Posted on 04/08/2004 10:57:59 AM PDT by SwinneySwitch
Alice lawyer, Valley lawmaker face daunting runoff battles.
AUSTIN - The ouster of five House incumbents in the March primary was a warning to Democratic legislators to toe the party line or risk losing their jobs. Now two more face possible defeat in the April 13 runoff.
Reps. Roberto Gutierrez of McAllen and Gabi Canales of Alice each finished second in their primary elections, advancing to runoffs only because their top challengers didn't grab a majority of the vote.
Gutierrez' political future is most seriously in doubt.
Adverse publicity
The seven-term lawmaker was targeted for defeat by the Democratic Party because of his alignment with Republicans on some key votes in the 2003 legislative session.
The winner of the runoff will challenge Republican Roy Ibanez Jr., a Mission attorney, in the November general election.
In District 35, Canales finds herself running to catch Yvonne Gonzalez Toureilles, another Alice attorney, who finished first in the primary with 43 percent of the vote.
Canales, a defense lawyer, faced adverse publicity for using her legislative position to obtain delays of clients' trials during the 2003 legislative sessions.
Other runoffs
Canales and Toureilles did not immediately return telephone messages seeking comment. The winner will oppose Republican rancher and attorney Eric Opiela in November.
Democrats also have two other legislative runoffs.
In Corpus Christi's District 34, attorney Abel Herrero and businesswomen Nelda Martinez face off after driving out incumbent Jaime Capelo. The winner will run against Republican businessman Terry Arnold of Corpus Christi.
In Republican legislative runoffs, rancher Jean Killgore of Somerville opposes engineer Jay Yates of Bastrop in District 17, and investor Sam Walls of Cleburne faces real estate broker Rob Orr of Burleson in District 58 to replace Republican incumbent Arlene Wohlgemuth, who gave up the seat to run for Congress.
Women's clothing
Walls, 64, had to defend himself this week as photos of him dressed in women's clothing circulated around Johnson County, prompting the head of the local Republican Party and others to urge Walls to withdraw from the race.
Walls said he would not give in to "blackmail" from opponents who are trying to use "very old, personal information" to force him out.
He said his family had "dealt with" the issue and he apologized to his supporters for any embarrassment caused by "a small part of my personal past."
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