On Bad Ideas

Big Bad John, SD 7 - Marc Campos

Apparently not everyone thinks we should field a full slate of candidates:

Yesterday, an internet opinion suggested that Dems field a candidate in SD 7. They said Dems can go from 25% to maybe 40% - from a severe a__ whipping, to a solid a__ whipping. Bad idea. It costs $1250 to file for state senator. Better idea to send that money to Ellen Cohen.

Hmm, who could Marc be calling out here? Marc, seriously ... it's ok to use real names.

But more seriously, it's important to put a candidate in each legislative district. If we are to be the party that must horde our precious resources and keep quiet in certain nooks and crannies of the state, then what good are we as a party? Not to be too self-indulgent on my own "commentary," but I think this still stands as worthwhile logic for building a party:

The central truth here is simple: campaigns revolve around candidates. Ideas, no doubt, drive campaigns (I say this as an idea person), but candidates are the messengers. One active shoestring candidate hustling up votes in the Galleria is worth more than the Sharpstown Mall satellite office I was fortunate enough to man. We need both approaches as a party, but for too long, we've been ignoring the biggest asset our party can put forth: a candidate.

Without candidates, we are nothing as a party ... nothing. With only a half-slate of candidates, we're half a party (see how the math works, there?). A $1,250 donation to Ellen Cohen would indeed be a worthwhile investment. But a candidate pulling in up to 40% in SD7 is likely to get some crossover votes not only for themselves, but for countywide candidates. They're also more likely to get a few more volunteers out into the streets and onto the phones. These things all add up so that, eventually, the Ellen Cohens (and Hubert Vos and Scott Hochbergs) of the world are not quite as beseiged by allowing the GOP to pour a neverending stream of resources into a what few areas of opportunity they have as a party.

Go back and check the website for Talmadge Heflin. See that list of blockwalkers? Fellow State Reps Chalie Geren, Lois Kolkhorst, Dwayne Bohac, Dennis Bonnen, Wayne Smith somehow appear on that list. Hmmm, wouldn't it be a great idea to keep those guys (and gal) busy in their own district rather than helping the ever-growing list of endangered Republicans in this state?

Marc breaks down the population in SD7, but perhaps another way of looking at the need for a voice in the 7th comes from looking at the 2002 election results of Harris County area Senate Districts: