Statewide Democratic hopefuls sharpen attacks on GOP foes

With the clock running for them to get their messages out, the crowd of long-shot Democratic Party hopefuls running for Texas’ top offices sharpened their attacks Wednesday night on Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.

Lupe Valdez, the former Dallas County sheriff running for governor, accused the Republican leaders of engaging in a “‘Wizard of Oz’ charade” with bathrooms and a ban on sanctuary cities to distract Texans from real issues like school funding and property taxes.

Houston entrepreneur Andrew White, who hopes to beat Valdez and seven others in the March 6 primary, blasted Abbott and Patrick as belonging to the “Donald Trump School of Government.”

Flower Mound financial consultant Adrian Ocegueda criticized Republican leaders for using wedge issues to divide Texas to their benefit. Tom Wakely of San Antonio called Abbott a “neo-facist.”

Blasting Patrick, Democratic challenger Mike Collier called him “the worst lieutenant governor” in state history. And fellow Patrick challenger Michael Cooper, a Fort Worth auto executive, promised that, if elected, he will “go to Austin and kick the bully’s butt.”

“More Republican politicians have been caught doing things n bathrooms than the entire transgender community,” Collier said to cheers and loud applause at a Democratic Party candidates forum in northeast Houston, a party stronghold.

The rhetoric was harsher than at many of the previous Democratic forums in other places, just days after campaign finance reports showed the Democrats so far have raised little money to mount serious statewide campaigns in the primary against their well-funded and much-better-known GOP incumbents.

So far, Abbott and Patrick have simply ignored their Democratic challengers, saving the fight for the general election.

But in Texas’ largest city, the Wednesday forum — the first in Houston to feature statewide candidates with short speeches — charged up the crowd of more than 100 people, many of them candidates running for state and local offices.

Five of the Democrats running for governor showed up, as did both Democrats running for lieutenant governor.

On issues, most of the Democrats agreed on school finance reform, increasing teacher pay, abolishing the death penalty and cutting Texas’ skyrocketing property tax rates.

“We need a governor that is worthy of the people,” said House electronics businessman Joe Mumbach, running for Abbott’s job.