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GOP keeps House majority with Irving state rep's race
Craddick expresses confidence he will remain speaker with 76-74 advantage after the outcome of Harper Brown-Romano contest.
By Bob Campbell
Staff Writer
If Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick’s calculations are correct, the favorable counting of provisional ballots in a Dallas County state representative’s race has cleared his re-election to a fourth two-year term when the 81st Legislature convenes Jan. 13 in Austin.
Leading Democrat Bob Romano by 34 votes going in, incumbent Irving Rep. Linda Harper Brown prevailed by 20 votes, 19,856-19,836, after the Dallas County Ballot Board had eliminated provisional ballots from 170 questionable voters and counted the remaining 61.
Romano has until Nov. 19 to request a recount of all the ballots cast, but on Tuesday had given no public indication of what his decision would be.
With the balance of power in the Texas Legislature at stake, attorneys from the Republican Party of Texas and Texas Democratic Party monitored the ballot board until 10 p.m. Monday, when Harper Brown was declared the winner of the 105th Representative’s District seat.
“The speaker congratulates Rep. Harper Brown on her hard-fought race and looks forward to working with her in the next session,” a Craddick spokeswoman told the Reporter-Telegram Tuesday. “We were confident she would win it.”
Referring to the diminution of the GOP’s House advantage from 79-71 to 76-74 in last Tuesday’s election, the spokeswoman said, “As long as the Republicans hold their majority in the House, we are confident that he will remain speaker.”
When asked when the Midland Republican will release his list of supporters, she said, “We have our own timetable for when we’re laying out everything.”
Harper Brown and Romano are former Irving City Council members and Romano’s candidacy was his second try at unseating the incumbent.
Dallas County Democratic Chairwoman Darlene Ewing told WFAA she was not surprised Harper Brown was declared the winner.
Republican Party of Texas Political Director Hans Klingler said from Austin that he “would never count Tom Craddick out of anything, especially not a seat he currently holds.
“Speaker Craddick’s institutional knowledge and legislative abilities are legendary,” Klingler said.
Candidates contesting the 65-year-old Craddick’s re-election are Republicans Delwin Jones of Lubbock, Jim Keffer of Eastland and Tommy Merritt of Longview and Democrats Pete Gallego of Alpine, Scott Hochberg of Houston, Allan Ritter of Nederland and Sylvester Turner and Senfronia Thompson of Houston.
The Associated Press has compiled this analysis of them:
Delwin Jones
Jones, 84, once a Democrat, was first elected in 1964, but he lost his seat in 1972 to Pete Laney, who later became House speaker. Jones came back to the House in 1989 as a Republican.
His genteel brand of politics harkens to another era: In the 1972 race, Jones once told voters he’d vote for Laney if he weren’t on the ballot.
But Jones is no stranger to hardball politics. As chairman of the redistricting committee in 1971, he drew a district designed to punish a young new Midland Republican — Tom Craddick. Craddick was re-elected anyway.
Jim Keffer
One of several top Craddick lieutenants who jumped ship and announced for speaker in 2007, Keffer chairs the House Ways and Means Committee, but his apostasy ensures he’ll lose that post if Craddick stays at the helm.
Keffer, 55, is a pro-business Republican who represents a large swath of rural Texas between Fort Worth and Abilene. The good-natured iron foundry executive pokes fun at his own malapropisms, but critics say he mishandled a 2006 tax overhaul that had to be patched up in subsequent legislation.
Tommy Merritt
Merritt, 60, remains a close friend of President Bush and has been a guest at the White House more than once.
He’s generally well-liked by his colleagues, but he may have cultivated mistrust with House Republicans with his bipartisan ways, even going so far as endorsing two Democrats for re-election this year.
Pete Gallego
This 18-year veteran represents a vast West Texas district that’s bigger than the combined square miles of Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, New Jersey, New Hampshire and Vermont.
Gallego, 46, who helped orchestrate last year’s rebellion, is seen as the choice for establishment Democrats. But he’s not on good terms with Craddick Ds, many of them still angry over the bitter attempts to overthrow Craddick. He may also encounter resistance from GOP stalwarts.
Scott Hochberg
Hochberg is respected by both Republicans and Democrats for his understanding of complex school finance formulas.
He’s well-liked by colleagues on both sides of the aisle, but his political chops haven’t been tested. Scholarly, his liberal leanings may negate the general goodwill he’s cultivated.
Allan Ritter
Another former Craddick ally who soured on the speaker, Ritter, 54, is well-liked and serves as vice-chair of the influential House Ways and Means Committee.
Ritter has cross-over support from Republicans, but his ties to mega-donor Bob Perry, a Houston homebuilder who has given millions to GOP candidates, could cost him with liberals.
Senfronia Thompson
The third most-senior member of the House, Thompson, 69, is both the longest serving woman and black in the Legislature. She sponsored the anti-hate crimes law named for James Byrd, the black man whose 1998 dragging death stirred the nation’s racial conscience.
A passionate orator who likes to speak up for the “little dogs,” Thompson combines fiery inner-city oratory with Texas good ol’ gal mannerisms.
Sylvester Turner
Turner, the second-ranking member of the House leadership and a longtime ally of Craddick, shocked Capitol circles when he filed his speaker candidacy.
Turner, 54, will have a hard time winning support from House conservatives due to his left-of-center stances on issues like abortion. And his alignment with Craddick could be an obstacle for those Democrats who consider him a turncoat.
But he’s emerged as the leader of the Craddick Ds and he holds considerable influence in the race’s eventual outcome.
Bob Campbell can be reached at bob@mrt.com
Leading Democrat Bob Romano by 34 votes going in, incumbent Irving Rep. Linda Harper Brown prevailed by 20 votes, 19,856-19,836, after the Dallas County Ballot Board had eliminated provisional ballots from 170 questionable voters and counted the remaining 61.
Romano has until Nov. 19 to request a recount of all the ballots cast, but on Tuesday had given no public indication of what his decision would be.
With the balance of power in the Texas Legislature at stake, attorneys from the Republican Party of Texas and Texas Democratic Party monitored the ballot board until 10 p.m. Monday, when Harper Brown was declared the winner of the 105th Representative’s District seat.
“The speaker congratulates Rep. Harper Brown on her hard-fought race and looks forward to working with her in the next session,” a Craddick spokeswoman told the Reporter-Telegram Tuesday. “We were confident she would win it.”
Referring to the diminution of the GOP’s House advantage from 79-71 to 76-74 in last Tuesday’s election, the spokeswoman said, “As long as the Republicans hold their majority in the House, we are confident that he will remain speaker.”
When asked when the Midland Republican will release his list of supporters, she said, “We have our own timetable for when we’re laying out everything.”
Harper Brown and Romano are former Irving City Council members and Romano’s candidacy was his second try at unseating the incumbent.
Dallas County Democratic Chairwoman Darlene Ewing told WFAA she was not surprised Harper Brown was declared the winner.
Republican Party of Texas Political Director Hans Klingler said from Austin that he “would never count Tom Craddick out of anything, especially not a seat he currently holds.
“Speaker Craddick’s institutional knowledge and legislative abilities are legendary,” Klingler said.
Candidates contesting the 65-year-old Craddick’s re-election are Republicans Delwin Jones of Lubbock, Jim Keffer of Eastland and Tommy Merritt of Longview and Democrats Pete Gallego of Alpine, Scott Hochberg of Houston, Allan Ritter of Nederland and Sylvester Turner and Senfronia Thompson of Houston.
The Associated Press has compiled this analysis of them:
Delwin Jones
Jones, 84, once a Democrat, was first elected in 1964, but he lost his seat in 1972 to Pete Laney, who later became House speaker. Jones came back to the House in 1989 as a Republican.
His genteel brand of politics harkens to another era: In the 1972 race, Jones once told voters he’d vote for Laney if he weren’t on the ballot.
But Jones is no stranger to hardball politics. As chairman of the redistricting committee in 1971, he drew a district designed to punish a young new Midland Republican — Tom Craddick. Craddick was re-elected anyway.
Jim Keffer
One of several top Craddick lieutenants who jumped ship and announced for speaker in 2007, Keffer chairs the House Ways and Means Committee, but his apostasy ensures he’ll lose that post if Craddick stays at the helm.
Keffer, 55, is a pro-business Republican who represents a large swath of rural Texas between Fort Worth and Abilene. The good-natured iron foundry executive pokes fun at his own malapropisms, but critics say he mishandled a 2006 tax overhaul that had to be patched up in subsequent legislation.
Tommy Merritt
Merritt, 60, remains a close friend of President Bush and has been a guest at the White House more than once.
He’s generally well-liked by his colleagues, but he may have cultivated mistrust with House Republicans with his bipartisan ways, even going so far as endorsing two Democrats for re-election this year.
Pete Gallego
This 18-year veteran represents a vast West Texas district that’s bigger than the combined square miles of Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, New Jersey, New Hampshire and Vermont.
Gallego, 46, who helped orchestrate last year’s rebellion, is seen as the choice for establishment Democrats. But he’s not on good terms with Craddick Ds, many of them still angry over the bitter attempts to overthrow Craddick. He may also encounter resistance from GOP stalwarts.
Scott Hochberg
Hochberg is respected by both Republicans and Democrats for his understanding of complex school finance formulas.
He’s well-liked by colleagues on both sides of the aisle, but his political chops haven’t been tested. Scholarly, his liberal leanings may negate the general goodwill he’s cultivated.
Allan Ritter
Another former Craddick ally who soured on the speaker, Ritter, 54, is well-liked and serves as vice-chair of the influential House Ways and Means Committee.
Ritter has cross-over support from Republicans, but his ties to mega-donor Bob Perry, a Houston homebuilder who has given millions to GOP candidates, could cost him with liberals.
Senfronia Thompson
The third most-senior member of the House, Thompson, 69, is both the longest serving woman and black in the Legislature. She sponsored the anti-hate crimes law named for James Byrd, the black man whose 1998 dragging death stirred the nation’s racial conscience.
A passionate orator who likes to speak up for the “little dogs,” Thompson combines fiery inner-city oratory with Texas good ol’ gal mannerisms.
Sylvester Turner
Turner, the second-ranking member of the House leadership and a longtime ally of Craddick, shocked Capitol circles when he filed his speaker candidacy.
Turner, 54, will have a hard time winning support from House conservatives due to his left-of-center stances on issues like abortion. And his alignment with Craddick could be an obstacle for those Democrats who consider him a turncoat.
But he’s emerged as the leader of the Craddick Ds and he holds considerable influence in the race’s eventual outcome.
Bob Campbell can be reached at bob@mrt.com
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stu pidasso wrote on Nov 12, 2008 8:30 AM: