Speaking of Red State and Cruz, he’s one of five senate candidates promoted by Erick Erickson as worthy on your donations. (Jeff Flake of Arizona, Adam Hasner of Florida, Josh Mandel of Ohio and Don Stenberg of Nebraska are the other four.)
Hotline on Call also does a roundup following the departure of the Williamses…and fails to mention Elizabeth Ames Jones at all. I can’t say that I blame them.
Speaking of Jones, she continues her interview tour of small Texas newspapers with The Gonzales Cannon.
Today is the last day for donations to be recorded in the current fundraising quarter, so it wouldn’t be a bad time to donate to the candidate of your choice in whatever races they’re running in. I’ll report on the Senate total as soon as they’re up (expect them to start trickling out about the middle of July), but in the meantime, here are some nifty charts the FEC put up for the first quarter fundraising efforts.
Last week it was Michael Williams. This week it’s Roger Williams switching from running for the Senate to running for House District 33. I don’t know if Joe Barton’s decision to stick to the sixth had any effect on his decision or not, but it sets up a Williams vs. Williams showdown for District 33. (Although unlike Michael Williams, Roger Williams has already managed to update his website the day the switch was announced.)
The favorite for District 33? Michael Williams is the one with the heaviest conservative movement credentials, and having an outspoken, articulate black conservative in congress would be a big benefit at the national level. But Roger Williams has some significant endorsement firepower, including George H. W. and Barbara Bush, sitting Congresswoman Kay Granger, and Nolan and Ruth Ryan.
In the Senate race, I suspect Roger Williams decision will probably benefit Cruz and Leppert about equally, with Cruz picking up more of Williams voters, but potentially freeing up more donors in Leppert’s natural Metroplex base to donate to his campaign.
Now, with the Special Session adjourning, all eyes on the Senate race turn to see whether David Dewhurst jumps in or not…
Williams is a strong candidate, but he has to breathing a sigh of relief, since he won’t have to take on an entrenched, popular and well-funded incumbent…
“Tricia [Dewhurst’s wife] and I have prayed about it. I’m not here to be making any announcement; I’d rather be doing that in a couple of weeks,” Dewhurst said. “I love Texas … and for anyone going to Washington, it’s a hardship. But I just think there seems to be a lack of understanding in Washington as to how to balance budgets and treat people fairly and be civil and address entitlements.”
Dewhurst entering the race would be bad news for all the declared candidates, but probably worse for Tom Leppert than anyone else, since Dewhurst almost automatically locks up the “establishment /business” candidate slot in a runoff (or possibly wins the primary outright, if he’s willing to carpet-bomb the race with money). His jumping in might also prod State Sen. Dan Patrick to jump in as well, since there’s no love lost between the two.
While hardly a disinterested observer, Karl Rove is far from an untutored one, and he offers up some compelling reasons why Obama will lose in 2012. Four, to be precise:
The economy is very weak and unlikely to experience a robust recovery by Election Day.
Key voter groups have soured on him.
He’s defending unpopular policies.
And he’s made bad strategic decisions.
The second point is the one he offers the most meat in terms of polling analysis. And the fourth is Obama’s decision to abandon Presidential distance and starting campaiging for reelection early.
The big news around Austin is that it actually rained last night, meaning our trees and lawns won’t die, fall over and blow away like so many tumbleweeds. At least not this week.
Michael Williams puts up his official statement on why he switched to the a congressional race. He also says “In only a week, we have been able to secure over $250,000 in contributions and pledges,” which is a seriously good start for a House race. His website also sports his snazzy new bow-tie logo.
The Texas Tribune’s insiders list puts up a poll of 2012 and 2014 race favorites. Use grains of salt as instructed by your spin doctor.
Dallas ISD spent $86,000 on Chick-Fil-A, proving not only that administration is wasteful, but that they have bad taste to boot.
The Ted Cruz winning streak continues, with two more key endorsements, namely Peggy Venable, Texas State Director for Americans for Prosperity, and Ernie Angelo, former RNC Committeeman.
Cruz has easily lapped his opponents in the endorsement race. Other than Roger Williams’ endorsement by former President George H. W. Bush, and the departed Michael Williams’ endorsement by Jim DeMint, I can’t think of a single high-profile endorsement for any other candidate. I don’t think Tom Leppert’s handful of pastors really counts (though getting a max donation from Roger Staubach certainly didn’t hurt).
Key endorsements aren’t worth as much winning the fundraising race, but they’re not chopped liver either. The fact that the Cruz campaign has rolled these out at a regular rate of a couple every week suggests to me that he has a fair number in his pocket, and wants to pace them out.
Saturday Rick Perry gave his speech to the Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans, and he’s getting lots of rave reviews, further fueling speculation that he’ll make a Presidential run:
Carl M. Cannon on Real Clear Politics: “When he finished, the crowd rose to its feet and — in the loudest and most spontaneous demonstration of the three-day meeting — broke into a clapping chant, “‘Run, Rick, run! Run, Rick, run!'”
Roger Kimball praises his truth telling: “Conservatives do not win elections by pretending to be liberals.”
You can see why liberals, in their frustration and inability to lay a glove on him, call him “Governor Goodhair”: He looks a lot younger than his actual age of 61.
“Former Texas Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams announced Friday night that he will run for the new U.S. House District 33 — which stretches from Arlington to Parker County — instead of the U.S. Senate.”