TX-23: Midweek Update

by KTinTX, Wed Nov 15, 2006 at 06:41:16 PM EST

I really should be writing more about this race, but I'm not. So here is a good diary on TX-23 to make up for my laziness--Chris

Below is an update from a friend in the know down in San Antonio.

Here's the lowdown as of sometime today... DCCC people were flying into town today to tell Ciro's what's going down. If he liked it and was willing to play by the rules, fine. If not, they're gonna pack it up. I'll probably have more information on this meeting sometime later on this week.
From what I hear, the D-trip might just run this entire campaign as an independent expenditure. Let Ciro try and raise some money so he can do his own thing, but run mail, field (the real field program) and any other media stuff through the d-trip. The DCCC is bringing in a top notch field person to run their show and that'll be that. If there is one way to win this district with Ciro at the helm, this is basically the way to do it.

Additionally, our statewide Democratic candidates are coming together to help Ciro out either way, as our state party does little. From David Van Os, former Attorney General candidate.

All the recent statewide candidates are coming together to join Barbara Radnofsky as co-hosts of a luncheon fundraiser for Ciro Rodriguez in Houston on Monday (November 20, details to follow). We are all standing together to demonstrate our determination that the Democratic community must come together and go all out for this opportunity to get rid of Henry Bonilla and replace him with a true representative of the people, Ciro Rodriguez.
Further, tonight at the Bexar County Democratic Executive Committee meeting, John Courage publicly donated $2,000 to Ciro's campaign.
The Texas Democratic Party, to no surprise, is dragging its feet. But we statewide candidates are plenty used to that because we all experienced the TDP's inertia over the past year. So we are not waiting around for the TDP and I encourage all of you to join us and make Ciro's campaign your #1 political priority for the next month. Please right now set aside the runoff election day as a day that you are going to be in the 23rd congressional district knocking on doors all day getting the Democratic vote out.
Go to Ciro's website and contact the campaign to find out the other different ways you can help. Also please call and write the State Party Chair, Boyd Richie, and insist that the large paid staff in the party office all be sent out to the field in the 23rd to help win this election behind our candidate, Ciro Rodriguez.
In my recent race for Texas Attorney General the voters honored me by giving me majorities in some of the rural west Texas counties that are in the new district with which Ciro is not familiar. I am fortunate to enjoy some good support networks in those counties and I have offered to travel to the area with Ciro and introduce him to my supporters and ask them to exert maximum effort to get out the votes for his candidacy. Ciro's campaign manager accepted my offer on the spot at the Bexar County CEC meeting tonight. I look forward to doing whatever I can to help pull this one out. I believe that other recent statewide candidates are going to do so also. Several of us will be with Ciro Monday at the Houston fundraiser and will be discussing plans with him and his campaign manager for campaigning for him.
The parts of southwest and west Texas that are in the reconfigured 23rd are Democratic country. Henry Bonilla has been lying his way into people's votes for much too long. Ya basta!

Tags: Ciro Rodriguez, Henry Bonilla, TX-23 (all tags)

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I have a serious problem with this race

If the former Netroots list could endorse Ciro in a primary against a Democrat, and can endorse Karen Carter now against a Democrat, why can't you endorse him when he's running against a real Republican, and one with pretensions to higher office? (More here.)

This race should be the number one priority for BlueMajority. Number one. If we're not loyal to our endorsed candidates once they win primaries, we'll lose respect in the political world.

by Nonpartisan 2006-11-15 07:01PM | 0 recs

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because ciro is kind of a retard

campaign wise.
He's a good speaker, but he's apparently not much of a go-for-the-jugular organizer.
That's what I hear anyway...

by mermzilla 2006-11-15 07:36PM | 0 recs

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I don't disagree

But he's our candidate in that race, having knocked out a serious primary challenger (Lukin Gilliland) and made a convincing statement that he deserves to make this a race.

With a candidate in this situation -- running essentially alone on election day -- we should honor our pledge made to him back in May, and get the guy elected. He deserves it. Campaign skills aren't everything.

by Nonpartisan 2006-11-15 07:43PM | 0 recs

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Re: because ciro is kind of a retard

There are a lot of Democrats who are not good campaigners including some in Congress.

If David Van Os is helping him he must be a progressive candidate.

Knocking off another Republican seat would add to the Democratic momentum.

by robliberal 2006-11-15 07:54PM | 0 recs

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Re: TX-23: Midweek Update

I do not know much about this race. Why is there any question of DCCC supporting him?

by robliberal 2006-11-15 07:06PM | 0 recs

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Re: TX-23: Midweek Update

A big part of it is that Bonilla is sitting on around $2 million in change. Ciro is broke flat out (hell, I think he was in debt before this started and actually dropped out once before getting back in). Ciro is widely know to refuse to make phone calls to raise his own money and has a reputation for not having much of an idea of what a field plan or voter database is. That aside, Ciro is an amazing progressive who is right on every issue you could think of. He used to be in Congress but was knocked out by Cuellar because of the other things I mentioned above, plus re-districting. With only 1 month to campaign, and it being a poorer district to raise money from, the DCCC is about the only thing that could finance his campaign at this point. I'm not sure what their finances are right now, but I'm sure they the elections drained a lot of their reserves, not that they couldn't get a million together if need be. I'd say they probably lean towards getting involved, but right now, it's all about personalities shoving some weight around to see who's going to get their way. And that's not entirely wrong, I'm just pointing out what's at hand.

by KTinTX 2006-11-15 08:20PM | 0 recs

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Re: TX-23: Midweek Update

I think I read today that DCCC had money left over. I hope something will work out so this race will be a possibility.

by robliberal 2006-11-15 09:54PM | 0 recs

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Google Bomb

KT,
You seem to know a lot more about this race than most people here. Could you come up with a good article to GoogleBomb Bonilla's name (negative article) and Ciro's name (positive article)?

by Fran for Dean 2006-11-15 07:18PM | 0 recs

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Re: Google Bomb

I'll give it an eye. There really hasn't been much written about them of late, but let me look into it for sure!

by KTinTX 2006-11-15 08:16PM | 0 recs

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Re: Google Bomb

Here are a couple for Bonilla that are already in the #12 and #15 spots on google.

http://www.davidsirota.com/2005/05/henry -bonilla-democrats-rural.html

http://www.dccc.org/gopauctionhouse/memb ers/HenryBonillaTX-23.html

by KTinTX 2006-11-15 08:27PM | 0 recs

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Re: TX-23: Midweek Update

My hesitation is based on the numbers from the primary. I really like Ciro and sent him money last time; but he would have to hold his own voters and get all the voters who picked any other Democrat in a wide field. Bonilla merely has to hold his own voters and shave off a small fraction of the people who wanted some other Democrat other than Ciro.

On the other hand, there may be Democratic voters who didn't vote at all because they didn't think Bonilla could be beaten. And many voters who did go to the polls may have had only a slight preference for one of the other Democrats, and be perfectly happy to pull a lever for Ciro.

We need guidance from the Texas contingent.

by Christopher Walker 2006-11-16 07:32AM | 0 recs

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Re: TX-23: Ciro on ActBlue

In the mean time, if any MyDD readers are already sure they want to support Ciro's challenge to Bonilla, I put him back on the 2006fund page at ActBlue:

http://www.actblue.com/page/2006fund?ref code=myddciro

by Christopher Walker 2006-11-16 07:38AM | 0 recs

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Consolidated support for Ciro

"Two-time loser" is probably the meanest
thing that other Dems in TX-23 would say
about Ciro. And he didn't even lose in
this district before.

I think those who entered this race, or
who supported the other candidates with
their work or money (like the AFL-CIO),
mostly feared that Ciro would lose again.

Going back a bit, before the courts redrew
the district lines in August, Rick Bolanas
was the only Dem in the race against Bonilla.
He had been one of Kerry's Band of Brothers,
and was a fiery speaker, but had never won
political office. He was doing his part to
make sure we had a candidate in every race.

Bolanos is from the far, far, far western
extreme of the district, in El Paso County.
With the redrawing of the lines, the district
became about half San Antonio, half everything
else. With his home 600 miles from the center
of population, Bolanos decided to withdraw and
endorse someone else. But his name remained on
the ballot.

There's no question that Bolanos will support
Ciro, the lone Democrat left in this race.

Another candidate was Luke Gilliland, an Anglo,
as we say in Texas, in a now 60% Hispanic
minority-majority district. Well respected
for his long and considerable support of
the Democratic Party in San Antonio, Luke
Gilliland did face an awkwardness that his
home was in an "exclusive" suburb of the city.

But there's no question that Gilliland and
his supporters will line up behind Ciro now.
Gilliland has already turned over his city
office headquarters space.

Albert Uresti, was another Hispanic contender
who had never won elective office. His brother
Carlos had been a state rep andrecently won
a primary to replace a Lieberman-like DINO
state senator. Carlos is highly respected
among the party base and could have made
a strong race except that the law would
not allow him to seek two offices at once.
Brother Albert came in second after Ciro.

On KT's blog, the Burnt Orange Report, he
now has up the NEWS that the Uresti brothers
have both endorsed Ciro. This pretty well
completes the UNITED FRONT against Bonilla.

by Woody 2006-11-16 11:30AM | 0 recs