For state Senate

Experienced Whitmire can get things done; Huffman’s work on pension reform a plus.

State Senator, District 15: John Whitmire Randy Orr - Republican Party:

John Whitmire - Democratic Party:

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It’s hard to imagine anyone surviving 45 years in the Texas Legislature, but state Sen. John Whitmire has done just that and is seeking another four-year term in November to represent this arc-shaped district that stretches from Montrose up along Highway 290 before curving through Humble, Highlands, parts of Baytown and the outskirts of Jacinto City.

Whitmire, 69, is an old-fashioned straight shooter who as dean of the Senate knows how to gets things done. He is good at picking his battles and working with Republicans to get what he wants.

“If I weren’t there, no one else would do what I do,” he told the Chronicle editorial board.

He chaired the Criminal Justice Committee last session and never runs out of ideas for needed reforms in the criminal justice system. A lot of the measures he pushes through are common sense changes aimed at helping the convicted serve their sentences without losing the ability to become productive citizens again or go broke meeting probation requirements. He also is on a campaign to close prisons that are not needed.

In our meeting, he painted a dark picture of declining state services due to big tax cuts, badly indebted school districts despite soaring property taxes and skyhigh college costs brought on by the deregulation of tuition fees. He faulted Gov. Greg Abbott for not calling a special legislative session after Hurricane Harvey and refusing to immediately use the Rainy Day Fund to help the areas badly damaged by the epic storm.

The truth is that we would prefer to see Whitmire run for lieutenant governor, where his experience and knowledge could be fully utilized.

Opponent Orr is a retired Teamster with no political experience who said he ran “to represent the common man.” His sincerity was engaging, but like many novice candidates he has a lot to learn about the issues. Besides, there are few stronger advocates in Austin for unions and the common man than Whitmire.

Whitmire is not a saint, he has been accused of conflicts of interest and there are those who think he should fight harder to grow the Texas Democratic Party rather than manage its shrinking slice of the political pie. But we view him as an essential voice in the Texas Senate, so he earns our endorsement. State Senator, District 17: Joan Huffman Joan Huffman - Republican Party: Rita Lucido - Democratic Party:

This is a tough call, but Republican incumbent Joan Huffman’s skill at ushering through Houston’s pension reform bill should earn her re-election to the state Senate.

Huffman is facing Democratic challenger Rita Lucido in a rematch of the 2014 election that Huffman won by a two to one margin. An expected statewide “Democratic wave” supposedly has made this a closer fight in the district that extends from Freeport north to Katy then turns east to include the West University area.

Huffman, 62 and a former Harris County prosecutor, has been in the Senate for 10 years and chaired the powerful State Affairs Committee last session.

In addition to negotiating a very difficult overhaul of the city of Houston’s troubled pension funds, she also worked across the aisle on issues like sex trafficking and a voter ID overhaul. Somehow Huffman has found a way to distance herself from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s thrall without attracting his ire. It is a balancing act that deserves recognition. No wonder that Texas Monthly listed her as one of the best legislators last session — albeit after deeming her one of the worst in prior years.

On the negative side, she backed Patrick’s ridiculous bathroom bill, the counter-productive “show me your papers” bill, the expenditure of $800 million for “border security” that, at best, was duplicative of federal efforts and was a reliable vote for bills aimed at making it difficult to get an abortion.

Lucido, also an attorney and 62, is tough and smart like Huffman, but unlike her, would reliably fight Patrick and Abbott’s efforts to impose their extreme politics on the state. She wants to reduce property taxes by returning the state’s share of public school funding to its traditional 50 percent and stopping the diversion of public funds to charter schools. However she opposes increased sales taxes that Republicans are advocating to shore up that school funding, which she views as hurting the poor.