Posted on 09/19/2004 8:36:06 PM PDT by Theodore R.
Deep in the heart of Texas a helluva good House race
By CRAGG HINES Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
COLLEGE STATION — At last we come to the final act of Tom DeLay's passion play — his long-planned martyrdom, by redistricting, for a handful of U.S. House Democrats from Texas. They have defied him, so now they must prepare to meet their fate.
It's the Alamo, with DeLay as Santa Anna.
And so to Aggieland, at the southern end of the newly drawn 17th District, where Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, a moderate seven-term Democrat, is fighting for his political life against state Rep. Arlene Wohlgemuth, R-Burleson, a hard-right DeLay clone.
With Wohlgemuth, 56, coming from the northern part of the sprawling district and Edwards, 52, expected to do best in the middle, around his McLennan County home, analysts believe the race will be decided in precincts in and around Bryan and College Station.
"We're going to win or lose this race in Brazos County," said no less an expert than former U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm, the Democrat-turned-Republican who was once a Texas A&M economics professor and went to Congress 25 years ago from another district that included the county.
Most Republicans cast the choice as a simple question of supporting President Bush, whose ranch near Crawford is in the district.
In the closely divided House, Republicans will be happy with anyone who on opening day will cast a leadership ballot for Republican Speaker Dennis Hastert (already, in an earlier caucus, having backed the even more powerful DeLay, House majority leader).
They're adamant on the point. "Denny Hastert needs to be speaker, not that crazy woman from San Francisco," Rep. John Carter, R-Round Rock, Brazos County's current House member, told a Wohlgemuth rally before the A&M football game Saturday. Carter's slur referred to House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi.
Theoretically, Edwards, although an Aggie himself, shouldn't have a chance. As redrawn by the Legislature, at DeLay's insistence, the 17th is about 60-40 Republican. In the end, that partisan alignment may tell the tale.
Wohlgemuth predicts a "significant victory" but concedes she's in "one of the tougher races" set up by redistricting.
Edwards has refused to let Wohlgemuth nail the coffin shut quite yet.
He has run a better overall fund-raising operation and picked up endorsements that would not go to a candidate as liberal as Wohlgemuth paints Edwards. Most telling may be Edwards' backing by the state's top agricultural group.
"No one's ever accused the Texas Farm Bureau of being anything but conservative," Edwards said.
Wohlgemuth has the backing of more ideologically driven groups, including the National Taxpayers Union.
That may not be an unalloyed plus, as the NTU favors a federal budget freeze that would stymie production of the joint strike fighter plane, which would have employment consequences for the northern end of the 17th District.
There are also gaps in Wohlgemuth's Republican front, including the decision by former Brazos County Judge Al Jones to back Edwards.
"He'll have the ability to better represent us because of his seniority," Jones said.
Edwards' political career began after serving as an aide to a legendary Brazos County representative, uber-Aggie Olin E. "Tiger" Teague, a 16-termer elected as a decorated World War II veteran in 1946. He stayed until his retirement in 1978, when he was succeeded by Gramm.
(Edwards counts on locals' irritation at being a redistricting pawn. Brazos County has been in several districts over the last 30 years, including in some plans drawn by Democrats. Not long ago it was even split between two districts. "We were sacrificed," College Station Mayor Ron Silvia said of the latest remapping.)
Edwards, who is the only Texas Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, likes to point out that it would take Wohlgemuth until 2018 to accumulate his seniority.
Wohlgemuth, who emerged from a tough primary with the support of her two Republican opponents, has long been involved in GOP causes. She's accustomed to close races, having won her first legislative contest in a recount.
Her record in the Legislature has been brought into question by the emerging debacle of the Children's Health Insurance Program, which under a change sponsored by Wohlgemuth, has thrown 147,000 children off the rolls.
Edwards contends Wohlgemuth would be equally draconian once in Washington.
"She wants to do for the nation what she's done for Texas," Edwards said.
The CHIP controversy just adds to Wohlgemuth's reputation as an unbending ideologue, a trait that a senior Texas Republican said "can cut both ways" with voters.
At the Wohlgemuth rally, Gramm carefully said the race represented "a choice between two good people."
Wohlgemuth, dourly, did not echo the sentiment.
Hines is a Houston Chronicle columnist based in Washington, D.C. (cragg.hines@chron.com)
Another good house race: Pete Sessions vs. Martin Frost.
And Here's what I'm talkin' about!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1220984/posts
And Here's what I'm talkin' about!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1220984/posts
Frost v. Session is posted in a separate column by the liberal Hines. I had not Frost called a "moderate" before, maybe moderate compared to the NYC delegation?
And how is that a slur?
FROST IS A LIBERAL....AND CHET EDWARDS IS TOO.
Go Pete, Beat Frost.
GO ARLENE...beat that scumbag edwards!
Was this supposed to be a news piece or what? Does this paper HAVE news or is it just commentary?
Wohlgemuth should use the school prayer issue against Edwards, who is a complete secularist on the question. Also, I fear that her unusual name is hurting her chances. "Edwards" is an easier name for people to recall.
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