2012: A Storm is Coming

Everyday, the news makes it more and more apparent that the 2012 election cycle is going to shake up national politics in an unprecedented way. This election cycle, we will take back both the White House and Senate in one fatal swoop and begin to reverse the failed policies of the Obama administration.

Its almost hard to believe that the GOP primaries are just over a half year away, its seems just like yesterday that Obama took office and spawned the birth of the Tea Party in early 2009. The recall elections in Wisconsin show just how powerful the Tea Party has become, taking on the mobilization power that the unions possess and still winning.

The Tea Party is such a game changer that for the first time in years RINOs are being defeated by legitimate conservative candidates that are less willing to compromise. Because of the Tea Party, name recognition has become less and less vital, as experienced politicians are being examined for their actions and defeated in primaries.

All around the country, there have been shakeups in just about every race imaginable. Conservatives have had enough and are making it clear through the Tea Party that what has been going on in our country is not acceptable and will no longer be tolerated. 

In Texas, Ted Cruz has a good chance to legitimately defeat David Dewhurst, a matchup that four years ago would have seemed like David vs. Goliath. The Tea Party through activist enthusiasm has successfully broken political norms and made politics less about money and name and more about issues and accountability. 

From Kay Bailey Hutchinson to Ted Cruz would be an enormous and positive change for both the Senate and the State of Texas. With the power of the Tea Party only growing stronger and stronger, this is sure to be just one of many positive changes for US politics in the election year to come. 

2012 Election Effects on Texas Politics

Many have asked me what happens to the positions of Governor and Lt. Governor if Perry and Dewhurst win their bids for President and Senator. The answer is complicated, but essentially until the next election cycle the positions would go to 2 moderate Republicans in the Texas Senate.

Because Governor and Lt. Governor are elected during the mid-term elections and not during the same election period as Presidential elections, it would be two years before Texans were given a chance to elect replacements. The job would then go to the Texas Senate to elect two of their own to fill the vacant positions. To do this, the Senate pro tempore (Sen. Mike Jackson)  becomes de-facto Lt. Governor for up to thirty days to lead the Senate in its elections to fill the two positions.

What makes this even more complicated is that Sen. Mike Jackson is considering a run for congress (to take Ron Paul's vacant seat) which would leave Senate pro temore position vacant as well. In this case the next in line would take the position and act as temporary Governor/ Lt. Governor.

So the question remains, who would the Texas Senate elect? Judging by the composition of the Senate, it would be two moderate Republicans that are respected in seniority. The two that immediately come to mind are Sen. Robert Duncan and Sen. Steve Ogden, both powerful moderates popular with the Senate leadership. With these two presiding over the legislature for the 2013 (83rd) legislative session, Texas would surely have an even less conservative session than the last.

While this scenario seems farfetched and obscure, it is definitely possible given the political atmosphere in the air right now. However, like the weather, political climates can change overnight and are very much subject to many interacting factors. It is too early to predict the climate in November 2012, especially because we do not know who the victors of the primaries will be or what large scale events will happen between now and then.

It's Official: Dewhurst is running for US Senate

It's official, David Dewhurst is the 4th GOP candidate for U.S. Senate.

This is what he had to say:

Dear Friend,
I’m running for U.S. Senate because we need a proven conservative to fight Obama’s war on the Texas economy! Your commitment to conservative principles and grassroots activism has been invaluable to our state and our nation. That’s why I wanted you to be the very first to know of my decision to run for U.S. Senate, and why I am asking you to join me in this fight today.
Click Here to hear why I’m running!
Our nation has gotten off track. While our country is over $14 trillion in debt and 14 million Americans are out of work, Washington spends money we don’t have on programs we don’t need.
Instead of looking to Texas, the beacon of American job creation with the best business climate in the nation, President Barack Obama has targeted our state’s employers, taxpayers and families with his job-killing liberal agenda.
I’m asking for your vote and your support to take our country back.
My campaign will be straightforward, unapologetically conservative and as serious as the problems we’re currently facing.
I’m the only candidate in this race who is a successful businessman and a proven fiscal conservative. Working with Gov. Rick Perry to build the best business climate in America, we’ve proven time and again that Texas conservative values work.

Sincerely,
David


Looks like the senate race is heating up, let the games begin. 

Dewhurst to Announce Senate Race Candidacy

According to his press secretary, Texas Lt. Governor David Dewhurst is to announce his run for the U.S. Senate later this week. This will very much be a game changer in the current three way race between Ted Cruz, Tom Leppert, & Elizabeth Ames Jones because Dewhurst has millions of dollars to personally finance a race and by far has the highest name recognition of the candidates.

David Dewhurst has been Lt. Governor of the state of Texas for the past 8 years and has presided over the Senate for the last 5 legislative sessions. His help in the 2003 redistricting helped increase Republican US House seats from 15 to 21 and is probably to date one of his greatest contributions to the party. Before being elected to the position of Lt. Governor, Dewhurst served as Texas Land Commissioner for 4 years.

Before politics, David Dewhurst was a businessman, rancher, Air Force Officer, CIA Agent, and college basketball player. With a past like that, a large bankroll and outstanding abilities as an orator, all candidates facing off against this literal giant will have much difficulty winning the Republican Primary.

The U.S. Senate race be a huge test of the 'Tea Party's' influence on Texas politics. If a successful and wealthy moderate like Dewhurst can be defeated in the lone star state's primary, we may finally get a U.S. Senator with the guts to stand up against to the federal government and say enough spending. If Dewhurst succeeds, Texas will probably end up with another Senator similar to Kay Bailey Hutchinson, a moderate by actions and a conservative by words.

Original Story

Texas Senate Race: The Contenders

Officially, three candidates have announced their candidacy to replace Kay Bailey Hutchinson as Senator from the State of Texas:  Ted Cruz (former Solicitor General), Tom Leppert (former Mayor of Dallas), and Elizabeth Ames Jones (R.R. Commissioner). All three are highly qualified and are are well known in particular regions of Texas. However with David Dewhurst (Lt. Governor) and Dan Patrick (Tea Party Favorite Texas Senator) looming in the background, teetering with notion of running, the race for the Senate seat could be over before it even begins.

 In my next five blog posts I will give a short bio for each of these three candidates, as well as cover Dewhurst and Patrick for the sake of not being naive.