As we reported last month, the Texas Legislature conducted a special session for two days, adjourning sine die on July 2. With both the regular session and the special session behind us, the focus in Austin has turned from legislation to elections.
As a quick reference, the primary election will be held in March 2010, and the general election will be held in November 2010. The offices of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Comptroller, Land Commissioner, Agriculture Commissioner, and one seat on the Railroad Commission are all on the ballot. In addition to those executive agency positions, all State Representatives are up for election, as are half of the state Senate.
At the top of the ticket, the race for Governor has begun. Governor Rick Perry, who first took office in December 2000, is running for re-election, and will face U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison in the March Republican primary. Tom Schieffer, a former U.S. Ambassador to Australia and later to Japan, and Kinky Friedman, the musician and 2006 independent candidate for Governor, are both seeking the 2010 Democratic nomination for Governor. There is an active movement to draft State Senator Kirk Watson (D-Austin) to run for Governor, but he has not yet made any commitments.
Many observers have guessed about whether Senator Hutchison will resign her current office, and if she does who Governor Perry will appoint to replace her, and who will run in the special election to fill her spot, and how those people running in a special election will affect others who want to run for other offices, and so on. Several Republican officeholders, including two Railroad Commissioners, a State Senator, and a former Texas Secretary of State, as well as two notable Democrats, Houston Mayor Bill White and former Comptroller John Sharp, are all currently raising money in the event Senator Hutchison resigns from office. Suffice to say, if Senator Hutchison does resign from office (which is expected to occur later this year), the game of musical chairs for statewide office will begin in earnest.
The election contests that have received relatively little publicity, at least this far, are those for State Representative. The Texas Legislature creates new legislative districts (both for House districts and for Senate districts) every 10 years. They last redistricted in 2001 (for the 2002 elections), and they will redistrict again in 2011 (for the 2012 elections). Redistricting is a highly partisan activity, as each party looks to draw districts in a way to maximize their party’s representation in the legislature. Republicans, who have a 19-12 advantage in the Senate and a slim 76-74 advantage in the House, will be working to hold onto their numerical majority or possibly add a couple seats in the House. Democrats, on the other hand, are likely to focus their attention on races for State Representative; if Democrats can swing one seat from Republican to Democratic control, the House is evenly divided, and redistricting can be slowed down or compromised.
At this time, the election contests are very fluid. Over the next few months, we expect many changes and announcements. If and when Senator Hutchison resigns from the U.S. Senate, we expect several weeks of announcements by various candidates, both officeholders and political novices, who will seek one office or another. After the resignation (or lack thereof), we anticipate the various electoral contests to become clearer.
We will continue to monitor the situation, and will keep you informed.
Texas BOMA Legislative Update
by Robert D. Miller, Yuniedth Midence Steen, and Gardner Pate
August 10, 2009
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