Harris County races actually interesting, part deux
Until Democrats in Texas give up the utopian politics of their national party, they’re unlikely to win any statewide political race.
Until Republicans in Texas give up their infatuation with bathroom bills, unnecessary special sessions, and Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, they’re unlikely to carry any of the state’s urban centers except Cow Town, Fort Worth.
As I discussed last week, Harris County Commissioner Jack Morman may be the highest-profile area Republican in true danger come November. Morman faces well-known former Sheriff Adrian Garcia in heavily Hispanic Precinct 2.
Commissioner Jack Cagle’s Precinct 4 is much less of a concern for Republicans to keep. Cagle was handed the precinct upon the “retirement” of fellow Republican Jerry Eversole, who resigned in 2011 after copping a plea in a federal corruption case. Despite the taint, Cagle garnered 74 percent of the vote for his 2014 re-election. Cagle’s opponent, Penny Shaw, a lawyer practicing in Sugar Land (and Florida!), is a first-time candidate, though inexperience didn’t hurt Morman when he took down career politician Sylvia Garcia in 2010. But Shaw’s Hispanic heritage and progressive agenda are unlikely to add much to her chances in the reliably Republican Precinct 4.
Farther down the ballot — which voters sometimes scroll past quickly so they can grab lunch before going back to the office — Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart may be vulnerable. If toppled though, he might not tell anyone for a while.
Stanart, frequently a target of ridicule for his torpid release of election results, tried to speed up voting by supplanting traditional poll books with an electronic voter check-in system using iPads on plastic stands. (According to some reports, the effort cost more than $2 million.)
The swiveling plastic stands that Stanart “invented” (if making something one can easily find on Amazon counts as “invented”) had languished in storage since 2015. They were rolled out at test locations during the primaries this year, but there have been no reports of whether we’ll be checking in to vote on the tablets in November in the fashion of paying the check at some counter-service restaurants.
Regardless, we likely won’t see election results until some wiseacre starts spreading the #firestanstanart hashtag across the internet. (It’s become the election night equivalent of “the wave” at an Astros game, though not nearly as annoying or meaningless.)
Stanart faces at-large Harris County school board member Diane Trautman, which means she has already won a countywide office. An uptick in passionate Democrats on Election Day might be enough to send Stanart packing.
Then again, Democrats might skip parts of the ballot that have nothing to do with Trump.
Chris Daniel, the Harris County district clerk (not to be confused with the county clerk, quite the taxonomic delight), is another unfamiliar name in an unfamiliar office, unless you recently got jury duty. But his inoffensive anonymity should carry him into another term.
Conversely, name recognition alone should assure Orlando Sanchez’s re-election as county treasurer — a familiar name in an unfamiliar office.
Despite the power wielded (and millions of dollars managed), when compared with the state and national offices Democrats hope to gain, these Harris County offices may seem like minor-league ball. The championships are a bit hollow (no parades), and the best players are just trying to make it to the next level.
But if Democrats are going to make any gains at all in Texas, this go-round could be their best opportunity.