Rare breed
Lack of Dem candidates reflects an unhealthy ecosystem.
Native Texans know to keep their eyes peeled for the rare flora and fauna that still make their home in our state’s natural preserves, including the ocelot, horny toad or kangaroo rat.
These days, we’re on the lookout for a once prosperous species that might as well be on the verge of extinction — the statewide Texas Democrat.
No matter your political alignment, their disappearance should serve as a warning about the unhealthy state of our political ecology. Without effective competition to keep things in check, dominant political parties can spiral out of control. You end up with legislative sessions that waste time on bizarre wedge issues rather than the real core challenges facing our state.
Republicans today hold a monopoly on statewide offices with all 27 — the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, comptroller, land commissioner, agriculture commissioner, three railroad commissioners, nine members of the Supreme Court, and nine members of the Court of Criminal Appeals — belonging to that party.
No Democrat has won a statewide office since 1994, the longest losing streak in the nation.
Yes, a healthy crop of talented Democrats are running for Congress in 2018, but it’s disappointing for the state as a whole that more candidates of substance aren’t stepping up to run statewide, particularly for governor.
It’s a daunting task to run against an incumbent governor with a $41 million war chest in a state that prescribes virtually no limits on campaign donations. But it’s an important one. A Democratic candidate of substance could help steer the next legislative system away from social issues like bathroom legislation and toward issues that matter such as public school finance and accessibility to health care.
In addition, one-party dominance is a breeding ground for corruption. In the late 1950s, Houston’s newest suburb of Sharpstown was the object of much civic pride with its innovative amenities like Sharpstown Center, the first covered, air-conditioned shopping mall in the state.
No one could have predicted at the time that the crisis involving Sharpstown would end up toppling statewide Democratic leadership. Yet it was only so appropriate that the 1970 stock and bribery scandal first reared its head on the day that Democrats had gathered in Austin to celebrate their sweeping election victories and statewide dominance dating back to the end of Reconstruction.
“American democracy works best when both parties are strong and capable of holding each other accountable,” Texas Monthly writer Paul Burka wrote.
The filing deadline for statewide office is Dec. 11.