That Wreckage That Is The Stace Slate

Just a few thoughts about the wreckage that is the Stace Slate.

Texas House 137. Congrats to my State Rep. Gene Wu on a decisive victory against a right-wing plant. Wu has done a great job of serving his constituents while navigating a tough Texas House that is not D-friendly. The work isn’t done since he still has another right-winger to defeat in November, but Wu has a great team to get him back to Austin.

Huge Win for Ann Harris Bennett. As I stated previously, we had two good people I’ve gotten to know in this race for Tax Assessor-Collector. My family and I have supported Ann in all her races, so, it wasn’t too tough a decision to back her again. There are plenty of reasons for her victory, including ballot name recognition, Dem women’s groups, and a strong showing by African American voters at the polls. Congrats to Ann.

Run-Offs. I was glad to see my friend Rabeea Collier squeeze into the run-off for Judge of the 11th District Court, as well as Ed Gonzalez for Sheriff. That’s right, we’re not done yet. May 24th will have us going back to the polls to finish our job as Democrats. Jasmine Jenkins and Dakota Carter made the run-off in their race for SBOE District 6, and Dems will get to choose between Julie Countiss and Fredericka Phillips for the 61st District Court. There’s also a run-off in the 215th District Court between Elaine Palmer and JoAnne Storey. There’s also a statewide race for Railroad Commish, but I haven’t paid much attention to the candidates. So, stay tuned.

NIMBY Run-Off:  Congrats to my friend Tanya Makany-Rivera (and her family) on making the next round in the race for Justice of the Peace Pct. 1. She ran a grassroots race against a well-funded opponent and came a few votes short of the lead. It will be a competitive race that is sure to draw folks out. JP is a people’s court, so, folks need to stay connected to this very local race–perhaps one of the most important on the ballot.

Latinos:  It’s sad to say that Democrats won’t have many Latinos on the ballot running countywide or statewide. In fact, there are one of each, along with those that provide district representation (State Rep or State Senator or JP or Constable). Republicans will offer similar numbers state and countywide; however, we’ve got a shot at sending Ed Gonzalez on to November. Let’s get that done. I think Adrian Garcia’s campaign proved that we like to see some brown faces on the ballot.

Other races:  Big kudos to Mary Ann Perez whose campaign to return to the Texas House (HD-144) pulled out all the stops to send her straight to November without a run-off. That kind of energy can surely help her defeat the current GOPer in the seat.

KUDOS:  Big kudos to the folks who worked the polling locations.

The Slate:  It took it in the teeth. 5 Wins, 10 Losses, and 3 Run-Offs. In the NIMBY’s, 3 wins, 3 Losses, and 1 Run-Off. The Run-Off Slate is to come!