McCaul picks up elder Bush's endorsement (Texas)

American-Statesman ^ | March 18, 2004 | Ken Herman

[SwinneySwitch]

Runoff rivals spar over GOP credentials. U.S. House candidate Michael McCaul, whose GOP credentials are under fire from runoff foe Ben Streusand, has picked up the endorsement of one of the state's most popular Republicans.

Former President Bush will be a "special guest" at a March 31 McCaul campaign fund-raising reception at a private home in Houston, according to invitations sent out this week.

"We are proud in our family to have President Bush as a friend," McCaul said in an invitation letter for the event. "Lowry Mays, my father-in-law and head of the Texas A&M Board of Regents, has proudly worked closely with President Bush on his presidential library."

Mays is the chief executive officer of Clear Channel Communications.

Marc Cowart, Streusand's campaign manager, said the Bush event shows that McCaul is the candidate of "the Republican establishment."

"The feedback we hear from voters and grass roots is they don't want the Washington establishment telling them how to vote," Cowart said. "They want to make a decision based on facts, issues and backgrounds."

Streusand, in a release touting a poll financed by his campaign and showing him leading McCaul, said Wednesday that "voters are tired of business-as-usual politics from career politicians and they are ready to support someone with a business background who has a clear vision for the future."

McCaul, like Streusand, is making his first bid for elected office.

Streusand, owner of a Houston-based mortgage company, faces McCaul, a former federal prosecutor in Austin, in the April 13 runoff for the GOP nomination in the 10th Congressional District. No Democrats entered the race in the new district, which stretches from Travis County to Houston's western suburbs.

The Streusand-McCaul battle over GOP credentials was ignited by a recent Streusand mailing noting that McCaul worked for President Clinton and Attorney General Janet Reno, has contributed only $1,000 to "Republican candidates and causes," never contributed to U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and has never been a delegate to a GOP convention.

The mailing noted that Streusand has given more than $500,000 to GOP "candidates and causes," including Cornyn, and has been a delegate to GOP conventions.

McCaul said the mailing "is filled with inaccuracies and distortions of my record and outright lies." He noted that he was a nonpolitical appointee in the Justice Department, beginning under the first President Bush and ending under the current President Bush.

McCaul also said his political involvement was limited by his status as a government employee, including a stint as a Texas assistant attorney general under Cornyn. McCaul said Cornyn, who is now endorsing him, didn't allow employees to contribute to his political fund.

"I can only infer from the $500,000 Mr. Streusand has given to Republican candidates that he somehow believes he can buy his Republican credentials. I have earned my Republican credentials," McCaul said.

Cowart said the mailing was fair.

"The question is, what has (McCaul's) involvement been with the Republican Party prior to announcing his candidacy? We can't find any," he said.

McCaul noted Wednesday that Streusand contributed $500 to U.S. Rep. Ken Bentsen, D-Houston, in 2000 and gave $1,750 in 1992 and 1993 to Bob Krueger, a Democrat appointed to the U.S. Senate by Gov. Ann Richards after Lloyd Bentsen resigned to become treasury secretary. Krueger subsequently lost the seat to Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison in a 1993 special election.

Streusand and McCaul advanced to the runoff by running atop an eight-candidate field in the March 9 primary. Streusand was the top vote-getter, picking up 28 percent. McCaul ran second with 24 percent, qualifying for the runoff by picking up 864 votes more than third-place finisher John Devine, a former Houston state district judge now backing Streusand. Fourth-place finisher Dave Phillips of Houston has endorsed McCaul.

kherman@statesman.com; 445-1718

[King Black Robe]

Which one is more conservative?

[shield]

I'm voting for Ben. He is not a lawyer, he is not a federal employee.....he is a business man.

[SwinneySwitch]

I looked at the Free Market Foundation Voter Guide;

Ben Streusand answered the questions conservatively,

Michael McCaul chose not to respond.

http://www.freemarket.org/portal/pdf/English-South.pdf

[King Black Robe]

Heck, I'd vote for Streusand. No question about it. Why didn't McCaul answer the questions? Shame on him.

Great voter guide. Thanks for the link.

[fourfivesix]

one rino supporting another

[WOSG]

"The question is, what has (McCaul's) involvement been with the Republican Party prior to announcing his candidacy? We can't find any," he said. This IMHO is a valid point. I live in Travis county and nobody in the grassroots heard of him prior to his announcement.

I think Streusand will be more conservative. FWIW, John Devine endorsed Streusand. Bush 41 endorsing McCaul could be the kiss-o-death.

[Tall_Texan]

Unfortunately, this race looks like it will get nasty.

1) Complaining about contributions to Krueger and Bentsen overlooks that Streusand, as a businessman, would have likely contribued to empowered Democrats as a way to protect his business interests. Krueger, for a brief time, was the Senator while he filled out the end of Lloyd Bentsen's term. It's not political, it's business.

2) Complaining about working for Clinton or Reno overlooks that, as a career prosecutor, you don't go looking for a career change simply because one party loses power. You stay and work and serve. If you truly are a member of the "out" party, you'll be more valuable once that party is back "in" because you'll have background on important cases held over from the previous administration.

It's easy to misportray both as being more sinister than they really are. I personally don't think either one disqualifies you as a Republican.

It does seem clear though that McCaul is the Bush-Perry-Cornyn candidate and Streusand is not. So if you want more folks in congress who govern/vote like Bush, Perry and Cornyn, vote for McCaul. If you'd rather have someone more independent than that, vote Streusand.

Seems to me that's the real issue in this campaign.

[Tall_Texan]

Oops. That was the end of John Tower's term that Krueger was completing, appointed by Gov. Ann Richards.

[Tall_Texan]

Well, I stand vindicated in one regard:

Streusand is now running radio ads that *McCaul* was endorsed by the Austin American-Statesman!

I said if I were running, I wouldn't *want* their endorsement. For a conservative, an endorsement by the Statesman is like Kerry getting the endorsement of that anti-semitic Malaysian head of state.