Well, it is finally here. The start of early voting to FINALLY pick candidates to run on the ballot in November. Good grief this has been a long primary season.

Around the state, there are 25 runoff elections. My ballot has eight – yours might have more or less. Here are my choices in the races I can vote in:

• US Senator: Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst is the right choice. Many reasons listed in this Letter to the Editor by another Dewhurst supporter: Why I believe in David Dewhurst
• US Representative, CD36: Tough call. I’m not particularly enamored with either candidate but I rarely undervote (skip the box), so I’m going to vote for Stephen Takach. See Steve Stockman v Stephen Takach in CD36 – really?
• Railroad Commissioner: Once again, neither candidate was my choice in the primary voting. I think it is a shame that Texas Republicans ignored the candidates in the primary that had actual experience in the oil and gas field and gave us a choice between two politicians. I’ll go with Warren Chisum because he has far more life experience and a small amount of industry experience.
• Railroad Commissioner, Unexpired Term: Once again, neither candidate is an expert in the oil and gas industry. I’ll vote for Greg Parker because he is a fresh face, has been a very active participant in various tea parties, and isn’t a political appointee.
• Justice, Supreme Court, Place 4: Justice David Medina has a good record, in spite of some personal issue. I see no reason that he should not be reelected. The John Devine campaign has been especially filthy in this election, choosing not to run on records. And no, I do not think that he is a “Divine” candidate, as his religious supporters do. When a guy has David Barton and Terry Lowry backing him, I run away.
• District Judge, 129th Judicial District: Easy choice here – Michael Landrum. Mr. Landrum has worked very hard during this election season to meet voters and discuss the need for judges to follow the law, not legislate from the bench. He has superb qualifications and the right temperament for the bench.
• District Judge, 152nd Judicial District: Another easy choice for me: Don Self. Like Michael, Don has put in the hard work of meeting citizens at hundreds of small meetings around Harris County. He is also superbly qualified, including a Master’s Degree in Health Law, which is going to become more and more valuable in the future. A Navy Veteran, Don has an easy going style that allows him to hear both sides of a case and make a decision based upon the law.
• Harris County Sheriff: A no brainer here. Louis Guthrie is the only candidate left on the Republican ballot that is qualified to lead the Harris County Sheriff’s department. While his opponent was busy bouncing between jobs in Texas and California, including a failed attempt a real estate during the California boom (think about that), Mr. Guthrie was putting in the training hours needed to learn management and budgets. He also earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice while working full time. Mr. Guthrie’s accomplishments in the field of law enforcement prepared him for the next level – his opponent never made it past the first level. We cannot hand over the reins of the HCSO to a person that states publicly he will have the power to kick federal agents out of the county. If Harris County Republicans do not choose Mr. Guthrie, current Democratic Sheriff Adrian Garcia will win a second term.

Well, that is the end of my ballot. I hope that you turn out to vote, even if you do not agree with my choices. But you should. 😉