By Vladimir Davidiuk
A campaign to retake Texas House District 148 began Wednesday, March 12, in a quiet, unassuming restaurant on Houston’s north side. With the huge sign out front announcing the campaign kick-off reception, Chris Carmona’s effort to wrest the district from decades of neglect was formally launched. The largest private event room at Fiesta Guadalajara filled quickly with enthusiastic supporters as Carmona began the undertaking of a mission to bring people power back to the legislative table.
Fresh off a primary race win, Harris County Treasurer, Orlando Sanchez, gave the crowd a heartfelt, humorous, rousing introduction of Chris. Sanchez didn’t do the normal, “I’m Republican, he’s Republican, so let’s go vote!” spiel you normally find at these gatherings. Instead, this was a specific, detailed and issue-driven endorsement of a candidate. Not only does Sanchez thoroughly understand the campaign issues he addressed when introducing Carmona – especially with relation to House District 148; he knows that Chris Carmona is exactly the leader the district needs.
Now, I have known Chris for a while. We have worked together with both the Houston Young Republicans and the Harris County Republican Outreach Committee while Chris was chairman. But, when he took the microphone to a standing ovation, the Chris Carmona I saw on Wednesday night was not one I’d ever seen. I’ve been to lots of campaign events, whether they were forums or rallies, meet and greets or press conferences. But the Chris I heard speak on Wednesday night was different. This was no typical, run-of-the-mill Republican red meat speech; this was a passionate embrace of a compelling cause:
“With this campaign, it is not enough to just say our goal is to win, but we have to be worthy of winning. As the late Jack Kemp used to state, our party has always been the party of optimism, always been the party of the future. The purpose of a truly great party is to provide superior ideas, principled leadership and a compelling cause.”
Chris addressed issues such as parental choice in education, opportunity scholarships, economic opportunity districts, empowering communities, and fighting for women victims to have greater access to justice. The issues Carmona is running on are specific, detailed, and very timely, and anyone in the room could see and hear that Chris feels deeply and passionately about the issues driving his campaign. These issues are at the forefront of the minds of the constituency he could soon represent, and vague platitudes like the ones they’ve gotten for the last twenty years just won’t cut it.
Talking with people around the room before and after the speech, I noticed that the crowd was extraordinarily diverse: young, old, black, white, Hispanic. Some made the drive from Montgomery County, and even as far as Dallas. While the campaign kick-off event was supposed to last about an hour and a half, as people stayed and visited with one another, it ended up lasting over three hours, with people seemingly reluctant to leave, and many holding or wearing a “Carmona for 148” t-shirt.
In Chris Carmona, the voters in House District 148 finally have an excellent opportunity to have a voice in Austin. Republicans who seek to grow the party by embracing youth and diversity have an ideal, passionate and motivated candidate in Chris. Those who seek soldiers for the front line against Battleground Texas can find a compelling cause in the candidacy of Chris Carmona.
He has my full support. He deserves yours, as well.
Vladimir Davidiuk is a local Republican political activist, writer, blogger extraordinaire and sometime campaign operative, and currently a member of the Houston Young Republicans.
This was an extremely well attended event with all tables full in the special banquet room. For those who remember Fernando’s event at the same restaurant 4 years earlier, this was an even better attended event with (in my opinion) an even more enthusiastic crowd. This district was redrawn since that race and is now more Republican.
From looking at his website, Carmona is clueless. He is advocating the elimination of the property tax which will do nothing except make the rich richer, while forcing people like me to pay some huge consumption tax on the much higher proportion of my income I spend on necessities. I have never seen a workable plan to replace property or income taxes with a consumption tax.
The only choice in education should be to allow parents to put their child in the school of choice in the district where they reside. I am very happy with how this works in HISD.
The consumption tax would hit the rich harder. They spend far more money than the poor. They drive the economy. A proper consumption tax would rake even the playing field. However, that is the problem. Their will never be a proper consumption tax because in my opinion Republican and Democrat leaders agree. They like the status quo.
As to H.I.S.D. what can you say about a School District that has very little interest in Vocational training. I am sure they are doing a great job keeping their kids in the districts they live in.
Paul, that may be true in an absolute sense, but every study I’ve ever seen shows the rich spend a far lower percentage of their income than the poor, so a consumption tax would hit the poor far harder. If you want fairness in taxes, institute a state income tax, so that fat cat lawyers, bankers, doctors, and businessmen who make hundreds of thousands in salary pay more tax than the owner of a small business who a higher percentage because he has expenses other than salary and wages.
HISD does a great job of allowing students whose parents actually care about education choose an appropriate school when the zoned school is not good. Yes, HISD could do more for vocational training as well, but I am happy with the education my child receives.
Hey, Guys….yes…I am in agreement with bring back good choices in several vocational programs. Which ones would you say would be great to bring back on board, and do tell me where the funding would come from since Dan and others have cut back the education spending.
Y’all have fun with that. How’s the race against Sheila Jackson Lee going? You guys making a lot of ground? Bout to take that for the Republicans?
That district (144) is not turning Republican any time soon. The one district that could turn Republican is State Rep district 144, I was surprised to see that the Republicans did not field a strong candidate.
District 137 Wu also is a possibility, it would have helped the person running (Morad Fiki) if he had used his mother’s maiden name on the ballot. His mother is Hispanic.
Ross, a consumption tax is probably the best way to tax, don’t want to pay taxes don’t buy stuff. Most necessities like food are exempt from the tax.
Manuel, the goal of every tax proposal I have seen from the Republicans is to reduce the amount of taxes rich people pay at the expense of the poor and middle class. This one is no different.
Property taxes work the same way. Don’t want to pay a lot of taxes, live in a modest property.
Ross, here’s the problem. ANY tax proposal that offers to reduce taxes will automatically benefit wealthier people more than the poorest. That’s because the wealthiest pay a lot more than the poorest, who often don’t pay much at all. The problem with any tax proposal is that it’s a backhanded way to deal with the real problem which is that governments spend way too much.
The overspending argument is probably true at the national level, but far less so at the state and local level. I think Texas underfunds education by about 15{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} – I can see that just by looking at my son’s school, where there are gaps, even though the principal is one of best in HISD at budget management. Same thing with road maintenance. The gas tax needs to rise by at least 10 cents a gallon just to bring road maintenance funding back to a reasonable level. I am also sick and tired of the Legislature balancing the budget by sequestering dedicated funds for the Parks and Wildlife department derived from consumption taxes.
Manuel Barerra has misstated the number of the Carmona-Farrar contest. That district is 148.
I agree with him that the GOP party leadership did not recruit its strongest candidate to contest district 144, but if there is enough of a tide in November, who knows what might happen there.
As for HD 137, I think it is simplistic to suggest that a Republican candidate merely having a Hispanic surname would be a ticket for victory in that community. To start with the district’s eligible voters are only 24.6{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} Hispanic, but 29.3{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} black, and 9.6{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} Asian. and 34.9{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} Anglo. Senator Ted Cruz lost that district in 2012 by 61.6{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} to 35.0{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} to Sadler. Eva Guzman lost the district in her successsful Supreme Court contest in 2010 by a margin of 44.6{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} to 52.5{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} to Bailey. (By contrast, Guzman won in District 144, and came very close in District 148)
Mainstream, I did not suggest that Fiki would win, but certainly it would appeal to some Independent Latino voters. Khan lost the district to Wu 66{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} to 34{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986}. I have not looked at the voters and have no idea how many Hispanics voted in that district.
Jessica Farrar won 86{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} to 14{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} against a green candidate. There were 10,000 under votes in 2012. Even if they all voted Republicans it would not have over come the numbers that voted for State Rep Jessica Farrar. There will be less people voting in 2014 than there were in 2012 so that would be an advantage to the Republicans as Republicans are more likely to come out an vote. I don’t see anyone that would motivate the Democrats to come out and vote this election cycle. In 2016 it may be completely different, more like 2008.
You only have to go back to 2010 to compare a Republican vs. Democrat race in District 148. Fernando Herrera garnered 41.32{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} of the vote to Jessica Farrar’s 58.68{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} of the vote in 2010. Not bad for a first time run, and with very little help from the local GOP. That was back in the days when certain districts were deemed too Democrat to bother with by the Republican party. I’m glad to see more Republicans interested in at least fighting for these “Democrat” districts. It is not out of the realm of possibility to win these districts.
One thing is for certain: if you don’t field a candidate, you’ll never win. So props to Carmona for putting in the time and effort on this, even if the odds are difficult. Fernando Herrera would have come close if he had ANY support from the county GOP.
Also to Ross, who keeps arguing that property taxes only affect rich people and that sales taxes disproportionately hurt the poor and middle class I would say this. I own a rental property inside the loop. (It’s in HD 148 as a matter of fact!) Over 25{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} of the monthly rent income goes to pay property taxes. Hint – landlords are not paying this themselves. It’s getting passed straight through to the tenants.
So? What’s your point? You run a business renting a house, and the property taxes are the price you pay for that privilege. Besides, without property taxes, you would not be paying your fair share of the costs of running local government. Want lower property taxes? Repeal the prohibition on income taxes in the Texas Constitution, and let the lawyers who make $300,000+ per year pay their fair share of the costs.
The clamor for eliminating property taxes is ignoring the fact that in most of the rural areas, the amount of taxable sales is not large enough to sustain the schools.
My point is that although I write the check for property taxes, I’m not the one bearing the economic burden of paying them. That falls on my tenants who, unlike me, are not wealthy fat cats making $300,000+ per year. If fact the lower down the economic scale you go the more regressive the property tax becomes, since poor and middle class people spend a higher proportion of their total income on housing/rent.
Also, it’s a pet peeve of mine when people fail to understand the difference between rights and privileges. Renting my house is a right (not a privilege) because it’s my property. A privilege is a benefit extended to non-owners by the owners of property – like if I let you drive my Ferrari, or come swim in my pool.
Also…since I actually write the check to Harris County for the property tax, I get the tax deduction for it. So in that sense, not only do I shift nearly the entire burden of the tax to my poor renters, I actually get some money back from the county that you’d probably say I don’t deserve.
Karen, the district 148 has shifted somewhat as a result of redistricting since that 2010 vote, although I suspect the general numbers would be similar. The new district includes some areas which were in Woolley’s and Bohac’s districts in the past with about 8600 voters in 2010, and another 1500 voters from mostly Walle’s district. No statewide GOP candidate won in the new district in 2010, but Greg Abbott got 13,070 while his Democrat opponent won with 13,221, so the district is somewhat competitive.