Katherine Haenschen Posts

As y'all make final GOTV calls, wave signs by the highway, and Google "exit poll Dallas County Commissioner," here's one last round-up of miscellaneous primary news. What are you hearing?! What races are you watching? Tell us in the comments, because it's a long day spent waiting for that early vote to come in.

Big Money: "Third party groups poured more than $423,000 into House races in Texas between May 17 and May 24 alone." -- Politico



Pot Legalization: A look at Beto O'Rourke's 420-friendly stance in the CD-16 primary. -- Mother Jones



Not-So-Super PAC: A former Eddie Bernice Johnson staffer started a Super PAC that has been sending attack mailers about Taj Clayton, trying to tie him more directly to the Campaign for Primary Accountability PAC. -- DMN



Endorsements in CD-25 and CD-33: A recent round-up. -- Star-Telegram

This is kind of light on news (I guess I had less open browser tabs than I thought!) so here's a heartwarming video that's not about politics at all:

What else is on your radar? Tell us in the comments!

Hooray, primary election day is finally here! The Travis County Clerk's office and the inimitable Dana DeBeauvoir have released some helpful tips about voting today to help make the process smooth and easy.

Don't know your precinct? Click here to look yourself up.

Top Voter Tips for Election Day

Tuesday, May 29, 2012 Joint Primary Election

1.  Before heading to the polls.

Review your voter registration certificate. In addition to the precinct number, the 2012 yellow VR card lists the current district for congress/senate/house/county commissioner and JP/constable.



Double-check your precinct and polling place. Many voters have a new precinct in 2012! More than 168,000 households have polling places that have changed - most due to redistricting.



Vote in the precinct where you are registered. Voters MUST vote at the designated polling place for their registered address. (NO Vote Centers this election.)



Election Day polls are open from 7:00 am through 7:00 pm.

2.  At the Polls.

Bring ID. A voter registration certificate, state issued driver's license or identification card or other documents that can establish the voter's identity and address are acceptable. (Photo ID requirements are NOT in effect.)



Affirm your party preference. Voters who choose to participate in a Primary election will be asked their party preference in order to assign the correct ballot.



Review ballot summary before casting ballot. Each voter sees a ballot summary listing all selected candidates. Carefully review your choices before pressing the CAST BALLOT button. If you have questions - ask a poll worker for help.

3.  Still have questions?

Find helpful election information online. Find Election Day polling places and sample ballots on the County Clerk's Elections web site: www.traviscountyelections.org



Get answers by email. Contact the Travis County Clerk's Elections Division at election@co.travis.tx.us



Call 512-238-VOTE (238-8683) for assistance. Staff is available from 7:00 am through 7:00 pm to answer questions on Election Day and automated information is available 24-hours daily at 512-238-VOTE (238-8683).

One more time, if you don't know your precinct, click here to look yourself up.

Let's go vote, y'all!  

Today is the last date to vote early in the 2012 primary. If you haven't voted yet, go today. If you are here in Travis County, check out our map of locations below.

Remember: only the Travis County Clerk's office at 5501 Airport Blvd. is open until 7:00 p.m. tonight. Most other Early Voting locations close at 6:00 p.m.

Check out the full list of early voting sites here or check the map below. You can also see a full list of hours for each location here.

The information displayed on this map is taken directly from the Travis County Clerk's Elections Division. For a list of mobile voting locations, please click here. Election Day precinct polling locations for May 29th are located here.

Share a link to this map: bit.ly/travisearlyvote

Well, with election news coming fast and furious, it's time for another update.

Vote for A Texan: Joaquin Castro, Nick Lampson, and Pete Gallego are in a contest with other DCCC candidates to win a fundraising email. Vote for them here. The winner gets a sweet fundraising email.

Ron-Paul-Supporting SuperPAC supporting... Michael Cargill? Yes, the crazy gun nut in the Democratic primary for Travis County Constable in Precinct 2 has picked up support from the "Liberty for All" SuperPAC. The SuperPAC was started by John Ramsey, a 21-year-old college student from Nacogdoches, and apparently has substantial cash in it -- they spent a half-million in a Kentucky Congressional race and won an open primary. Yikes.

CD-21: Some of the Anti-SOPA folks have organized to buy a billboard outside of Internet freedom-hater Lamar Smith's office, which reads "Don't mess with the Internet." There is also a kick-ass tee-shirt.

CD-23: The national League of Conservation Voters is going hard against Ciro Rodriguez in the CD-23 primary. First they spent $95,296 on a mail program, and now they're spending $100,000 on TV. Here's the ad:

Harris County Board of Education: Diane Trautman was endorsed by Democracy for America. Trautman previously ran for Harris County Tax Assessor Collector.

SD-11: Democratic donor Steve Mostyn has donated $275,000 to one of Larry Taylor's Republican primary opponents, Dave Norman, in the open race for SD-11. No surprise, since Larry Taylor's main funders are Texans for Lawsuit Reform, who have given Taylor $800,000. Taylor is basically a wholly paid subsidiary of TLR, as he helps the group their efforts to fight consumer-focused insurance reform, gauge insurance purchasers, and not pay insurance claims. While it may be surprising, remember that given our gerrymandered state and basic lack of competitive general election districts, often the only way to get rid of bad Republicans is to knock them out in the primaries. The Texas Tribune has more.

Do This Thing: Last reminder, go vote in the DCCC contest!

Lots of press releases and news stories coming in with election day only one week away.

Democratic Primary:

CD-33: Tensions have flared in the Metroplex after former State Rep. Domingo Garcia attacked State Rep. Marc Veasey and former Congressman Martin Frost for conducting a press conference with men and women who work at the General Motors assembly plant in Arlington. Garcia accused Veasey of standing with "Wall Street Corporations," while Veasey and other Metroplex media organizations have pushed back against Garcia for attacking a major area employer. Today, Veasey sent out a release asking his opponent to stop mudlinging and focus on educational opportunities:

"Working families in North Texas have neither the time nor the desire to wade through all this mudslinging," said Veasey. "Schools in DFW are literally closing down, the ladders of education opportunity are being pulled out from under our children.  I would rather talk about how we reverse course and focus on improving our schools rather than engaging in petty political attacks."

US Senate: In the UT/TT poll released yesterday, Paul Sadler led the field with 29%. Sean Hubbard came in second with 25%. Addie Allen had 19% and Grady Yarborough had 11%. 15% said they don't know. Results here.

HD-90: Lon Burnam's campaign is touting a poll showing him with a 54%-27% lead over challenger Carlos Vasquez. The poll was conducted by Jeff Smith of Opinion Analysts. Vasquez seems to be coming apart on the trail in the last few weeks of campaigning as he has lashed out at Burnam and apparently exhibited some odd behavior at candidate forums.

HCDP: At the Harris County Democratic Party's BBQ event last weekend, attendees participated in a straw poll in a wide range of races, from President to County Chair. Click here to see the results!

SD-14: Not really primary news, but congrats to Preston Watson, son of Senator Kirk Watson, who graduated from UT last weekend with a degree in history.

Additionally, all candidates on the ballot would like to urge you to vote early this week. Early voting ends Friday. Election Day is next Tuesday, but since it's right after the three-day Memorial Day weekend, you might forget. Vote now!

Republican Primary:

There's lots of muck on the other side of the aisle and plenty of money to sling it with.

US Senate: Sarah Palin endorsed Ted Cruz, then apparently sent a robo-call to voters in Florida and Kansas to tell them about it. Ah, it makes me think back to four years ago, when Republicans -- or at least the one they nominated for the Presidency -- wanted her to be one heartbeat from the Oval Office.

Railroad Commissioner: Roland "Don't Pee on the Electric Fence" Sledge claims to have earned the endorsement of primary opponent Beryl Burgess, which should certainly shake up the race. Sledge is also touting a long list of conservative blog endorsements. Pfft. Blog endorsements.

CD-4: The Campaign for Primary Accountability is spending $100K on mail, TV, and radio against Ralph Hall in the 4th district. Hall has two challengers, Steve Clark and Lou Gigliotti. Will it be enough to force a run-off or unseat the incumbent?

HD-19: Republicans James White and Mike "Tuffy" Hamilton were paired together in redistricting and are now fighting a brutal primary against each other. Last Friday, Hamilton released records showing that White was "admonished for inappropriate sexual references" while he was a teacher at Livingston HS. He was reprimanded and later resigned. From Quorum Report:

According to the documents obtained by the Hamilton Campaign through Open Records requests, White was first notified of the student and parent complaints in August of 2006. Both he and the principal of Livingston HS signed a letter documenting their conversation about his behavior that resulted in student complaints including, "What is more intimate... sharing your credit scores or having sexual intercourse." And "other comments such as 'girls are used as a utility for guys.'"

"Further discussion took place in regard to student/parent complaints about comments such as 'after a man and a woman have sex... then their undergarments are mixed together in the same washing machine."

In his response, White called the attacks a "desperate lie."

White, the African-American Tea Partier, is considered the favorite over Hamilton. It kind of cracks me up that Tea Party wackos are about to elect someone who lost their job for making inappropriate sexual comments about large household appliances.

Referendum on Hawaii Statehood: In case you missed it, BOR PAC released a poll of likely Republican primary voters, which asked them if they believe the President was born in the United States. 60% said no. 21% "aren't sure." And these are the folks who are deciding the eventual winners in our statewide races. Yikes.

Miscellaneous:

PACS, Man! The Texas Tribune put together a really handy interactive guide to the various PACs that have endorsed. Scariest is probably the YCT's endorsing in SBOE races. That can't end well. And by "well," I mean "with educated Texans." But hey, all the better for the YCT membership drive, I suppose.

As the acrimonious race for Travis County District Attorney heads to the finish line, the campaigns of incumbent Rosemary Lehmberg and challenger Charlie Baird seem determined to illustrate whether or not each candidate possesses the discretion and temperament required for the job as our county's top prosecutor. With the start of early voting last week, Baird's campaign has gone extremely negative with a series of live phone calls that verge on a push poll -- according to the Austin Chronicle, three separate voters reported receiving calls asking what they would think if they knew Lehmberg had taken money from people in return for not prosecuting them, i.e. did she take bribes. Baird claims it wasn't a push poll and that the callers are remembering it incorrectly.

Lehmberg's campaign has pushed back against Baird's accusations in an ad in this week's Chronicle that states, "Charlie Baird has sent out 2 dishonest pieces of mail... Baird has no factual basis for any of the charges he has made. A District Attorney has to make decisions based on real facts, not what serves his political interest. Charlie Baird is rapidly proving he is judgmentally unfit to be District Attorney." Lehmberg's response points to an issue that has long simmered in the DA's race: whether Baird has the temperament and discretion to handle the role of Travis County's top prosecutor.

The role of district attorney is a challenging balance between making sure that county prosecutors have enough to convict violent offenders while also looking for ways to rehabilitate people and prevent recidivism (and hopefully not clogging up our criminal justice system and jails with minor drug offenders). Baird has largely been running on the need to make justice work for "everyone," tied to his reputation as a staunch advocate for defendants' rights.

However, Baird's own record on the 299th District Court, one of Travis County's felony courts, suggests that this advocacy manifested itself into an alarming tendency to put serious, violent offenders back out on the streets via personal bonds.

Before we get into why this matters, some explanation is in order. Defense attorneys can seek a personal bond, or PR (personal recognizance) bond, which gets the defendant out of jail until their trial without paying their bail. Before a judge grants a PR bond, the Pretrial Review Services review department looks at the defendant's past criminal record and recommends whether the judge should grant the PR bond or not. Factors include past criminal history -- a defendant with no prior arrests, no violent offenses, or small drug charges is likely to be recommended for a PR bond. However, a person with a history of arrests or violent crimes is likely to be recommended against.

In his four years on the 299th District Court, Baird led our district courts -- felony and misdemeanor courts alike -- in his granting of PR bonds against the wishes of pre-trail services, by an overwhelming margin. His record amongst felony judges is even more alarming. Several of the people Baird released would go on to commit additional crimes that could have potentially been prevented with a more judicious use of PR bonds by Baird.

A study by the Austin American-Statesman of fiscal year 2009 demonstrates the discrepancy between Baird and the rest of our felony benches here in Travis County. The chart reproduced at right accompanied a lengthy article about Baird's use of PR bonds.

There are plenty of folks who would argue that this was the right decision by Baird, that too many people are in jail, it costs us money, etc. But remember that this is a felony bench where judges heard cases involving murder, rape, kidnapping, aggravated assault, arson, fraud, grand larceny, and other serious offenses. This isn't Baird putting a bunch of dope smokers or frat boys accused of public intoxication back out on the streets. This is Baird deciding that people who plead guilty to armed bank robbery are perfectly safe to be walking our streets.

A search through the archives of the Austin American-Statesman brings up dozens of cases in which Baird actively chose to personal bond violent felons, many of whom went on to commit further crimes while back on the streets thanks to Baird. He gave other serious criminals -- people charged with sexual assault of a child, armed robbery and homicide  -- the lightest sentence allowable by law.

Learn more about several specific cases below the jump.
Personal Bonds and Light Sentences for Violent Criminals

Homicide -- Jonathan Anthony Kelly-Contreras. The 17 year old killed an elderly woman, Jennie Sue McClusky, as part of a gang initiation just one month after he was released on a PR bond by Judge Charlie Baird. McClusky died after she was robbed and injured by Kelly-Contreras and a friend. Kelly-Contreras, "had been released by state District Judge Charlie Baird last month on a personal recognizance bond on the aggravated robbery charge." [Source: Statesman]

Child Abuse -- Emily McDonald. McDonald put feces in her 3-year-old daughter's hospital feeding tube, and Baird let her go free on PR bond. McDonald was later found with another child and returned to jail by another Judge, who said she "would never have released McDonald on personal bond pending trial." McDonald was arrested for smearing fecal matter in her hospitalized infant daughter's feeding tube, after hospital staff became suspicious of the infant's illness and set up a hidden camera. Staff caught McDonald smearing feces on her daughter's IV cap. The mother told hospital authorities that she smeared feces on the IV line five times during the child's six-week hospital stay. Judge Charlie Baird let her go free on personal bond. McDonald was later found with a child, in violation of her release. She was eventually sentenced to 20 years in prison. [Source: Statesman]

Child Sexual Assault -- Jose Gonzalez. Gonzalez was given a PR bond against the wishes of pretrial review after he was arrested for sexual assault of a child. Gonzalez was in the country illegally, on probation, and awaiting deportation. Gonzalez had a record in both juvenile and adult court for various crimes, culminating in the sexual assault of a child. Baird gave Gonzalez a personal bond. [Source: Court Documents]

Repeat Armed Robbery -- Norvin Buggage. Buggage pled guilty to charges of robbing a bank in Austin and accepted a 15 year sentence. Instead, Baird gave him eight years of  deferred adjudication -- a form of probation with no jail time -- for a crime punishable by up to life in prison. Only three months later, Buggage was arrested in New Orleans (in violation of his probation, which forbade leaving the county) on another charge of attempted armed robbery with a firearm and battery of a police officer. Baird sentenced him to five years in prison. [Source: Statesman]

Child Sexual Assault -- Stanislaus Smalls. Smalls, a 42 year old man, pled guilty to two counts of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy he met on MySpace. The Statesman writes, "The plea was unnegotiated, manning it was up to state District Judge Charlie Baird to determine the sentence." Baird gave the man 8 years probation -- no jail time -- for a crime that is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. [Source: Statesman 4.20.2007]

Burglary and Robbery -- Maurice York. Baird sentenced York to deferred adjudication for burglary and armed robbery. The Statesman writes, "while on probation, York, 22, went on to commit more than 20 robberies in Austin. Hindsight is 20-20, and York is now serving a 50-year sentence." The victims of those 20 robberies might question why Baird thought it was a good idea to let their attacker avoid jail time. [Source: Statesman]

Murder -- Carlos Mares. Mares pled guilty for a drug charge and was awaiting a seven-month jail sentence. Baird gave Mares a personal bond and sent him to a halfway house. Mares got drunk with the owner of the halfway house and stabbed him several times. The halfway house operator died. [Source: Statesman]

Murder -- Raul Acedo. Acedo was a meth user with a prison record involved in two shootings on the same day. Baird sent Acedo to prison for 15 years for one of the shootings. The Statesman writes, "The sentence was the minimum allowed given Acedo's criminal record ... Acedo could have gotten up to life in prison." Acedo was involved in another shooting the same day, for which he pleaded guilty and received a concurrent 12-year sentence. Acedo pled guilty to murder in a deal that left the sentencing up to Baird. [Source: Statesman]

Homicide and Domestic Violence -- Eric Skeeter Skeeter punched a man, who fell down and later died of his injuries. Baird gave him 10 years probation. A year later, Skeeter was charged with assault for family violence, arrested, and put back in jail. [Source: Statesman]

These are just a few of the cases I found in the Statesman's archive. I am sure there are more. But just this handful of incidents demonstrates a disconcerting pattern by Baird to bond out serious offenders, after which they commit additional serious crimes.

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Again, these aren't kids smoking dope, or first-time DWI offenders. These are violent criminals, many with a history of serious crimes, the exact kind of people the District Attorney is responsible for putting and keeping in jail.

Baird has received well-deserved accolades for his willingness to address the root causes of crime. He's absolutely correct to point to wider issues in our society -- such as a lack of access to education, insufficient food stamps and public assistance -- that play a role in causing crime in the first place. But the role of the District Attorney is not to address or solve those issues. The district attorney needs to put the really bad guys in jail and keep them there, something which Baird's own history shows a problematic unwillingness to do.

In his one term on the state's 299th District Court, Charlie Baird demonstrated an extreme tendency to put violent offenders back out on the street via personal bonds. The fact is, there's no one else on the bench even here in liberal Travis County who has this record of letting violent felons go free on probation, during which they commit further crimes.

The District Attorney is essentially the county's top prosecutor, and based solely on his record, it's unclear if Baird actually has the desire and willingness to sufficiently prosecute violent felons. One can joke about the Travis DA's race being about who is "softer on crime," but the reality is, as a judge Charlie Baird put some pretty awful people back on the streets.  

Believe it or not, an end is in sight for the primary season that has been dragging on since last June, when candidates started filing, soliciting support, friending you on Facebook, etc. Our primary candidates got a lot more than they bargained for in the three-month election delay caused by Greg Abbott and the Republicans in the legislature due to their redistricting over-reach. Thanks to all of them for hanging in there and gamely campaigning on, and a special shout-out to the families, co-workers, and friends of the candidates themselves (and their doting staffers) who have put up with this much more than any of them might have imagined!

In any case, Early Voting is going on this week and ends Friday. My colleague Karl-Thomas prepared this handy GoogleMap of early voting locations in Travis County, so find one near you and get to it.

Here's a quick round-up of all of the endorsements meted out this year. Information was culled from candidates' websites and organizations' websites and Facebook pages. Some are incomplete due to the organizations' lack of websites, Facebook pages, or external communication. Fill in the blanks in the comments and I will happily update.

What do these abbreviations mean?

DNE: Did not endorse. Some clubs don't endorse in races that aren't in their geographic purview (Circle C, WAD, etc.)

n/a: No endorsement, usually because a candidate failed to meet a threshold within a group for endorsement.  

Blank spaces: I can't find a full list an organization's endorsement, or cannot get confirmation that a specific race was not considered OR no candidate met the endorsement requirements.

Go vote, people!

We have a stellar crop of Democrats running for Congress here in Texas. From newly created Democratic districts to swing seats that can turn blue this November, we've got strong, progressive advocates for our values on the ballot across the state. Last weekend, we endorsed in 10 of our Congressional primaries here in Texas, urging voters to support the candidates who we feel will best represent their districts -- and our progressive, Democratic values -- in Congress. Now, these candidates need your help to win their primaries.

Support our endorsed Congressional candidates via our ActBlue fundraising page!

Meet Our Endorsed Candidates:

Marc Veasey, CD-33: This distinguished legislator has fought for education and voting rights in the State House, and is the best choice to represent the new minority-opportunity district in the Metroplex.



Taj Clayton, CD-30: This inspiring young leader wants to bring new opportunities to this south Dallas County district so that all kids can have the same chances he did. He is an exciting breath of fresh air in this district.



Pete Gallego, CD-23: Gallego, a long-term legislator representing a sprawling west Texas district, is running to take on Republican Quico Canseco this November. Gallego is the strongest candidate in the primary and the best choice to pick up this swing district for the Democrats.



Nick Lampson, CD-14: This distinguished statesman has already served most of this southeast Texas district, and is the only Democrat who can win this open seat. Support him today and help him run hard all the way through November.



Lloyd Doggett, CD-35: This long-time progressive hero is running hard in a new district designed specifically to draw him out of Congress. He's always had our back on issues that matter to progressive Texans, so stand with Doggett now and help send him back to D.C.



Silvestre Reyes: This El Paso public servant is a leader on veteran's issues and works hard to deliver for his district. Help him win a tough primary battle.



Candace Duval: This young woman is running a spirited campaign, and is the best choice to take on Lamar Smith in the fall. She's better suited to capitalizing on the anti-SOPA fervor that surrounds the incumbent. Support her today.



KP George: George is a Democrat with an inspiring life story, running to prevent a LaRouchie from making the ballot on the Democratic ticket. He needs your support to spread the word about his own qualifications and his crazy opponent.



Joaquin Castro, CD-20: Last but certainly not least, Castro is already a star in the Texas Democratic Party and the kind of leader we need to turn this state blue. Support him today!

Click here to visit our ActBlue fundraising page for our endorsed Congressional candidates!

May of our endorsed candidates have already been working hard for you in the State House or in Washington D.C., advocating for improved access to education and affordable healthcare, championing women's rights and equality, and working hard to fight back against Republican majorities. Our endorsed candidates include some of the leaders who will be working to provide a better future for Texans.

Support their campaigns today, and keep them running strong in the primaries and all the way through November.  

Praise the Lord, the primaries are only 11 days away. In accordance with FEC reporting rules, Congressional candidates all filed 12-day reports with the FEC detailing their raising and spending in the period of April 1 through May 9.

Here's the chart. Quick and dirty analysis below the jump. Pithier analysis to come Monday. As always, make sure to check out BOR's preview of all 36 Congressional elections here in Texas this cycle.

'

Wondering why some candidates have no numbers, or aren't here on this list at all?

Candidates who didn't file, filed late, or filed on paper won't be here. Want thorough blog posts on fundraising reports? Encourage your candidates to file electronically, and file on time!  
Top 10 Raisers

Jeb Hensarling: $206,553 (CD-5)

Silvestre Reyes: $173,384 (CD-16)

Kay Granger: $171,760 (CD-12)

Roger Williams: $146,075 (CD-25)

Randy Neugebauer:  $132,099 (CD-19)

Marc Veasey: $126,504 (CD-33)

Lloyd Doggett: $120,517 (CD-35)

Lamar Smith: $119,074 (CD-21)

Quico Canseco: $110,461 (CD-23)

Domingo Garcia: $106,361 (CD-33)

So basically if you're an incumbent, people will give you a LOT of money. If you're an incumbent in a primary fight for your life, people will give you a LOT of money. If you're a leading candidate in a wide open primary, and you're a frontrunner, people will give you a LOT of money.

Self Loan Love:

David Alameel, $400,000 (CD-33)

Domingo Garcia: $300,000 (CD-33)

Stephen Takach: $257,000 (CD-36)

Joe Chow: $125,000 (CD-6)

Both Alameel and Garcia think they can buy their way into the run-off with Marc Veasey. Not sure what Chow's thinking he can do with the self-loan in his primary against Joe Barton.  

Hey, Big Spenders:

David Alameel: $1,933,665 (CD-33)

Roger Williams: $808,154 (CD-25)

Lloyd Doggett: $408,617 (CD-35)

Domingo Garcia: $356,276 (CD-33)

Pete Gallego: $262,273 (CD-23)

Stephen Takach: $243,798 (CD-36)

Blake "Ducky Pajamas" Farenthold: $216,770 (CD-27)

Silvestre Reyes: $213,254 (CD-16)

Filemon Vela: $197,897

Once again, we see the biggest primaries drawing the biggest spending on this report. Roger Williams is fighting a crowded field in a gigantic district that runs from Austin to Fort Worth. Gallego is working to win his primary over Ciro Rodriguez and John Bustamante, and may be trying to avoid a run-off with this big outlay. Doggett is running hard to win the new CD-35 which includes a huge chunk of Bexar County, and isn't holding back on field or TV buys.

Million Dollar Men (and Lady):

Hensarling: $2.2M

Canseco: $1.5M

M. Williams: $1.4M

L. Smith: $1.3M

Flores: $1.2M

Sessions: $1.2M

Reyes: $1.1M

Granger: $1.1M

Doggett: $1.1M

Neugebauer: $1M

Figures are total amount raised to date this cycle. Basically, if you are an incumbent Congressman with a tough primary or general election ahead of you, or you're a Republican particularly skilled at selling your soul to corporate bidders, you can raise a lot of money.

Quick and Dirty Analysis:

Redistricting created several new, wide-open seats, and the retirement of Ron Paul also generated a huge crowd in CD-14. So we see candidates trying to spend a crap-ton of money to either make the run-off or win it outright. Many of these races will go to a run-off, so it will be interesting to see who spends their account down to zero and who holds back some reserves for round two. The run-offs will be held on July 31.

What races are you watching in your area?  

Last week, we previewed all 150 State House races in Texas this year, with the names of the candidates on the ballot, basic voter returns in past elections, and a smattering of endorsements. You can read it here. With the primary election beginning Monday, it's time to take a closer look at the 22 Democratic primary races this year, most of which will decide who holds the seat come next session.

There's plenty of good news for the Democrats in the State House races this year. In our contested swing districts that will be a big focus in November, only one race first features a hot primary before a heated general election. That's great for saving Democratic resources and energy to channel into maximum gains. By and large, the winners of these Democratic primaries will have only token opposition (or none at all) come November.

On the Legislative level, the Democrats good going into the primary season that begins Monday. Due to redistricting, several seats in the Valley and the Metroplex were reconfigured, creating new Democratic seats that have brought back a few familiar faces. Additionally, the GOP's inability to protect Hispanic Republicans like Jose Aliseda, Aaron Pena and Raul Torres have given rise to some strong Democratic districts in South Texas, which have solid fields of candidates vying for a few open seats.

Democrats don't have a slew of nasty, internecine primaries pitting warring factions of our party against each other, unlike the Texas GOP. Part of that, alas, is due to the bloodbath Democrats suffered in 2010 and the fact that our party wasn't faced with trying to draw lines to hold 101 seats. But on the upside, we're poised to make significant gains this cycle -- somewhere between 10 and 20 seats depending on how all of the races shake out -- and we won't have to battle until July 31 to determine who our nominees are in the swing districts, unlike the GOP in many instances. And in a sign of long-term good news for Texas Democrats, many of our open seats have drawn multiple qualified, progressive, talented, and best of all young candidates who will be excellent representatives if elected.

Below we preview the 22 contested Democratic primary races on the ballot across the state in Texas. Early voting runs May 14 to May 25. Election Day is Tuesday, May 29. Any necessary run-offs are July 31.  
Methodology:

In terms of methodology, I've listed the margin in the 2008 Presidential election and the average of the three 2008 Supreme Court of Texas (SCOTX) races. Since this is about winning this November, that seemed the most relevant. Note that you can see the analogous 2010 numbers in the full 150-race preview. I've also included SSVR%, or the percentage of reigstered voters with a Spanish surname. It's a way to gauge how Hispanic a given district is. Incumbents have an asterisk, in case you don't know who the incumbents are.

Endorsements Guide

Endorsements were culled from several groups that tend to endorse in a broad range of organizations. Additionally, I visited candidates' websites to see what other endorsements might be listed. Feel free to add more endorsements (with links) in the comments. I've also included media endorsements that have been released to date, and will update as needed. Again, feel free to post links in the comments to anything I may have missed.

AFL-CIO: Statewide labor organization

Annie's List: Dedicated to electing pro-choice female candidates

CLEAT: Combined Law Enforcement Agencies of Texas

TSTA: Texas State Teachers Association

TSEU: Texas State Employees Union

TxAFT: Texas American Federation of Teachers

Fundraising:

All numbers were culled from the 30-Day reports due on April 30, so they show the total raised from the beginning of the year through April 19 and the cash on hand as of the report. I rounded roughly to the nearest thousand. We couldn't find reports for everyone.

Note: These do not constitute Burnt Orange Report endorsements. We will endorse in select State House primaries this week. This is for informational purposes only, and again, if you've got other information, add it to the comments.

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What races have caught your eye? Any upsets in the works? Any favorites in our wide open races for open seats? Tell us in the comments!

Last night the Internet lit up with burnt orange outrage as University of Texas students and alumni reacted to the news that Governor Perry may be trying to force out University of Texas President Bill Powers, over Powers' opposition to the UT Board of Regents' tuition freeze.

Paul Burka posted late Wednesday evening that a source told him that the Perry-appointed Board of Regents chair had asked for Powers to be fired:

I do not have an official confirmation, but I was told that the situation is fluid and may be happening as I write. My understanding, based on what a source with knowledge of the proceedings has conveyed, is that Regents' chairman Gene Powell asked Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa to recommend that Powers be fired. Cigarroa refused. The next step will likely be a special meeting of the board to take action. I have no indication that notice of the meeting has been posted.

I will continue to make attempts to confirm this report. If it is accurate, the impact on the university's reputation could be devastating. UT will have to undertake the search for a new president at a time when top-grade candidates will be unlikely to be attracted to a position that is subject to political pressure.

The conflict started when the UT System Board of Regents met last week and denied the request of the University of Texas's flagship campus to raise tuition. By not raising tuition, the Board of Regents left the University with a several-million-dollar budgetary shortfall, which for two years will be made up with funds from the Available University Fund, the investment income from West Texas oil lands that are managed by the UT System. However, the Board of Regents made clear that this was only a two-year fix for the two-year tuition freeze, so the President of UT (whoever that is in two years) will have to go back and beg for more funding to help the University maintain its academic standards. Powers criticized the decision, noting that what the University needs is "recurring revenue," or money it can count on year after year to maintain and establish high-quality academic programs.

Every member Board of Regents has been appointed by Governor Rick Perry, and many of them are hefty, hefty campaign donors to his various electoral efforts. Perry has largely turned leadership of our university systems into a system of political patronage awarded to the highest bidders, so it's no surprise now to see the Regents potentially firing back at a widely respected administrator who has openly clashed with their anti-funding ideology. It is also worth noting that the Board of Regents approved an increase in tuition at other UT campuses. All of this tuition trouble -- both increases that impact student affordability and freezes that hurt faculty and academic quality -- stems from the basic fact that the state of Texas and the Republican legislature simply does not fund our public higher education institutions to the degree necessary to maintain their high standards. Without adequate public funding for the so-called public university, there aren't a lot of other options for the University of Texas to fund its faculty, staff, and programs to the degree necessary to maintain its status as a world-class, Tier 1 research university. And I'm sure the current students and alumni of UT don't want to see the value of their degree become worthless due to Republicans' efforts to destroy the quality of education at UT through refusing to fund it.

The news from Burka set off a social media firestorm, as the hashtag #SaveBillPowers quickly became a trending topic and the Facebook group I Stand With Bill Powers picked up thousands of members. It is definitely "going viral," as the kids say, and while there is some opposition to tuition increases in general most students appear to rally around their university president and defend him from what may well be a politically motivated firing.

If Powers can credibly stand up to the Perry-appointed Board of Regents, and stand up to the Texas Legislature's attempts to slash funding from higher education, it makes the entire Republican budgetary house of cards look all the more shakier. Powers is widely respected in the state and by many leaders in the Legislature, as well as on a national level. Should he be ousted by his unwillingness to keep quiet about the harm caused to UT by draconian anti-spending austerity measures, it will send a strong and sad message about the state of affairs on the 40 Acres.

We'll keep you posted as this develops.

One of Lee Leffingwell's recent campaign mailers introduced a new technology known as "VoterView," which uses a smartphone app to play an augmented reality, 3D video when the phone is pointed at a graphic on the mailer. Here's a video that shows how it works:

From VoterView:

The free VoterView app allows voters to view AR content on campaign mailers, print advertisements, outdoor signage, and digital collateral. The app's interface encourages sharing with social networks and promotes deeper engagement with candidates and causes, allowing voters to learn more, express support, or even make a contribution from the app.

VoterView also offers an innovation in AR advertising - a 30-second, 3D augmented reality 'commercial' with play and pause functionality. Users can pause and resume the VoterView ad using an on-screen button, allowing for detailed exploration of the 3D animation.

The VoterView technology is already making some waves -- it was covered in Wired and a range of other web publications.

It's an interesting way to embed more content into direct mail. For campaigns that can't afford huge TV buys, it's a way provide video content and target it directly to voters (who, it bears noting, need to have a smartphone and take the time to download the app and use it to watch the VoterView video). I would expect it to be an attractive option for campaigns with voting populations that tend to have high rates of smartphone adoption. In particular, it might work well with Generation X and Millennial voters who might not otherwise respond to direct mail. But again the challenge is getting the voters to actually use the app and view the augmented reality video.

Augmented reality is nothing new -- it's been around for a few years. The technology allows the user to augment a real-world environment with computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, or graphics. In the Leffingwell mailer, the AR video is tied to the campaign logo. Read more about Augmented Reality on Mashable.  

Probably a bad sign for his Congressional campaign: Cameron Co. District Attorney and Democratic candidate for CD-34 Armando Villalobos has been arrested for a wide range of crimes, ranging from racketeering to extortion to fraud. His law partner, Eduardo Lucio, faces similar charges. Note: this is not State Senator Eddie Lucio Jr or State Rep. Eddie Lucio III. This is a different guy.

From the New York Times:

In its most explosive allegation, the indictment claims Villalobos agreed to a deal that gave a man who pleaded guilty to first-degree murder 60 days of freedom before reporting to prison. Amit Livingston was convicted in 2007 of killing 32-year-old substitute teacher Hermila Hernandez, whose body was found on South Padre Island two years earlier.

The indictment also accuses Villalobos of taking multiple $5,000 bribes for "favorable prosecution decisions" for criminal defendants, including clients of two South Texas attorneys identified only by their initials in the indictment.

Villalobos is not resigning as District Attorney, nor is he suspending his campaign for Congress. He was leading in fundraising among the eight candidates filed for this Democratic seat. The 34th runs from the Corpus Christi area down to the border.

The other candidates in the Democratic primary include Ramiro Garza Jr., former Edinburg City Manager; Juan Angel Guerra, former Willacy Co. DA; Anthony Troiani, former Brownsville Commissioner; former congressional aides Denise Saenz Blanchard and Solomon Torres; and Filemon Vela, son of the former Brownsville mayor. The race will clearly go to a run-off; the only question is who winds up in it.

There's a shred of good news in this for Villalobos: being indicted or even convicted of his crimes won't disqualify him from serving in Congress should he win the election. He could even run and serve from prison, as Rep. Matthew Lyon did in... 1798. For more, see FactCheck.org.

This is BOR's Video of the Day, or VOTD, our nightly video clip segment that hopefully provides you with a laugh or a chance to think at the end of the day.

From the moment President Obama took the oath of office he has fought for a forward-looking America, where hard work pays off and responsibility is rewarded, where everyone has a fair shot and does their fair share, and everyone from Wall Street to Main Street plays by the same set of rules.  And instead of losing jobs, we are now creating them -- 4.2 million jobs over 26 consecutive months of private sector growth.

This theme is highlighted in the campaign's first major television advertisement, titled "Go," which will air in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Nevada, New Hampshire, Iowa, North Carolina, Florida and Colorado. The minute-long ad reminds voters about the mess Obama inherited from George W. Bush, and all that he's done to get our country back in the right track. Here's the ad:

There's still a LOT more to do to keep America moving forward and restore economic security for the middle class. Y'all, we need to re-elect President Obama so he can keep working hard to make America the strongest it can be for all of us -- not just the people with Cadillac elevators.

Please share the ad, and make sure everyone knows how far we've come since the days of President George W. Bush.

Check out all of our BOR videos of the day on the VOTD tag.  

The State Senate has resembled a middle school dance more than a legislative body as of late, as two senior Republicans sent snotty emails about each other to the rest of the Senate about the hypothetical race to be interim Lieutenant Governor.  

Here's the deal. Lt. Gov David Dewhurst is running for US Senate, in case you've been in a coma or under a rock for the last few months and were unaware of this bone-chilling fact that he might soon head to DC to try to do to America what he's done to Texas. Should he win, the Senate will elect one of their own members to serve out the rest of his term. The position would be on the ballot in 2014, and has already drawn interest from a softball team worth of Republicans who want the job. (That's assuming, of course, that The Dew manages to dispatch Ted Cruz in the US Senate primary.)

Senators John Carona and Dan Patrick are both potentially interested in the job -- Carona apparently wants the interim gig, and Patrick may run for the office in the 2014 election. I guess tensions are high in the Republican caucus, since Patrick sent a snotty email about Carona to the entire State Senate, to which Carona replied in kind. The Texas Tribune and Dallas Morning News published parts of the emails:

"I was in Dallas last week and learned that Senator Carona has told people outside the Senate that Jan and I are separated and may get divorced,. He added in a few other negative comments about me in an obvious attempt by him to discredit me for some reason. He can say anything he wants to about me, but saying that Jan and I are separated and may get a divorce is not fair to her or my family." -- Sen. Dan Patrick

"Though I have heard rumors regarding your marital status and sexual preferences for a while now, at no time have I told anyone that you are either separated, divorced or gay. As you know, if you truly believed I had said something unflattering, you could have simply asked.  I've never been shy about sharing my dislike and distrust of you.  Put bluntly, I believe you are a snake oil salesman; a narcissist that would say anything to draw attention to himself." -- Sen. John Carona

According to the DMN, Patrick got the last word, describing Carona's conduct as "repulsive and unbecoming of a senator." And when Dan friggin' Patrick says your behavior is unbecoming, wow. That's a high bar. Apparently Patrick demanded an apology from Carona to him and his wife. It was unknown at press time whether Patrick then threw a glove at Carona and challenged him to a dual.

In completely and totally unrelated news, recent scientific research has demonstrated that homophobia can result from the suppression of same-sex desire. No wonder Republicans keep trying to de-fund research universities.

Meanwhile, though nobody asked Harold Cook for comment, he freely supplied one on his Twitter feed yesterday:

Last July, Austin mayoral candidate Brigid Shea sought a paid consulting job from Formula 1 and submitted a proposal for such work to the local organizing committee, according to documents released yesterday and confirmed by employees of Circuit of the Americas.

Shea's memo to Formula 1 was released yesterday by the Lee Leffingwell campaign, and Shea's solicitation of a paid consulting position was confirmed by the Circuit of the Americas local organizing committee. The story was reported in In Fact Daily and the Austin American-Statesman in today's editions. Shea denies that her memo was part of a solicitation for paid consulting work.

In Fact Daily writes (subscription required):

Her involvement with the Formula 1 race peaked last summer, when she became associated with a green consulting bid that featured Sierra Club Senior Regional Organizing Manager Ian Davis.

Davis confirmed that he met with racetrack officials last summer to discuss joining their environmental sustainability team and that Shea also expressed interest in becoming a paid consultant for the track. Davis added that Shea drafted her own consulting memo outlining her green proposals. ...

Though Shea admits that she wrote the memo, she adds that it wasn't written to solicit work. "(Davis) was applying for the F1 green job. He assembled a group of environmentalists to ask our advice," Shea told In Fact Daily.

However, Sexton told In Fact Daily that, in addition to the memo, he received a proposal from Shea "for her services with Circuit of the Americas for compensation." Sexton said that he did not feel comfortable sharing the proposal with In Fact Daily, nor could he recall the exact amount of money Shea asked for.

Shea has campaigned against the Formula 1 race track -- it is a centerpiece of her print advertisements -- so voters might find it surprising to learn about her proposal for a paid consulting gig on the project after it was approved by Council.

The PDF of Shea's Formula 1 memo is available here.

Shea's proposal is actually pretty solid. She wanted F1 to go above and beyond what they agreed to with the City of Austin in terms of sustainability. Shea clearly did her research into cutting edge practices pertaining to automobile racing. Rhetorically, Shea seems to position herself as part of the F1 team through her use of "we" -- not "you," not "F1" -- in her proposal (emphasis Shea's):

Given what is already happening in the racing world, we are starting behind the curve. ... Regarding the desire to be a leader in Green Racing, we would have to play catch up with Formula Zero, which was founded in 2003 and featured an Italian zero emission race in 2009.

Shea's Austin Chronicle ad opposing the Formula 1 project, the same project that she bid on after Council approved it.

Shea's memo was written on July 13, 2011, just two weeks after the Austin City Council voted to approve Formula 1 without any City of Austin tax revenue being used to secure special event funds from the state. It bears repeating: no taxpayer revenue collected by the City of Austin is being used to trigger the state special event funds.

Had Shea secured this contract, does anyone really think that her supporters would magically support Formula 1 now? Could Brigid Shea have successfully "greenwashed" the project to the point where the local anti-growth environmental activists might have actively supported it? Of course, had she gotten the contract, would Shea have even launched her mayoral bid, or would she have been making enough money to render it -- and her opposition to projects like F1 -- a moot point?

I contacted the local Circuit of the Americas organizing committee yesterday via email to confirm Shea's involvement. A spokesperson for Formula 1 said that Shea "did actively offer her services to Circuit of The Americas in exchange for compensation." However, Shea was not hired at the time, stated Julie Loignon, Vice President of Public & Community Relations for Circuit of the Americas. "It did not move past the initial proposal as we were not ready to advance at that time. She indicated she would require financial resources from COTA and proposed a consulting arrangement that would include a monthly retainer."

It should come as no surprise that Shea applied for a paid consulting job with Formula 1 before campaigning against it. She did the same thing with Water Treatment Plant 4, and also conducted activities that sound a lot like lobbying without ever registering as a lobbyist.

More below the jump, including new revelations about Shea's involvement in the 2002 bid to build a water treatment plant in East Austin.
Earlier this spring, Karl-Thomas Musselman broke the story that Brigid Shea bid on a water treatment plant 4 sub-contract back in 2002. Shea was listed on the alternative bid as a public relations sub-contractor. Shea did not receive a contract, and now she's campaigning against it and wrote in her questionnaires that "it should have been delayed."

Screenshot of Shea's participation in a bid for WTP4. Full document available here.

Shea claims that she had no record of being involved in the bid. However, I spoke with Paul Saldaña, another contractor on the 2002 bid, who said that he worked directly with Shea and that she absolutely knew that she was involved in a bid to build another water treatment plant, this one in East Austin.

Saldaña was brought on to the project to handle communications when the plant was proposed for a site in East Austin. I asked Saldaña if Shea knew she was involved in a bid to build a water treatment plant. "Yes," he replied, unequivocally, offering some important clarification. "Technically it wasn't called 'Water Treatment Plant 4.' It was called 'the new green water treatment plant.'" Saldaña explained that since at the time Council was preparing to take the City's third water treatment plant, Green, offline, the East Austin plant was referred to as "the new Green water treatment plant." The bid was one of two that went through a public solicitation process before Council, which ultimately decided to shelve both bids in favor of locating the plant in northwest Austin where it is now being constructed.

Saldaña was an owner of a minority-owned business and Shea was an owner of a woman-owned business, such that, as Saldaña put it, "we got notices for all city contracts," given the requirements that city bids include minority- and women-owned business enterprises. "She was actively chasing a lot of those projects," states Saldaña.

Shea can argue all she wants that she opposes the current plant, but when the City of Austin was at its highest water use in 2002 she wasn't constraining her involvement to simply organizing support for water conservation -- she was actively bidding to perform public relations services for the construction of a new plant in East Austin parkland.

Additionally, Shea was hired by the Austin youth hostel to meet privately with council members in advance of a crucial vote to determine if the lodging is allowed to remain on Austin parkland. Shea was hired to perform activities that sound an awful lot like lobbying, but did not register herself as a lobbyist. As KVUE reported, "Shea admits to meeting with city officials outside council meetings on behalf of the youth hostel. Law requires you to register as a lobbyist if you trying to influence or persuade a city official. Shea, however, maintains her job was strictly an adviser." Lobbying without registering as such is a Class C misdemeanor.

If a developer seeking to build a gigantic condo -- or, God forbid, a race track -- engaged in this exact same behavior of meeting privately with council members to "inform" them about the matter, and did not register as a lobbyist, what opprobrium might Shea have brought on their activities? Do the rules just not apply to Shea if she supports the issue under consideration at council, or if she's the one getting paid to "inform" council on an issue?

::

Meanwhile, yesterday Shea accused Leffingwell of improper campaign contribution bundling at a press conference in front of City Hall. Shea claimed that because various employees of COTA and F1 -- as well as contractors on the project, the project which she herself would have been a contractor on if she'd gotten the job -- donated to Leffingwell. Here's the facts: there was no intermediary collecting donations from COTA/F1 employees on the Mayor's behalf. The donations were not collected at a fundraising event in a private home. Shea is wrong.

One can't blame Brigid for trying to tie the Mayor to Formula 1. But given the fact that Shea vocally opposed Formula 1, tried to get hired on as a consultant on it after it was approved, then campaigned against it once she didn't get a big F1 payday, is this really the attack she wants to make?

Ironically, had Shea's consulting proposal gotten her hired on by Formula 1, she would have earned vastly more in consulting fees than the $17,500 she alleges Leffingwell received in campaign contributions from F1-affiliated individuals.

Shea received over $500,000 in City of Austin contracts and $125,000 in LCRA contracts since leaving office in 1995. I guess she's been saving her pennies for a rainy day, since last Friday's 8-day contribution and expenditure reports show that Shea has loaned her campaign an additional $40,000, bringing her self-funding total to $65,000 for the cycle.

::

I don't know how anyone can look at this hypocrisy and think that Shea would make a good mayor on the merits. Shea vigorously campaigns against city projects that she actively tried to get paid to consult on. Voters in this election must step back, look at this evidence, and ask themselves if this person demonstrates sufficient integrity to be Mayor of Austin.

I don't agree with all of Leffingwell's votes, but at least I know he's not advocating one way and then trying to get paid to advocate for the other side the next day.

I'm sure that Shea, her most ardent supporters, and her friendly publisher at Austin's alt-weekly will resume their pattern of attacking the messenger on this. But let's be honest. If this was another candidate -- one that wasn't backed by the anti-growth elements of the Austin Neighborhoods Council and the local chapter of the Sierra Club for her opposition to projects like WTP4 and F1, oh the irony it burns -- would the publisher of The Austin Chronicle and those same activists give anyone a pass on this?

Let me put this another way: if candidate opposed by Shea's core base of support was proven to have bid on WTP4 and F1, and had met privately with council members on behalf of a paying client without registering as a lobbyist, what kind of outrage would these same supporters muster over it? I dare say we'd be suffering from a worldwide oyster shortage as these folks looked for a sufficient number of pearls to clutch.

::

Early voting ends today, Tuesday, May 8. Click here for early voting locations. Election Day is Saturday, May 12.

The last Texan standing in the Republican presidential primary scored some big wins at the Nevada and Maine Republican state conventions this past weekend. Ron Paul's enthusiastic supporters continue to make gains for the Southeast Texas congressman via the convention process, such that he's sending supporters to the Republican National Committee convention that vastly outperform his results in the actual primaries and caucuses. Here's a quick list of some of his landslides so far:

Ron Paul Delegate Totals As Of May 7, 2012:

Nevada: 22 of 25 delegates

Maine: 21 of 24 delegates

Minnesota: 20 of 24 delegates (based on congressional district conventions)

Louisiana: 17 of 46 (swept all spots in 4 of 6 congressional districts; final delegation to be determined at June 2 state convention)

Massachusetts: 16 of 19 delegates (based on congressional district selection process)

Washington: Majority win reported, but no numbers available

The Massachusetts win for Paul has to be particularly stinging for Romney, since that's his home state. Perhaps it's because they experienced his record as Governor firsthand? Louisiana, Minnesota, and Massachusetts still have state conventions to conduct, wherein Paul supporters can extend their leads. Procedurally this is a big deal because if Paul can win 50% or more delegates in five states, his name is officially entered into nomination at the Republican National Convention. With other caucus states still waiting to hold their state conventions, Paul still has room to grow his delegate count and continue sending more supporters to the RNC than expected. Furthermore, the anti-Romney voters who backed Santorum or Gingrich can also throw their support behind Paul in the district and state conventions. If Santorum or Gingrich release their delegates, they would in some states be free to vote for Paul as well. In Louisiana, Santorum won the March primary overwhelmingly. If he releases the 10 delegates he won via the primary, they could switch to Paul at the state convention, or Romney. Or anyone else, I suppose.

So, the big question: can Ron Paul supporters block Mitt Romney from winning the RNC convention nomination? Probably not.

The reasons are severalfold. RNC convention rules prevent bound delegates from changing their vote or abstaining on the first ballot, so plenty of those Paul supporters will still have to vote for Romney, to whom they are pledged. According to The New York Times' delegate tracker, Romney leads with 856 delegates to Santorum's 257, Gingrich's 130, and Paul's 94. Romney is less than 100 delegates away from winning the nomination outright. However, the sheer spectacle of Paul supporters on the floor of the RNC convention in Tampa loudly and emphatically demonstrating their support for the iconoclastic libertarian might not be the image Romney wants to project to the country. As Steve Kornacki in Salon points out, "Paul-aligned delegates could make their hostility to the GOP establishment clear during the convention's primetime hours."

And by the way, Paul supporters, don't be surprised if RNC rule changes before 2016 further marginalize your participation in their nominating process. The Republican National Committee is already threatening to unseat the entire Nevada GOP delegation if they try to abstain from the first round of balloting in order to help Paul. Romney supporters apparently make up the bulk of alternate positions. While the GOP could be praising Paul supporters for their grassroots enthusiasm and organizational prowess -- hey, Paul's army managed to get their guy on the ballot in every state, which is more than Perry, Gingrich, or Santorum can say -- instead national Republicans are suggesting that the support for Paul will be damaging to Romney come November.

Look, I am no Ron Paul fan, but I have to hand it to his supporters for their strong grassroots organizing tactics. Paul has seriously enthusiastic supporters, who have thrown themselves into mastering the arcane procedures of presidential nominating contests. If enthusiasm alone was what determined the Republican nominee, I think we can all be pretty certain that Paul would be in the lead, and Mitt Romney would be trailing even Buddy Roemer in the delegate standings.  

Y'all, just because Attorney General Greg Abbott's lawyers happened to directly compare Planned Parenthood and terrorist organizations, that so totally does NOT mean that he thinks that funding the healthcare provider to 130,000 low income Texas women is equivalent to funding state-sponsored terrorism. (Except that's kind of exactly what he said.) Abbott's team clarified later that that's not what the AG meant. Sadly, Abbott gets the abortion-terrorism link backward, as it's the domestic terrorists here in America that set their sights on ending abortion by the most violent means possible.

The quote in question comes from the filing by the AG's office to the 5th Circuit for an emergency stay blocking the injunction granted in Federal Court to stop the state from blocking Planned Parenthood as a qualified provider in the Texas Women's Health program, whether state- or federally funded. (The stay was lifted last Friday, yay!) Here's the section from the AG's office filings that makes the Planned Parenthood / terrorism connection:

"Planned Parenthood does not provide any assurance that the tax subsidies it receives from the Women's Health Program have not been used directly or indirectly to subsidize its advocacy of elective abortion. Nor is it possible for Planned Parenthood to provide this assurance."

"Money is fungible, and taxpayer subsidies -- even if 'earmarked' for nonabortion activities -- free up other resources for Planned Parenthood to spend on its mission to promote elective abortions ... (because '[m]oney is fungible,' First Amendment does not prohibit application of federal material-support statute to individuals who give money to 'humanitarian' activities performed by terrorist organizations)."

Got that? Abbott says that giving federal or state money to Planned Parenthood frees up their private money for abortions, just like giving money to terrorist organizations for humanitarian causes frees up their other money for terrorism.

Planned Parenthood responded to the terrorist comparison in a statement to the Huffington Post:

"In a state that leads the nation in the number of uninsured -- where one in four Texas women lack health insurance, and women face the third highest rate of cervical cancer -- I think it is appalling to make such a comparison when Planned Parenthood works every day to keep women healthy," said Melaney Linton, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast.

Sufficient outrage was evidently raised by Abbott's callous remark that the OAG felt it necessary to walk it back. A spokesman for the Texas attorney general's office, Jerry Strickland, said state attorneys were not comparing Planned Parenthood to a terrorist organization. They were just citing a Supreme Court case that happened to be about a terrorist organization. Uh, right. It's just coincidence that the state's legal filings happen to draw a direct comparison between PP and terrorist organizations even if you say it doesn't. Gotcha. Strickland said, "Texas did not state -- and does not believe -- that Planned Parenthood is a terrorist organization or comparable to one. Period."

Greg Abbott has made clear that he would rather shut down the entire Women's Health Program and all of the good it does for the women of Texas than allow Planned Parenthood to participate, and continue serving 130,000 women in Texas. He'd rather shut the whole thing down than let women have access to pap smears and breast cancer screenings and annual check-ups.

Ironically, Abbott gets the terrorism-abortion link all wrong. American terrorist organizations actually seek to harm abortion providers. There's a long list of murdered abortion providers, not to mention those who have been on the receiving ends of death threats. Domestic terrorist organizations such as the Army of God and individuals like the man who gunned down George Tiller in church -- they're actual terrorists who carry out brutal violence in the name of stopping abortion. (What ever happened to just praying to end it?) It's actually the anti-abortion zealots that are the terrorists here, Abbott.

Other people might make a comparison between governments that seek to deny women their basic freedoms and totalitarian regimes prone to terrorism, but I'm specifically not making that comparison here. That kind of rhetoric only distracts from the gravity of Abbott's efforts to deny 130,000 women access to the healthcare provider of their choice through his partisan war against Planned Parenthood and women's health in Texas.

I don't know about the rest of you, but backing down from this statement makes me think Abbott's going soft in his personal war on women, am I right? Come on, Greg! If you think Planned Parenthood is a terrorist organization, just say so! After all, you do have your 2014 Republican primary bid for Governor to think about.

In the meantime, Abbott does seem to be losing his legal battles to block Planned Parenthood from the Women's Health Program: on Friday the 5th Circuit lifted their temporary stay and will allow the original injunction -- the one that says that the state can't block PP from the WHP -- to go forward while there is a full trial on the issue.  

This is BOR's Video of the Day, or VOTD, our nightly video clip segment that hopefully provides you with a laugh or a chance to think at the end of the day.

One of the more energetic and exciting efforts to come out of the Texas Democratic Party this year has been The Promesa Project, a Hispanic outreach initiative that organizes young Latino Democrats to ask their family and friends to promise to vote Democratic this year.

The program has already brought on student fellows at eight college campuses across the state with high Hispanic student enrollment. Tonight, we have a video from the TDP introducing the fellows, who share why they're involved in the project, and why they support Democratic candidate:

Political science research indicates that young Latinos are increasingly the trusted sources of political information in their families, and that more young people are now getting their news online. The Promesa Project is a great way to leverage Democratic support amongst young Latinos to increase turnout and help elect more Democrats in Texas at all levels of government.

Check out all of our BOR videos of the day on the VOTD tag.  

Great news to start the weekend: the 5th Circuit lifted their emergency stay that prevented Planned Parenthood from participating in the Women's Health Program! The federal appeals court lifted the emergency stay granted by a judge on the 5th Circuit court earlier this week. Now, Federal Judge Lee Yeakel's original injunction against the efforts to exclude Planned Parenthood from the WHP stands and the case goes to trial. The decision was by a three-judge panel including Smith, who issued the original emergency stay for Greg Abbott.

Cecile Richards, President of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund and daughter of the last decent Governor to lead this state, said in a statement:

"This case isn't about Planned Parenthood - it's about the women who rely on Planned Parenthood for cancer screenings, birth control, and well-woman exams.

"Governor Perry has already thrown 160,000 women off of health care for partisan political reasons - now there will be more to come. Mitt Romney would supersize what's happening in Texas and try to block women's access to lifesaving health care nationwide.

"Planned Parenthood's doors are open today and they'll be open tomorrow. We won't let politics interfere with the health care that nearly three million people a year rely on Planned Parenthood for in Texas and around the country."

Preach, Cecile! This means that women can continue coming to Planned Parenthood health centers for WHP health services. Low-income Texas women will again have access to life-saving preventive health care from their trusted provider without interruption as the rest of the trial proceeds.

This story is far from over. Judge Yeakel set a May 18 conference to schedule a trial date to determine whether the injunction should be made permanent, i.e. if the Texas law barring Planned Parenthood from participating in either a federal or state Women's Health Program should be blocked for good.

But still, good news for a change. The State failed to show that they'd suffer irreparable harm from allowing Planned Parenthood to participate in the program, and women can continue receiving healthcare from the provider while this gets sorted out for good.