Big Jolly Politics

politics in Harris County and Texas

Chris Busby's response to the Harris County Republican Party Vacancy Committee

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Chris Busby
Chris Busby

First of all I want to say thank you to my friend David Jennings who messaged me inquiring about my recent encounter with the Vacancy Committee. Since his post last week about said encounter I’ve had an outpouring of support from friends, party activists, precinct chairs, and elected officials. I truly appreciate the support of all those who have spoken up on my behalf in regards to this encounter.

Those of you that know me, know my background, for those that don’t let me tell a little bit about myself. I am a normal 24 year old, I work as a teacher for high school students, I enjoy exercise and reading, I live with my sister and wonderful partner of 3 years, and I am a staunch advocate for human liberty and conservative causes. It is my dedication to the ideals of liberty and freedom, which has ultimately driven my choice to align myself with the Republican Party. This was not an easy decision, I find many faults with the party in its structure and its messaging. Despite these faults I felt and still feel today that the Republican Party is the best avenue for human freedom and liberty.

Since making the decision to align myself with the Republican Party I have participated in numerous Republican organizations, campaigns, and events. I worked vigorously for the Sarah Davis and Fernando Herrera for state representative campaigns, I have volunteered for the Jack Christie for City Council Campaign, I have passed out literature for the John Faulk campaign, and of course supported the Mitt Romney for President Campaign. Door knocking, blockwalking, phone banking, endorsements, fundraising, donating. If you can name it I’ve probably done it. I was a delegate to the 2010 state Republican Convention and multiple Harris County Republican Party Executive Committee Meetings. I am a member of the Houston Young Republicans, the Republican Liberty Caucus, have donated money to the Republican Party of Texas, and yes I am the vice-president of the Log Cabin Republicans of Houston.

It was my desire to promote the Republican brand in my precinct and to increase my participation in functions of the local party structure which drove me to apply for precinct chair. With the presidential race rapidly approaching in July 2012 I applied for precinct chair. 9 months later I was granted an interview with the Vacancy Committee. Please note that some persons in the meantime were granted an interview a mere week after applying. The details of that meeting are well described in David Jennings previous post, so there is no need to reiterate them. Suffice to say that despite my years of dedication to the party, spending time, money, and effort to elect conservative and liberty minded candidates to office, that the majority of present members of the committee found my efforts insufficient and my participation in the party inappropriate. That night several other people were approved by that same committee, some of whom had never been to a Republican function in their lives. One applicant I am told did not even vote in 2012 despite being eligible. What was most objectionable to my candidacy was my unwillingness to commit to the entirety of the platform, and my membership in the Log Cabin Republicans.

I will be honest. I do not believe in the entirety of the platform. After reading the document there are several sections I disagree with. I would challenge any Republican activist to read the whole document and commit themselves to every stance. It is a challenge almost every person who identifies as Republican would probably fail.

I am a proud member of the Log Cabin Republicans. I helped found the new chapter after the previous chapter had disbanded. I felt and still feel a need to continue to create and expand outreach and dialogue between the Republican Party and those who identify as part of the gay community. It is disheartening to know that the members of the vacancy committee who voted against my nomination would disagree with this goal and abandon 5-10 percent of the electorate. Keep in mind that in recent years that most countywide races in Harris County have been decided by that margin or less.

Perhaps what is most troubling is that the members of the Vacancy Committee who voted no, as well as their supporters, have abandoned our principles as Republicans. Our party was renewed during the Reagan Revolution on the belief that alliances are best formed based not on uniformity of belief, but based on character, integrity and loyalty. That we should not turn away allies, and that we should work to include the broadest possible coalition that is dedicated to the founding principles of our nation. Instead my detractors have committed themselves to the tactics that I attribute largely to the Democratic Party. That power is best accrued when a community is divided amongst itself. That the characteristics and labels of a person are of greater worth than their ideas, values, and beliefs.

I will continue to fight for human liberty in all forms, and I will continue my activism in the Republican Party. I will with good spirit debate those in the party when our issues of disagreement arise, and continue to welcome them with open arms whoevers positions may win out. I will continue reaching out to people to promote conservative and liberty minded principles as the foundation for a strong community- Republicans, Libertarians, Independents, and Democrats alike. I will continue on with an open heart and love for all persons as my Christian beliefs guide me in life. David Jennings ended his last post by urging his readers to pray. I too similarly urge the readers of this article to pray. I urge you to pray that as a party, as a nation, and as member of the human race we find dignity and grace with each individual. Let us recognize that if God had wanted us to all be the same he would not have made us all so very, very different and that those differences are not a weakness, but an opportunity for growth.

Christopher Busby
Future Harris County Republican Party Precinct Chair
Houston, Texas

Outreach, Log Cabin Republican style

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Since “outreach” seems to be at the forefront of Republican thought these days, I thought this email from the Log Cabin Republicans that I received this morning was interesting:

Friends,

Last Friday, over 100 Log Cabin Republicans from across the nation converged on Washington, D.C. for the grand relaunch of Log Cabin Republicans. We unveiled a new logo, a sleek new website, and a new commitment to our many local Chapters across the nation. We also declared that we were going to take a more aggressive stance against the anti-gay rhetoric pushed by a small but vocal minority of the GOP.

To that end, I’m excited to tell you about Log Cabin Republicans’ newest ad. Today, we’re running a full-page ad in Politico, calling on the Republican Party to make the tent bigger.

As Log Cabin Republicans, we know that Republicans succeed when we stress sound fiscal principles, controlled government, individual liberty, and low-tax policy. In a recent Washington Post/ABC News poll, it was revealed that 81 percent of young adults under 30 support the freedom to marry. If the Republican Party wants to remain relevant in the years to come, we must continue to champion our bedrock issues while growing Reagan’s “Big Tent” to welcome the next generation of conservative voters.

Your help is needed now more than ever. The GOP is at a critical crossroads, and Log Cabin Republicans is on the front lines of this fight. But we can’t do it alone. Your generous support of $10, $25, $50, or more today will help provide Log Cabin Republicans with the resources we need to WIN.

Today, you don’t just have the opportunity to make a difference; you have the opportunity to make history. I thank you in advance for your generosity, and your continued commitment to Log Cabin Republicans.

Sincerely,

Gregory T. Angelo

Executive Director
Log Cabin Republicans

Log Cabin Republicans is the nation’s largest Republican organization dedicated to representing the interests of LGBT Americans and their allies. The more than 30-year old organization has state and local chapters nationwide, a full-time office in Washington, DC, a federal political action committee and state political action committees.

I think that if the purpose of the LCR is to “reach out” to Republicans and get the party to accept gay marriage, this particular email and ad campaign is a fail for a couple of reasons.

First off, if your goal is to reach Republicans, you probably need to put your advertising dollars to work in a publication that reaches Republicans. Politico is a left-leaning pseudo news source that certainly has “some” Republican followers but I’d be that the few Republicans that bother to read the e-edition of Politico already support gay marriage. Sort of like a preacher reaching out to the choir sitting behind him, admonishing them to come to church. Makes no sense. I’m also not particularly impressed with the ad placement that they received from Politico:

Log Cabin Republican ad appearing in Politico's E-Edition 4-25-13
Log Cabin Republican ad appearing in Politico’s E-Edition 4-25-13

Notice that the ad is directly across from an article on a supposed rift between Bush/Cheney and an anti-gun attack on Republicans. Not exactly my idea of increasing the tent size.

But the worst part of the ad is that they use the language of the left and attack the people that they are trying to reach:

If the Republican Party wants to win future elections and set this country back on sound financial footing, it must put an end to its obsession with opposing equal rights for LGBT Americans. The GOP’s focus should be on bringing together existing members, reclaiming former Republicans, and attracting new voters. According to a Washington Post/ABC News poll, the freedom to marry is supported by 81 percent of adults younger than 30.

Notice the contradiction. In the opening part of the email, the LCR claims that they are going to be more aggressive against a small, vocal minority.

We also declared that we were going to take a more aggressive stance against the anti-gay rhetoric pushed by a small but vocal minority of the GOP.

But in the body of the ad that ran in Politico, they claim that the entire party is obsessed with opposing equal rights for LGBT Americans:

If the Republican Party wants to win future elections and set this country back on sound financial footing, it must put an end to its obsession with opposing equal rights for LGBT Americans.

Well, which is it LCR? Make up your minds already.

The idea that Republicans are obsessed with opposing equal rights for LGBT Americans is ludicrous. Certainly there are a few groups that are in the Republican tent that use rhetoric to oppose gay marriage but those groups are fading and becoming smaller. And frankly, the vitriol and hate speech from those that support gay marriage is far worse than what I see coming from those against it. Ed Hubbard addressed that in this post.  The plain truth is that there are many of us in the Republican tent that are reaching out to LGBT Americans and inviting them in. Reagan never said that you were going to love everyone in the tent, only that we need to focus on our common values and unite behind them. There will always be differences of opinion under that tent.

All of us have to learn that “outreach” goes both ways. Perhaps next time the LCR has enough money in its coffers to reach out to Republicans, they’ll remember the old saying that you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

The RNC is right (for once!): “The Republican Party needs to stop talking to itself.”

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Ed Hubbard
Ed Hubbard

Earlier this week the Republican National Committee published a report from its “Growth and Opportunity Project,”  which outlines the current weaknesses of the party and offers detailed recommendations for addressing those weaknesses.  Although I agree with many of the observations and recommendations, the report spent about 100 pages to finally admit to the reality that some of us have been trying to get the party to face for some time.  However, one observation contained in the report was so poignant (and so obvious) that it caught my attention:

The Republican Party needs to stop talking to itself. We have become expert in how to provide ideological reinforcement to like-minded people, but devastatingly we have lost the ability to be persuasive with, or welcoming to, those who do not agree with us on every issue.

That statement took my mind back to another time—more than a generation ago—when I still had more hair on top of my head than on my chin; and to a Republican leader who challenged young people like me by reminding us that we had a “rendezvous with destiny” … “to make the world over again.”  In doing so, he told us to stop talking to ourselves and to start persuading others to join us:

I want the record to show that I do not view the new re­vitalized Republican Party as one based on a principle of exclusion. After all, you do not get to be a majority party by searching for groups you won’t associate or work with. If we truly believe in our principles, we should sit down and talk. Talk with anyone, anywhere, at any time if it means talking about the principles of the Republican Party. Conservatism is not a narrow ideology nor is it the exclusive property of conservative activists.  …Our task now is not to sell a philosophy, but to make the majority of Americans, who already share that philosophy, see that modern conservatism offers them a political home. We are not a cult, we are members of a majority. Let’s act and talk like it.  …

Much of what ails the American Conservative Movement and the Republican Party is self-inflicted because we stopped talking to others.  It seems as though we foolishly concluded that, when Bill Clinton said that the era of big government was over, we had won the argument with the left.  So, we simply turned on each other and fought among ourselves over ideological purity.  As we did that, we and our ideas seemed to be less and less relevant to our neighbor’s lives.  In fact, I think it is safe to say that had the attacks on 9/11 not occurred, or had George W. Bush not responded to the 9/11 attacks as he did, the trajectory of history would have caused him to be an accidental one-term President because we already had turned inward on ourselves.

And the people we stopped talking to, and who stopped listening to us, primarily inhabit the urban zip codes that we lost so decisively in the last election.  People will not listen to someone they don’t trust, they won’t trust someone they don’t feel they know, and they won’t get to know someone who ignores them.  Most Republicans have ignored most urban neighborhoods since at least 1960, with the predictable consequences for our party as the vast majority of Americans now live inside metropolitan areas.

But our inaction has created unintended consequences for cities, too.  Remember the movie, It’s A Wonderful Life, and the segment of the story in which the Angel (Clarence) shows George Bailey what Bedford Falls would have been like without him and the Bailey Savings and Loan?  It became Potterville, with all of its loneliness, indifference, anger, decadence and despair for so many of the people George had known.  Now look at present-day Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia, and even neighborhoods in Houston, and what you’ll find are a lot of Pottervilles because we haven’t been there for generations.  We Republicans need to have a cold, hard look in the mirror and realize that many of the pathologies that have caused so much under-education, under-employment, and over-incarceration in urban neighborhoods sprouted and grew because our party abandoned most cities to the Democrats (and their failed theories of government command and control) more than a generation ago.

Now, if you find what I just wrote a little hard to swallow, compare the cities I just mentioned to today’s New York City, a Democratic stronghold that hasn’t been willing to elect a Democratic Mayor in over two decades (though Bloomberg is no Republican, he’s not really a Democrat either—he’s just an independent narcissist) but has enjoyed a prolonged civic renaissance throughout so many of its neighborhoods since the mid-1990s.

If you think clearly about the challenges America faces, one conclusion should be clear:  the country needs a revitalized Republican Party that is engaged in every neighborhood—not just along Main Street, but along the hard streets and alleys of our cities where too many lives are constantly being lost at too early of an age.  To do that, though, Republicans have to actually engage in the life of those neighborhoods—their families, civic and religious organizations, their schools, and their local governments—and use Republican principles to address real needs in those neighborhoods.

We are not a debating society, so we need to stop talking to each other about our principles.  Instead, we need to mentor the members of a new generation, through our actions and policies, to be part of a movement larger than themselves; to be part of a movement that will enlarge and enrich liberty, while transforming the opportunities for all our neighbors to live fuller and richer lives consistent with best of their dreams.  In so doing, we actually can “make the world over again”—not just talk about what should be, or what could have been.

Inside the Mind of a Black Conservative

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Kevin Fulton
Kevin Fulton

Funny when I first started writing this article it was going to be a rant about the failure of outreach done by Republicans. I wanted to blame leaders, followers, individuals, businesses, clubs, me, you…I wanted to blame everyone. Then I thought about the question I hear the most from Republicans who really care about what is going on in the Black and Hispanic communities-“what are we doing wrong”. Well here goes, I decided to pull back the veil and tell you what most Black Conservatives only discuss amongst themselves…Welcome inside the mind of a Black Conservative.

1) We are different!

One of the things that I appreciate about the Republican Party is the mantra of focusing on the person and not their race/ethnicity. While this is honorable and in fact the way the world should be, real life circumstances and history has obliterated that dream so we must come to a simple fact, we are different-but that’s OK! Although we are all Americans, we have different experiences, cultures, and means of communication but that is what makes this country so great. We know that you laugh at Hip Hop guys who wear their pants three sizes too big, but it’s ok because we laugh at Country and Western singers who wear pants three sizes too small. Understand when I look at you I see White and I know that you see Black; I don’t want to be judged by that fact, but it’s ok to recognize it. If you want to have a true open discussion about race lets first be honest with each other. When you say you do not see color then it minimizes the struggles that Blacks have faced and how much they have overcome. See my color-just don’t judge me by my color.

2) The Good ole days weren’t good

The Republican Party loves to talk about the “good ole days” the past glory of this great country and how things use to be. Well the good ole days weren’t good for everyone and when talking to Blacks and Hispanics you only conjure up images that we try hard to bury. I know the good ole days that you mention was a time of family and faith that seems to be lost in today’s culture but when I was a Democrat I didn’t get it, honestly I thought you wanted to see me back in chains. If you want to encourage Blacks and Hispanics to join our party then focus has to be on the future and not the past. Our Party offers the best chance for kids in the inner-city to make it out of drug infested neighborhoods. We all know that the Democrats need them to stay where they are so that they can maintain them as voters, we have to show them programs that we offer that will help them escape the plantation that Democrats have placed them on for their political self-interests.

3) Understand our pain

Yes I know slavery ended over 100 years ago, but overt racism was only a generation back. Let me tell you in the last six months I have been called the “N” word twice and had a friend called an “N” lover. I am a professional, a lawyer, raised by a police officer and worked as a school police officer but that has not stopped me from getting a DWB (Driving While Black) traffic stop a year ago when I was pulled over in a small Texas town. I can write a book on the incidents that I have experienced in my lifetime that reminded me that some people see me as less than a full citizen and that is a horrible feeling.

I’m not telling you this because I want your sympathy and no I don’t want any special program to even the playing field, but I also don’t want to hear arguments that racism is dead or that Blacks are “too sensitive” because I will look at you suspect.

The party is so worried that acknowledging reality will be perceived as pandering that they come across as cold and uncaring. I understand that you want to show the world that you want a colorblind society where Blacks and Hispanics can thrive, but it’s too late for that, we have allowed the Democrats to escape their racist past by pinning it on the Republicans so now we need to fix that perception at all costs.

4) When a word is not just a word

Understand the impact of some of the words that you use. Before I became a Republican and understood why words like conservative and states’ rights were important to Republicans the image that I had of the words was the way they were used by Democrats. Democrats formed the Klu Klux Klan and justified their terror campaigns and racism under the guise of conservative and states’ rights.

It’s important that you know and understand the history of racism in the Black and Hispanic community so that the words you choose to communicate our message is received in the way that they are meant to be received.

5) Know the neighborhood/Know your audience

Outreach is not about showing up on Election Day and asking for the Black or Hispanic vote. If you send people into the 3rd Ward to do outreach they better understand the daily struggles in that neighborhood or you will have no credibility. It helps if you can send in people who look like the people in the neighborhood, but everyone can help by establishing outreach programs year-round that requires constant interaction with the residents in those neighborhoods. The Black and Hispanic communities are distrustful of outsiders (with good reason based on history) so if you want them to listen to your message you need to become an insider, someone they can trust.

6) It will take time

Let me tell you, like most Blacks I was brainwashed at an early age about my obligation to the Democratic Party and I am now approximately 12 years sober. My conversion was slow but two people ultimately persuaded me that the Republican Party was the party that held out the most hope for me. The first person was a friend named Jim Terry who constantly quizzed me about my beliefs and then demonstrated to me how my beliefs were the foundation of the Republican Party. Trust me I was no easy convert, I was broke and felt that I was one incident away from needing the social net that the Democrats told me the Republicans were trying to take away from me. Jim never gave up, and eventually convinced me that I should judge the Republicans for myself and invited me to attend a Christmas Party hosted by Congressman Ed Royce (R-Fullerton). Congressman Royce was that second person in my conversion. At that party I met him and he made me feel welcome…wow what a simple concept!

The reason I am telling you about my conversion is to demonstrate that it wasn’t easy and it took time, but it happened. It is frustrating to hear political operatives say that the party tried and the Black vote numbers didn’t move. This is a long term battle that must be waged now and continue for generations. The Democrats did not win over the Black vote in one election cycle and we can’t expect to win them back in one election cycle. Just think as recent as the 70’s Blacks were voting for Republicans at an almost 20{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} rate whereas the last election without Obama you saw the rate drop to approximately 11{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} (I believe Obama is an aberration and not indicative of the Black vote going forward). What a difference that 9{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} would make in our County and State elections.

This is a defining moment for our party, if we continue to let the Democrats define us to Blacks and Hispanics then we are doomed. There is nothing more important to the future of our party than this issue and every effort must be made to turn things around. Ask yourself if you have done enough to make Blacks or Hispanics feel welcome in our party; ask yourself if your local Republican club or leadership position is only about exclusivity and feeling superior based on the membership or who comes to speak. It’s not too late to turn the numbers around, get involved, spread our ideas in EVERY area of the County and State, our motto must be NO NEIGHBORHOOD LEFT BEHIND!

(Kevin Fulton is an attorney in Houston, Texas. For more information, visit his Facebook page, The Kevin Fulton Law Office PLLC)

Raul Torres tries to break Democratic Party chokehold, again

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Competitive races for Texas Senate District seats are rare for any number of reasons but mostly because during redistricting incumbents protect themselves.  About the only SD race that “political pros” think is competitive is that for SD-10 between incumbent Sen. Wendy Davis (D) and challenger Rep. Mark Shelton (R).  But there is another race that Republican stalwarts should be involved in if they want to give more than lip service to the future and that is SD-20, a South Texas district that has been held by Democrat Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa for the past ten years but is being challenged this year by freshman Rep. Raul Torres.

There are many reasons why the Republican apparatus in Texas should support Rep. Torres but the best one is also the most obvious – he’s already done the “impossible” once. In 2010, he defeated two-term incumbent Solomon Ortiz, Jr. in a huge upset. Then “powers that be” in the Republican leadership decided to favor fellow freshman Rep. Connie Scott (R-34)  and good ol’ boy Rep. Todd Hunter (R-32) and redistricted Rep. Torres right out of his seat. He had a choice to make – run against his friend, Rep. Scott, go home and sulk, or try to find the silver in the lining.

Fortunately for Republicans around the state of Texas, he chose to try to turn a sow’s ear into a silk purse by challenging Sen. Hinojosa. Why is this important? Well, because if Torres and Shelton win, Senate Republicans will be able to overcome the tradition of the two-thirds rule. You can read more about that here. Can you imagine the possibilities if that is the case?

But why do I think he has a shot? Because I think that the voting trends of South Texas and in this specific district support the possibility. The district is much like a barbell – a population center on each end with not much in between. Here is a map of the district with the two population centers highlighted:

Texas SD-20 PlanS172

Here is a table of the counties in the district and their vote levels from 2008 and 2010:

[table id=8 /]

And here is a breakdown of population for the five largest cities in the district:

[table id=7 /]

The Obama 2008 turnout is not likely to happen but a repeat of 2010 could, along with a heavy turnout in Nueces County. If so, Rep. Torres has a very, very good chance of winning, IF he gets help from the Republican Party of Texas leadership.

But don’t think for a minute that getting R’s to 21 is the driving force behind Torre’s campaign. Make no mistake, he is an advocate for South Texas. I drove down to Corpus and dropped by his campaign headquarters on Airport Blvd. Monday afternoon. Rep. Torres was on his way back from a Republican Women’s function, so I had some time to sit and talk to his volunteers, Celest and Micaela. It’s always a good sign when you walk into a campaign office that is staffed and enthusiastic about their chances. Micaela was making phone calls for a fundraiser that Rep. Torres was holding and appeared to be having some success at getting commitments to attend. Celest is the Nueces County coordinator and gave me an overview of their activities in the Corpus area. I really appreciated them taking the time to entertain me as I waited for Rep. Torres.

When Rep. Torres arrived, we went into his strategy room and he proceeded to explain the district, his campaign, and why he thinks he has a very good chance of winning.

Rep. Raul Torres outlines SD-20 strategy.

I asked him what his number one problem is with the incumbent, Sen. Hinojosa, and he told me that it was the budget. Turns out that Sen. Hinojosa was the only Democrat in either legislative body to vote for the budget. Rep. Torres actually voted against the budget because he thought that South Texas was shortchanged when it came to the distribution of education funding. He is PASSIONATE about education and the problems that South Texas educators face. I can’t begin to give you a sense of his urgency about the problems they face. Watch this episode of Torres TV to get a feel for it:

Rep. Torres can rattle off statistic after statistic about the problems in education in South Texas and how the incumbent has failed to help address them. Two points that he stressed were:

  1. The Texas economy, and specifically South Texas, needs an educated workforce.
  2. The future growth of the Latino population in Texas and the current state of education in South Texas means that industry in the future will not have enough workers and will move to states that do.

That last point is critical, not only for South Texas, although I understand his passion for it, but for Texas as a whole. That is the very reason that Ed Hubbard is trying to start a constructive dialogue about the issue. Remember, one of the reasons that Texans revolted from Mexico was the failure of the Mexican government to provide a decent education system. Our constitution requires it – it is time to get it right.

As a CPA, Rep. Torres has made it his passion to cut waste and as such has embraced the concepts of the Theory of Constraints and Lean/Six Sigma. Although his signature bill, HB3149, did not get out of the Local & Consent Calendar Committee, he was able to attach an amendment to Sen. Mike Jackson’s SB-563 which required a pilot waste cutting program to be implemented in the Texas Workforce Commission.  And wow, was it ever successful! Please take a few minutes to read the report from the pilot program: Rapid Process Improvement: Work Opportunity Tax Credit Program. A few highlights:

  • 48 percent decrease in the average number of days, from 194 days to 101 days, and a sustained increase in the number of determinations per month
  • 60 percent decrease in the processing backlog, from five months, to less than two months
  • 45 percent increase in the percentage of applications processed by the tax filing deadline, from 60 percent for CY 2011, to 87 percent for CY 2012

Those are some amazing results! As a side note, it is fun to talk to someone that appreciates TOC/Lean/Six Sigma! I’ve been using those techniques for years in manufacturing environments – if you have a process of any kind, these tools will help you improve it. Take it to the bank. Can you imagine the savings that Texas would have today if his original bill would have gotten out of committee? We might need to discuss that at some point since there will be another challenge this year to Texas House Speaker Joe Straus.

Texas Republican leadership, listen up! You need to commit to supporting Rep. Torres in this race! As Rep. Torres told me, there are very few events that actually change political history. This election has that potential – imagine having 21 conservative Republican Senators! But even beyond that, think of the future – a South Texas Latino Republican in the Texas Senate could change Texas politics for decades by convincing Latino voters that our shared values are far greater than our differences. I hope that the Republican Party of Texas puts the ORVIS scores aside and thinks long term and puts resources behind Rep. Torres’ campaign.

Believe me, the future of Texas will be brighter for the effort.

Resources:

Cities and Census Designated Places (CDP’s)

District Population Analysis with County Subtotals

Population, VR, and TO Analysis with County Subtotals 2008

Population, VR, and TO Analysis with County Subtotals 2010

State website: Rep. Raul Torres

Campaign website: Elect Raul Torres

Facebook: State Rep. Raul Torres

Twitter: RaulTorresRep