Burnt Orange Report provides us an in-depth interview with San Antonio State Senator Leticia Van De Putte. And it looks like VdP is getting set to make announcement in the next “1-2 weeks.”
The quote that caught my eye was this one:
We need someone who we can get excited about. If we only default to whomever thinks that they’ve got the money to do so, or that they’ve got a will to do so, then it will be a tough fight. I think it’s better for the Democratic Party that we have an active primary. If we don’t have an active primary, voters will go to the Republican primary — especially women who are independents, who maybe will always vote for Democrats in the general but would be willing to vote for Hutchison in the primary.
That will play a lot into my decision — getting an active primary. In the next week, I will make some key calls to some supporters, both my own and some others around the state. I have great supporters here in the state who are encouraging me to do this, because they think its winnable — if Perry is the nominee, a Democrat can take Perry, and if Hutchison is the nominee, only a woman has a chance.
VdP would more than likely end up the nominee for various reasons; however, she would need to energize the Party. And the Party funders would need to add to the energy with some cash! Frankly, this blogger would hate to see another viable, intelligent Hispanic candidate end up with little support.
Another worry is one she mentions. Within my suburban circles, I hear women (former Republicans-turned-Obamites) who want to vote for KBH in the Republinut primary. Frankly, we cannot lose them. Whether we have a strong candidate or not, we still have contested primaries across the state in which women will be needed at the polls. I don’t see much difference between Perry and KBH, ultimately.
So, I’m hoping she gets the excitement she needs outside her circle so she can jump into the race. We need energy for 2010, and I think VdP can definitely provide a good dose of it.
