Neugebauer Lands More High-powered Support: Speaker Hastert to Stump in Abilene, TX

Neugebauer lands more high-powered support Hastert to stump for GOP congressman in Abilene

Republican star power will continue to roll through the region to speak on U.S. Rep. Randy Neugebauer's behalf when U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert stops in Abilene this morning.

Hastert, R-Ill., will speak with members of the business community at 8:30 a.m. at the Abilene Civic Center. The meeting is open to all area small business owners.

Neugebauer, R-Lubbock, said they will stress the importance of business for the nation's economy.

"We will talk about how important it is to have an environment in America that is pro-business," he said, "how important it is to have a taxing infrastructure that encourages investment in America, a regulatory environment that does not choke out business and small business, and we have got to curb the lawsuit environment in America that stifles entrepreneurship."

Hastert will lay out his vision for what Congress needs to accomplish in the coming months and years to help promote business, Neugebauer said.

Hastert will be in Abilene, the eastern part of the new 19th congressional district, less than two weeks after Vice President Dick Cheney stopped in Lubbock to campaign for Neugebauer. Cheney also campaigned for Neuge bauer in Abilene in December.

Prominent Republicans are on the campaign trail with Neugebauer after he was paired with a fellow incumbent during congressional redistricting.

Charlie Stenholm, D-Abilene, has represented the 17th District since 1979. He was paired with Neugebauer during redistricting, which was orchestrated to put more Republicans in the Texas congressional delegation.

The House speaker is touring the state to campaign for other embattled Republicans in recently redrawn congressional districts. He was in Dallas Tuesday to vouch for U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Dallas. He was also in Cleburne on Monday at an event for state Rep. Arlene Wohlgemuth, who is running for the new congressional District 17, which includes Waco, College Station and President Bush's ranch in Crawford.

Neugebauer, Sessions and Wohlgemuth face incumbents who have been in Congress for at least seven terms.

Neugebauer said Hastert is another major leader he is bringing to show he has a relationship and support from national leadership and from congressional committee members.

"It is important we build a constituency not only with other leaders of Congress, but the leadership," Neugebauer said.

Stenholm's campaign has said Neugebauer is running on the record of other Repub licans and will not vote independent from his party.

Hastert, a teacher and wrestling coach for 16 years, served in the Illinois House of Representatives for six years before he was elected to the U.S. House in 1986.

I was in Abilene for a few hours last week and saw stickers saying "Republicans for Stenholm." If the popular Stenholm gets 75 percent of the Taylor Co. and surrounding areas vote, he could be on his way to victory. So Neugebauer is wise to focus on Abilene but also to try to maximize his voter support in his Lubbock base.

I also passed through parts of the districts (Irving)where Pete Sessions is opposed by the popular national Democrat Martin Frost and Wohlgemuth faces the popular media favorite Chet Edwards. Sessions seemed to have far more yard signs than Frost, not that this means anything, and Edwards' candidacy seemed more visible than that of Wohlgemuth, who I think will be handicapped by her unusual name. I think Sessions would be more likely to win than either Neugebauer or Wohlgemuth.

Why in the world would there be "Republicans for Stenholm?"

Granted, Charlie is the most conservative member of the Texas Dimocratic Congressional delegation - only because Ralph Hall jumped parties - but if he were a 'Pubbie, he'd easily be the most liberal member of the GOP delegation!
By a considerable margin!

Edwards is toast. Frost is toast. Quit being such a pessimist.

Of all the Democrats being targeted, only Stenholm has a chance to survive, and he's still the underdog. These new districts were meticulously drawn to do the utmost damage to the Democrats.

If the popular Stenholm gets 75 percent of the Taylor Co. and surrounding areas vote, he could be on his way to victory.

The "popular" Stenholm lost Taylor County in 2002 and barely managed to survive the election at all.

Pete Sessions is opposed by the popular national Democrat Martin Frost and Wohlgemuth faces the popular media favorite Chet Edwards.

The "popular" Chet Edwards also nearly lost in 2002. The "popular" Martin Frost is "popular" with liberals, but that's about it.

This year though many conservatives in Abilene will vote for Stenholm because they are voting for the "Abilene candidate," not the Democrat candidate per se. They don't want the Abilene-area congressman to be from Lubbock even if he is a Republican.

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