The filing deadline is today for those who wish to run for office in the 2018 primary races. The Harris County Republican Party primary has been dominated by ‘endorsement slates’ for the past two decades. This is primarily due to the high cost of campaigning county-wide in such a large county.
Fairly or unfairly, this system has the perception of being a ‘pay to play’ system, one in which the candidate willing to pay for highlighting the endorsement gets a relative bargain in reaching voters in addition to getting a boost at the polls. As with most things in life, the system is not black and white – there are many shades of gray. Not every endorsement is based solely upon the exchange of money.
Back in 2012, when we were aggressively trying to change this system, Ed Hubbard wrote a fairly comprehensive piece about the issue: Harris County Republican Party: The curse of the slate mailers. Ed’s comments have certainly held up well over the years. The endorsement slates that Ed mentions are the Link Letter, Conservative Republicans of Harris County (or at times Texas), and the Texas Conservative Review. Each of these endorsement slates take money from candidates to increase their reach. Most people refer to them as the ‘Big 3’.
Over the years, we’ve managed to dilute the playing field enough that while it is not completely level, the so-called ‘Big 3’ that ran the party for years cannot make the claim that they still run the party. There are now an abundance of endorsement slates that do not accept funding from candidates but are still able to raise enough money to get their endorsements in front of voters. If you look at the bottom of our primary comparison pages for contested races, you’ll find a matrix showing which slates are endorsing which candidates. Obviously at this stage, the matrices are not complete and we will eventually have a dozen or more on that list.
Clearly the ‘Big 3’ have not taken their reduction in power well. In 2014, Paul Simpson defeated Jared Woodfill and changed the power base of the party, reducing the influence of the men behind the ‘Big 3’. They want it back and they want it back now. In 2016, they ran a couple of candidates against Simpson, hoping that they could force a runoff, knowing that runoffs have notoriously low turnouts and thinking that would help their cause. The first part of their strategy worked but Simpson won the runoff handily. This year they are going with a single candidate and unlike their two candidates in 2014, Chris Carmona is a credible candidate.
In addition to trying to oust Simpson, it appears that they have teamed up in several judicial races. You’ll be able to see this easily once the matrix charts are completed after the filing deadline. I’ve talked to several candidates already that never had an opportunity to ask for the endorsements of the ‘Big 3’ before their endorsements were announced. And certainly well before the filing deadline. Clearly the intent of these endorsements is to discourage potential candidates from filing.
There is a lot of money at stake. The table below lists the amount of money paid to one of the ‘Big 3’ slates, the Link Letter, during the last round of non-presidential year primaries in 2014.
| Filer Name | Expenditure Name | Amount | Description | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texans for Dan Patrick , | The Link Letter , | $50,000 | Print Advertising Placement | January 16, 2014 |
| Sitton ,Ryan | The Link Letter , | $50,000 | Print Advertising Placement | January 16, 2014 |
| Opiela ,Eric C. | The What’s Up Program , | $50,000 | Advertising | January 16, 2014 |
| Friends of Barry Smitherman (DISSOLVED) , | The What’s Up Program , | $50,000 | Campaign Advertising Expense | January 17, 2014 |
| Paxton ,W. Kenneth | The What’s UP Program , | $50,000 | Campaign advertisment in campaign mailer | January 17, 2014 |
| McCally ,Sharon S. | What’s Up Program , | $30,000 | Feature Full Page Ad | January 28, 2014 |
| McCally ,Sharon S. | What’s Up Program , | $15,000 | Feature Full Page Ad | February 5, 2014 |
| Prine ,Charley E. | What’s Up Radio Program , | $15,000 | Advertising | April 13, 2014 |
| Paxton ,W. Kenneth | The What’s Up Program , | $15,000 | mail advertisement | April 26, 2014 |
| Texans for Dan Patrick , | The What’s UP Program , | $15,000 | Print Advertising Placement | April 29, 2014 |
| Merritt ,Thomas C. | The What’s Up Program , | $15,000 | Advertising | May 6, 2014 |
| Phillips ,John F. | The Whats Up Program , | $10,000 | Political Ad | December 18, 2013 |
| Prine ,Charley E. | What’s Up Radio Program , | $10,000 | Advertising | December 18, 2013 |
| Wallace ,Jim | What’s Up Program , | $10,000 | Advertising | December 19, 2013 |
| Hinde ,Daniel E. | The What’s UP Program , | $10,000 | Advertising | December 27, 2013 |
| Schmude ,Harold John | What’s UP Radio Program , | $10,000 | Full Page Ad – Link Letter | January 2, 2014 |
| Flowers ,Melanie W. | The What’s Up Program , | $10,000 | Campaign Ads | January 3, 2014 |
| Pratt ,Denise V. | What’s Up Radio Program , | $10,000 | Political Advertising | January 4, 2014 |
| Friends of Paul Bettencourt , | The Link Letter , | $10,000 | Print Advertising Placement | January 6, 2014 |
| Walker ,Meca L. | The What’s Up Program , | $10,000 | Full-Page Advertisement | January 6, 2014 |
| York ,Alicia Franklin | The Link Letter , | $10,000 | Print ad | January 10, 2014 |
| Paul ,Dennis R. | The What’s Up Program , | $10,000 | Advertisment in LINK Letter Voter Guide Edition | January 14, 2014 |
| Detamore ,Donna | What’s Up Radio Program , | $10,000 | Advertising | January 24, 2014 |
| Ward ,Wesley R. | What’s Up Radio Program , | $10,000 | Campaign advertisement | February 4, 2014 |
| Wittenmyer ,John D. | The What’s Up Program , | $10,000 | Campaign Mailer | February 10, 2014 |
| York ,Alicia Franklin | The Link Letter , | $10,000 | Print ad | March 14, 2014 |
| Sitton ,Ryan | The What’s UP Program , | $10,000 | Print Advertising Placement | April 7, 2014 |
| Schmude ,Harold John | What’s UP Radio Program , | $10,000 | Full Page Ad – Link Letter Runoff Edition | April 16, 2014 |
| Woodfill ,Jared R. | The What’s Up Program , | $7,000 | Print ad | January 21, 2014 |
| Woodfill ,Jared R. | The What’s Up Program , | $5,100 | Print ad | January 22, 2014 |
| Harris County Republican Party (CEC) , | Whats Up Program , | $5,000 | Pct. Chair Recruitment Program | October 10, 2013 |
| Dean ,Sherill Y. | The Whats Up Program , | $5,000 | voter registration and pecinct chair recruitment advise and information | October 25, 2013 |
| Lloyd ,Russell T. | The What’s Up Program , | $5,000 | Print Advertising | November 1, 2013 |
| Riddle ,Deborah A. | The What’s Up Radio Program , | $5,000 | Advertising in Publication | December 3, 2013 |
| Simpson ,Paul F. | What’s Up Program , | $5,000 | Initial (50%) payment for full page ad in March 2014 Link Letter | December 12, 2013 |
| Hodge ,Ann F. | The What’s UP Program , | $5,000 | ad | January 15, 2014 |
| Cain ,Briscoe R. | Lowry ,Terry | $5,000 | Link Letter Advertisement | January 16, 2014 |
| Schofield ,Michael | The Link Letter , | $5,000 | Print Advertising Placement | January 16, 2014 |
| McCally ,Sharon S. | What’s Up Program , | $5,000 | Link Letter ad | January 16, 2014 |
| Parsley ,Katherine Cabaniss | The Link Letter , | $5,000 | Print Advertising Placement | January 20, 2014 |
| Riddle ,Deborah A. | The What’s Up Radio Program , | $5,000 | Advertising in Publication | January 22, 2014 |
| Lloyd ,Russell T. | The What’s Up Program , | $5,000 | Radio Advertising | January 29, 2014 |
| Schofield ,Michael | The Link Letter , | $5,000 | Print Advertising Placement | April 7, 2014 |
| Paul ,Dennis R. | The What’s Up Program , | $5,000 | Political publication – The Link Letter | April 7, 2014 |
| Texans for Dan Patrick , | The What’s UP Program , | $5,000 | Electronic Media Placement Radio | April 7, 2014 |
| Texans for Dan Patrick , | The What’s UP Program , | $4,950 | Radio Advertising | September 27, 2013 |
| Friends of Barry Smitherman (DISSOLVED) , | What’s Up Program , | $4,950 | Campaign Advertising Expense | September 27, 2013 |
| Hegar ,Glenn A. | The What’s Up Program , | $4,950 | campaign radio advertising | October 14, 2013 |
| Opiela ,Eric C. | The What’s Up Program , | $4,950 | Radio Advertising | November 22, 2013 |
| Texans for Dan Patrick , | The What’s UP Program , | $4,830 | Radio Advertising | December 19, 2013 |
| Friends of Barry Smitherman (DISSOLVED) , | What’s Up Program , | $4,830 | Campaign Advertising Expense | December 19, 2013 |
| Opiela ,Eric C. | The What’s Up Program , | $4,830 | Radio Advertising | January 28, 2014 |
| York ,Alicia Franklin | The Whats Up Radio , | $3,050 | Radio ads | March 14, 2014 |
| Schmude ,Harold John | What’s UP Radio Program , | $3,050 | Radio Advertising | April 16, 2014 |
| Friends of Paul Bettencourt , | The What’s Up Program , | $3,000 | Electronic Media Placement Radio | December 11, 2013 |
| Pool ,Joe R. | What’s Up Program , | $2,530 | Radio Ads | March 4, 2014 |
| Devine ,John P. | Lowery ,Terry | $2,500 | Contract labor | April 4, 2013 |
| Hoang ,Al | The What’s UP Program , | $2,500 | ad | January 15, 2014 |
| Miller ,Sid | What’s Up Radio , | $2,415 | Radio ads | January 7, 2014 |
| Walker ,Meca L. | The What’s Up Program , | $2,100 | Radio Buy | January 6, 2014 |
| Schmude ,Harold John | What’s UP Radio Program , | $2,100 | Radio Advertising – 60 Second Political Ad | January 7, 2014 |
| Texans for Joan Huffman , | THE WHAT’S UP PROGRAM , | $1,725 | POLITICAL ADVERTISING | January 28, 2014 |
| Evans ,Catherine V. | What’s UP Program , | $1,725 | radio advertisement | January 28, 2014 |
| Woodfill ,Jared R. | The What’s Up Program , | $1,575 | Radio ads | September 16, 2013 |
| Woodfill ,Jared R. | The What’s Up Program , | $1,500 | Radio ads | August 16, 2013 |
| Prine ,Charley E. | What’s Up Radio Program , | $1,000 | Advertising | October 2, 2013 |
| Hoang ,Al | The What’s UP Program , | $500 | ad payment | January 30, 2014 |
| Hoang ,Al | The What’s UP Program , | $500 | ad | March 14, 2014 |
That’s a lot of money. A total of $678,160 to be precise. And that is only for candidates that were running for State offices, not candidates in Federal or County races. And that is only to one of the ‘Big 3’. Imagine the combined revenue of the ‘Big 3’. Now do you understand how the perception is that these endorsement slates are ‘pay to play’?
You might also want to read what I wrote before that primary was over. And if you are going to purchase an ‘ad’ in the Link Letter, be certain you read this one.
As I said at the top, there are many, many shades of gray in this process. As a voter, we’ll have to decide who we trust. I set up the primary comparison pages and matrices so that we have an extra tool to use to help in that decision. There are many (most?) times when I happen to agree with the ‘Big 3”s choice of candidates. After all, if they pick good candidates, their success rate rises and more candidates will fund them. It is a fairly stable business model, when used correctly. But the perception is that it has not always been used correctly, resulting in some very awful Republican candidates. Who subsequently become awful elected officials due to straight ticket voting. Or something like that.
So, to answer the question above, what are the ‘endorsement slates’ that charge candidates? In theory, they are a cost effective way for candidates to reach voters in a very large county. In practice, they sometimes allow unqualified candidates with the most money to win a race because voters are, in general, too busy to research every single candidate in every contested race on the huge ballots that we have in this very large county. The power of the ‘Big 3’ has been diluted by the many slates that do not charge candidates but we still need to be diligent in making certain that our friends that are not absorbed by politics the way we are understand the need to compare various slates and ask their informed friends for help.