This cycle, Democrats have grown used to winning special elections deep in red territory, as big anti-Trump Democratic turn-out surged to overwhelm demoralized and disgusted Republicans. The opposite happened in Texas last night, where a little known right-wing Republican, Pete Flores, beat an all too well-known right-wing Democrat, Pete Gallego, in a very important special election for a state Senate seat-- a seat that will now give the GOP a super-majority in the state Senate.Pete Gallego is a corrupt Blue Dog, the kind the DCCC and Nancy Pelosi play footsie with and are re-stocking the Democratic House caucus with this cycle. Ex-Congressman Gallego is the same kind of piece of crap like current DCCC candidates Jeff Van Drew (NJ), Max Rose (NY), Kathy Manning (NC), Anthony Brindisi (NY), Ron DiNicola (PA)... When will the DCCC ever learn to stop recruiting and supporting this garbage? Democratic voters do not want them. (To answer my own question: never, not while the crew that has controlled the DCCC since 2005 still runs the dysfunctional show over there.)This was the first time in 139 years-- think of that... 1879. Rutherford B. Hayes (R) had just lost the popular vote to Samuel Tilden (D) but a "special" congressional commission awarded him 20 contested electoral votes. The Compromise of 1877-- in which the Democrats acquiesced to Hayes's election on the condition that he withdraw remaining troops protecting African-Americans from the KKK in the South-- brought about the end of Reconstruction. Yes... another one-term illegitimate president, except without help from the Kremlin, doing long-term irrepairable harm to our country. Yesterday was the first time in 139 years that the Democrats managed to lose the district-- a district with a PVI of D+12. How horrible does a Democratic candidate have to be to lose that blue of a seat in the middle of an anti-red wave cycle? Ask the DCCC. Gallego has been their boy for years. He's what they look for in every canddiate-- someone with no values, with an innate conservative lean, who will be happy to line his pockets and vote with the leadership, especially when they need someone to kill "business unfriendly" progressive legislation. Gallego lost 53% to 47%, to a retired game warden, giving the Republicans a 3/5 super-majority in the state Senate. The two were competing for the seat of state Sen. Carlos Uresti (D) who was forced to retiree after being convicted of 11 felony charges. (People don't like corrupt politicians. Why is that so hard to grok?)
Christian Archer, Gallego’s campaign strategist, said he was shocked by the results, adding that they weren’t able to generate as much excitement as the Republicans.“I don’t have any regrets, but I have a lot of disappointment,” Archer said.
No excitement generated? For a former congressman beloved of the DC establishment for his easy-going corruption and rot-gut conservatism? How is that possible? You mean Democratic voters don't want corrupt conservatives, even in wave election years? STAT! Someone tell Pelosi! Oh... too late.
“It will provide a completely unexpected gift for Republicans for the next legislative session,” said Mark Jones, a professor of political science at Rice University.Jones said Flores’ victory all but assured a Republican supermajority next year, which would allow Senate Republicans to bring bills to the floor without any Democratic support.“Tonight, I doubt anyone other than Pete Flores is happier than Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick,” Jones said.Indeed, Patrick was jubilant at Flores’ victory party at Don Pedro’s restaurant on San Antonio’s Southwest Side.“Tonight, you all just made history,” Patrick told supporters. “For the first time in history, we have 21 Republican senators. For the first time in history, we have a Hispanic Republican senator.”Patrick, who spent around $175,000 on Flores’ campaign, said the supermajority was secured Tuesday night.“This guy gives us a two-thirds majority,” he said.Late Tuesday, the Republican Party of Texas also touted Flores’ win.“Congratulations to Peter Flores on his stunning victory in SD 19 tonight-- a thrilling win for Peter Flores, the citizens of SD 19 and Republicans across Texas,” Chairman James Dickey said in a statement.More than 25,000 Texans voted in the early voting period and by mail before Tuesday. Some county election officials said they’ve seen higher turnout in the runoff than the special election a few months ago.Brandon Rottinghaus, a professor of political science at the University of Houston and author of Inside Texas Politics, credited Gallego’s loss to complacency.
Warning to DC Dems: Texas Senate District 19 stretches from San Antonio's east side to far West Texas-- just like must-win TX-23, where Gina Jones is up against Republican incumbent Will Hurd. The 23rd district-- formerly "represented" by Gallego-- has a PVI of R+1. Hillary beat Trump there 49.8% to 46.4%. It's a 71% Latino district. The DCCC, Blue Dogs, New Dems and Texas party establishment originally ran Jay Hulings, who only managed to garner 15% of the vote and come in a distant 4th. That's the DCCC being in touch with Texas, the same exact way they're in touch with California, Pennsylvania, Iowa , Florida and everywhere else. Anyway, too bad Rick Treviño didn't win the runoff. We'd be breathing easy for TX-23 now if he had. But he only was able to raise $56,021. So far Gina Jones has spent $1,177,927 to Will Hurd's $2,019,314. This corporate money in elections thing seems to be working out poorly. Maybe it should be a Democratic priority... rather than PAYGO.
