The race to replace Sen. Mario Gallegos is cranking up, even though Gov. Perry has yet to set a date for the election. Patricia Kilday Hart laments this “delay”, writing in the Houston Chronicle:
When will the constituents of the late Sen. Gallegos finally have representation in the Texas Senate?
Robert Miller laid out the technical requirements for calling the election back on Nov. 12th on his “View from the Gallery” blog (by far the most informative place for issues about the Texas Legislature):
Earliest scenario: If the canvas occurs November 21 and the Governor issues a writ of election the same day, the special election could be held Saturday, December 15. The local canvas could occur December 26, and the runoff election could be set for January 8.
Latest scenario: If the canvas occurs December 6, the Governor could issue the writ of election on December 26. The election could be called for February 5. If the local canvas then occurs February 15, the Governor could wait until March 6 to order a March 30 runoff election.
It looks as though the “Latest scenario” is the path that the Gov. is taking, not a bad idea if you want to push conservative legislation through the Senate early in the session. I say that because it changes the 2/3 “rose bush” tradition by one vote – R’s would need only 1 Dem vote vs 2 if the SD6 seat is filled. Who knows, that could be the difference between passing vouchers or not. Or any other controversial conservative legislation.
Driving around the district, Carol Alvarado has the early lead in getting her signs up, I’d guess she has about 4 signs up for every 1 that Sylvia Garcia has up. That will change as Garcia gets ramped up but it does show that Alvarado was more prepared for the eventual death of Sen. Gallegos. I recall that back in August, when he was in critical condition, rumors were circulating of Alvarado visiting him in the hospital asking him to resign so that she could be on the ballot. Yes, politics is a brutal game.
And that is one of the reasons that I think Garcia has the edge, she often missteps because of her aggressiveness. Way back in the Chron.com archives, you’ll find lots of stories about her, including the time she was Mayor-pro-tem and bonuses were issued – she claimed not to know about them. One of the interesting things in that article Dr. Richard Murray’s prediction of her future in politics:
“Even taking the best case, that she’s telling the truth and didn’t know what was going on, it’s still a huge political misstep and probably ends any possibility that she could be elected citywide to any seat like controller or mayor. That’s probably unrealistic,” says University of Houston political scientist Richard Murray, who taught Alvarado when she attended UH.
“Very likely she would have to go for a district seat, maybe congressional down the line, but more likely a state representative or Senate seat based substantially in the community that she grew up in, where voters would be more forgiving.”
And that is exactly how it played out. There are two other reasons that I think Garcia has the advantage. If you look each of their supporter lists, you’ll see that Alvarado has the black community leaders and Garcia has the Latino leaders. In a district that is heavily Latino, those networks of Latinos should prove very helpful. And the last reason is that I think many Republicans in the district are very familiar with Garcia’s work as County Commissioner and for the most part are favorable toward her. Yes, there is a Republican on the ballot, and that might affect the first election, as Robert Miller notes, but realistically, it is an overwhelmingly Democratic district, R.W. Bray has no money, and hasn’t proven to be an effective fundraiser.
There may be other candidates that get involved but I don’t think they will affect the race in a substantial way. So for now, I’d put my money on Garcia, get out the popcorn, and watch the two Democrats tear each other apart.
Carol Alvarado has never lost an election, ever! Alvarado is from around here and was educated in local public schools, public universities and graduate schools. She is highly motivated and very energetic and yes, has signs here everywhere I turn.
Carol Alvarado lost an election in 1994.
Keith Weber-Which election did she lose in 1994?
Hmm, can we assume that Burt Levine is being paid by Alvarado? 😉
No, I am not but yes, I am looking for campaign work.
Rodolfo “Rudy” Reyes, former Councilman from League City and Maria Selva, Green Party Candidate against Gene Green in 2012 have also filed campaign treasurer designations. If there is one Republican and multiple Democrats, we could cause some heads to turn in a low turnout election.
Keith Weber-What did she run for in 1994. It wasn't CD-29 which is Garcia lost in the primary. I'm trying to research that but can't find it.
I think she was treasurer/comptroller of the city of houston
Charlie Baird-Sylvia R Garcia was Houston City Controller. Carol Alvarado was not.
Charlie Baird-Sylvia R Garcia was Houston City Controller before she ran for Harris County Commissioners Court and after she was Houston's Chief Municipal Judge. We here are asking what other positions Carol Alvarado could have run for in 1994 and before she was elected to The Houston City Council.
When was the last time that Carol Alvarado faced a truly contested election? Or, for that matter, Sylvia Garcia? All they have going for them is Spanish surnames. R.W. Bray is an unknown quality as yet, but he's certainly distinct from the competition! For myself, I still have a couple of his yard signs from the election. I also intend to get the vote out in my precinct on his behalf. The last thing we need in the Texas Senate right now- with the heartland states looking to Texas for leadership as disaster brews in Washington- is another mealy mouthed Democrat pushing an Obamanist agenda.
If any other Republican starts making noises like he/she is going to run, please, please, please talk him/her out of it! If that other person files, somebody let me know, so I can call or visit that person and hurt his/her feelings. If I can’t get the individual to withdraw, I may need some backup. You might also warn that individual that I have said this. We cannot afford to split our votes or waste manpower (sorry, personpower) on 2 campaigns!
Hey, Gene Green isn’t Hispanic.
When Mario Gallegos gave up his seat in District 143 to run for Senate in 1994, Alvarado ran for that seat. She lost.
I’d bet on Sylvia over Carol Alvarado on the D side. Sylvia has over $700k in her campaign account, she worked alongside Mario Gallegos, Chad Dunn and Robert Jara on a Commissioners Court map (which means she knows that SD inside out) and most of all, Sylvia has the $$ from all the Big Labor Engineering firms that drove the Prop 1 Rain Tax and the recent METRO GMP initiative.
I have now seen a few Sylvia Garcia signs and have read on facebook about her block walking teams. Carol Alvarado’s Breakfast yesterday featured the Pasadena Mayor, two council members and the Justice of the Peace for this Pct that is completely covered by SD-6. I have now got three pieces of mail from the Carol Alvarado Campaign and none from any other candidates for a race in which the election but a month and a week away. I’ve been told the Alvarado Camp is all “staffed up” but nonetheless it will be interesting to see how many folks do enter this race.
The Texas Tribune
Latina Liberals Vie for Senate Seat Left by Gallegos’s DeathBy JULIÁN AGUILAR
Published: December 22, 2012
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The recent death of a veteran state legislator from Houston has set the stage for an unexpected election that includes two members of a growing demographic in Texas, the progressive Latina woman.
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Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune
Carol Alvarado campaigned at a meet-and-greet in Pasadena, Tex.
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Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune
Sylvia Garcia spoke with supporters and campaign workers at a campaign office in Houston on Tuesday.
Representative Carol Alvarado, Democrat of Houston, and Sylvia Garcia, a Democrat and former Harris County commissioner, are vying to replace State Senator Mario Gallegos Jr., Democrat of Houston. Mr. Gallegos, the first Hispanic senator to represent Harris County, died Oct. 16 of complications associated with a 2007 liver transplant. There is also a Republican in the race: R. W. Bray, who was defeated by Mr. Gallegos during the general election.
Gov. Rick Perry scheduled the special election for Jan. 26, forcing candidates to enter a frenetic campaign in which a winner will not be decided until well after the 83rd legislative session convenes on Jan. 8. A runoff could delay the winner’s arrival by weeks.
The district is a Democratic stronghold: Mr. Gallegos was elected posthumously in November with 71 percent of the vote. Most highly contested races in Texas focus on a candidate’s conservative credentials, but the front-runners in this battle are Ms. Garcia, a union favorite, and Ms. Alvarado, a former Planned Parenthood board member.
They share similar viewpoints on gun control, immigration and women’s issues.
But Ms. Alvarado said her experience in the House should sway voters.
“I can talk about specifics because I have had two sessions,” she said.
Ms. Garcia, the former president of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, also served as the controller for the city of Houston. She said that if legislative experience were essential to serving in the Senate, it would be required.
“If you’re trying to suggest that I don’t have experience because I am not a House member, well, neither did Senators Dan Patrick, Joan Huffman and a couple of others,” she said. “Neither did Barbara Jordan. But does that mean they weren’t qualified to be in the State Senate? Of course not.”
Ms. Alvarado, a two-term Texas House member and former member of the Houston City Council, has the support of Mr. Gallegos’s family and of Texas Legislative Black Caucus lawmakers, including Representatives Harold Dutton, Borris L. Miles and Senfronia Thompson. Senators Rodney Ellis, Democrat of Houston, and Leticia Van de Putte, Democrat of San Antonio, have also backed Ms. Alvarado.
Ms. Garcia’s support comes from key Hispanic Democrats in the Houston delegation, including Representative Jessica Farrar, the House Democratic Caucus leader, and Representatives Ana Hernandez Luna and Armando Walle.
Ms. Alvarado also talks about small-business growth and educating a work force capable of staffing the Houston shipping channel. Asked if she was the more moderate candidate, she declined to answer and instead emphasized her working-class roots.
“I represent a working class. I grew up in the east end barrio of Houston. I started out as an activist on clean air issues, and I am still an advocate,” she said. “But as we grow and mature as a community, we have to be at the table on those discussions. I don’t want to get into labels.”
Ms. Garcia has earned the endorsements of several unions in Houston, which she said reflects her grass-roots support and name identification.
“I represented over 75 percent of that area as county commissioner,” she said. “The other 25 percent I represented as the city comptroller. I have been about standing for the rights of working families of this district. If that makes me a progressive, yes, I am the more progressive of the group.”
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