The State Senate District 5 race pits incumbent Steve Ogden vs. challenger Ben Bius.
Some news articles on the race:
- A Statesmen article. Ogden’s semi-slam of the Tea Party movement doesn’t exactly endear himself to me. Yes, I’m sure you can find some Perot and Ron Paul supporters among it’s ranks, but to suggest it’s entirely made up of them is both unwise and politically tone-deaf.
- The Bryan/College Station Eagle.
- The Texas Tribune. It seems in the week between the Statesman article and this one, someone gave Odgen a clue-by-four, as he’s reined in his Tea Party criticisms.
I am irritated by the fact that Ogden’s campaign website features no obvious link for “issues” or “positions.” You would think that would be a pretty fundamental requirement when you’re running for office. Maybe Ogden thinks he’s above such things.
Ogden is no liberal; he’s been endorsed by the Young Conservative of Texas, among others. But he has been playing up the “old experienced hand” angle. (“Look at me! I’m an insider!”) He also voted against allowing concealed carry on college campuses, and initially supported Rick Perry’s Trans-Texas Corridor boondoggle.
Bius is generally good on the issues, but I don’t like the fact that he brags about his conservative, budget-cutting ways, then turns around and slags Ogden for derailing a retired teacher cost-of-living adjustment. “I’m for controlling spending, except when it costs me votes.” On the other hand, he gets points for making the ending of inter-generational welfare dependency a centerpiece of his campaign.
If the Statesman article is to be believed, Ogden has raised about 100x as much campaign money as Bius, which would suggest he’s a shoe-in. However, it’s a bad year for clueless Republican incumbents to dismiss Tea Party voters. Right now I’m leaning toward Bius as being the more conservative candidate.