Texas Democrats show signs of life with wins in nonpartisan local races
After years and years of wandering in the political wilderness, Texas Democrats have found a way to win some races. The secret is simple: just don’t put “Democrat” next to their candidates’ names on the ballot.
Sarcasm aside — and that’s not always easy when talking about long-losing and long-suffering Texas Democrats — kudos to the party for winning seven nonpartisan local races around the state last Saturday and advancing six other Democratic-endorsed contenders to runoffs.
A case could be made that this was among the most successful election days — if not the most — for our state’s Dems since 1994. That was the last time they won any statewide races, capturing seven of the statewide contests on that ballot. But the U.S. Senate race was lost to Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison, and the gubernatorial contest was lost when Repub George W. Bush ousted Dem Ann Richards.
Perhaps the most outstanding thing about the 1994 races is that one of the Democratic wins was an unopposed race as Mike McCormick was re-elected presiding judge of the Court of Criminal Appeals. Hard to imagine an unopposed Dem in a statewide race these days.
Aware of their failures in big races, Texas Dems wisely focused on small races in Saturday’s local contests around the state. It’s part of what they call Project LIFT (Local Investment in the Future of Texas). I believe our state is at its best when both parties wield some clout. This current one-party stuff is an invitation to excess.
Project LIFT endorsed 34 candidates in last Saturday’s nonpartisan races for city councils and school boards. The big winners in the small races included Project LIFTers Mike Floyd, an 18-year-old high school senior, for the Pearland school board; Shirley Fleming for Killeen City Council; Tammy Young for Round Rock City Council; Nakisha Paul