate, your either a democrat all the way or not! the reason the valley is in such bad shape is because its reps. don’t fight for more, they settle for crumbs!
October 14th, 2007 at 6:43 pm
This is admittedly off topic, but does any one know where a soul can find a list of the often insane and indefensible (and occasionally incomprehensible) things Texas politicians have said over the years? Something like a list of them, all in one place.
October 15th, 2007 at 9:48 am
Adrian,
I think you better take a closer look at Aaron Pena and see what your fellow Democratic friends are saying about him:
http://capitolannex.com/2007/09/05/hd-40-make-no-mistake-penas-running/
Also, you say that the Valley is in such bad shape. Hey it ain’t Austin but its doing a heck of a lot better than ever before:
http://stxc.blogspot.com/2007/10/kudos-to-hidalgo-county-for-job-growth.html
Perhaps you need to revise your narrow absolutist “your either a democrat all the way or not!” approach and except diversity in your party. Isn’t that what your party is supposed to stand for?
October 16th, 2007 at 4:23 pm
Eddie Saenz got arrested a few weeks ago for DWI. Not only that but he used his political connections to get released. He didn’t even turn himself in until 4 or 5 days later. I find it interesting that this article didn’t include this information about Eddie Saenz.
See the following video clip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eht1TKc1H0I
January 23rd, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Don’t jump from the pan into the fire. If Jim Pitts were elected speaker it could be a lot worse. The only thing on Jim Pitts mind these days is to get Casino Gambling legal in Texas so he and some of his rich friends can get richer. Pitts tells everyone he is just a poor boy made good. Far from it ask him about his million dollars home on Cedar Creek Lake. while you are at it ask him about the Million dollar clean up he got for his family and friends at the Star Harbor Marina. Buy the way Pitts was an heir to the property. He stands to gain from the 3.5 millon for which the property is being sold. Ask Pitts about the Million dollar bridges for an undeveloped area of Cedar Creek Lake where his friends want to build a new Casino and 600 to 800 new homes all while he was chair of Appropriations. Yes we need Jim Pitts as Speaker of the House so he can pad the pockets of a few more rich friends.