WorldPeace handicaps the Texas Senate Race
The candidates:
Ken Bentsen - Democrat - Has kept his nose clean in congress. Knows the territory and the game in Washington. Has the Bentsen family name that was favorably stamped on Texas for many years. In the end, he's the Democratic man. Oh yes, he is a white guy. Has a just right web page for a U S Rep and Senate candidate.
Ron Kirk - Democrat - Lots of Party backing. Former Mayor of Dallas but not much better than Lee Brown in Houston in real job performance. Certainly no King. A Black Rock Hudson. Personable and lots of Party backing. Super high tech web page. Looks like lots of money. Not Colin Powell so in the end, the White guy wins. This is still Texas and race is important. And even in America, that club of all clubs, the United States Senate is still White male dominated. When the under fifty crowd (those who went to integrated schools in Texas) become the majority of the population in Texas, then the top offices in this state will be open to people of color. Right now governor, lt. governor and US Senator are reserved for Whites. The Hispanics have broken the glass ceiling in regards to attorney general. Racism is unfortunate but it is a political reality in Texas.
Victor Morales - Democrat - Interesting teacher guy who did very well in 1996. Surprised everyone but he received a lot of help from the press. No web page. The old white truck is old news. Has a problem with Morales and Morales on the ballot. But a lot of people remember.
Dan Morales - Democrat - Definitely a vote getter. But problems with that tobacco settlement. Has a problem with Morales and Morales on the ballot. No web page.
Ed Cunningham - Democrat - Nice guy. No history. Promotes Hispanic wife on web page. Will get some bucks from old footballers. Ignored by the press to date and will probably continue to be ignored. Has a web page with five big? issues. He's the other Democratic White guy.
John Cornyn - Republican - Phil Gramm clone but a little more to the right; not quite the Christian right and a way yet from Hitler, but pretty conservative. Because of cloning he will be a psuedo-incumbent.
The results:
Ken Bensen, Vic Morales and Ron Kirk will definitely be the top three in the Democratic Primary. Dan Morales a distant fourth, Ed Cunningham a more distant fifth. Bentsen will take the run-off.
In the general election, if Bentsen is the Democratic man, the Democrats will rally and take the day. The Blacks and Hispanics will lay aside their Primary feuding and vote Democratic. If Kirk is the Democratic man, he loses bad to Cornyn. If Vic Morales is the Democratic man, he loses to Cornyn in a close race. Cornyn's experience will trump the novelty of the common Hispanic man.
John WorldPeace
The next governor of Texas
November 15, 2001
Senate seat
By Dave McNeely
American-Statesman Staff
Wednesday, November 14, 2001
The driver of the white pickup is back.
Schoolteacher Victor Morales, who parlayed driving all over Texas in a 1992 white Nissan pickup into the 1996 Democratic U.S. Senate nomination -- only to lose to incumbent Republican Phil Gramm -- announced his intention Tuesday to run again for the seat Gramm will vacate next year.
Morales drove his truck to the Capitol on Tuesday to make his announcement and to say he doesn't care that former Attorney General Dan Morales might run, too. Victor Morales said he'll get more votes because, "I'm closer to the people."
Nor does he care that former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk, who also is seeking the Democratic nomination for Senate, apparently will be endorsed by Texas' best-known Hispanic politician -- Henry Cisneros, the former San Antonio mayor and Housing and Urban Development secretary.
"He has all the big shots," Victor Morales said.
Cisneros told WFAA-TV on Monday that with Tony Sanchez as a Democratic gubernatorial candidate, "I think the right thing to top out the ticket is for Ron Kirk to be our U.S. Senate candidate."
Even though some Hispanics might feel betrayed, Cisneros said, "I just don't want to see us gravitate to a point where one group -- in this case Hispanics, because they have growing political clout -- edge out some other group that has a place at the table as well." Kirk is African American.
Cisneros said he won't make a formal endorsement until January.
Dan Morales said Cisneros had visited him recently and told him that other Democrats wanted him out of the race, but he hadn't thought Cisneros would endorse someone else.
"Henry is a good guy," Dan Morales said, "a close friend. He's a good Democrat, and I will always value his counsel."