I think the Abilene connection has something to do with Charly Stenholm Dem (the current District 19 match-UP) who is running against a strong freshman congressman, Randy Neugebauer.
District 19 matchup among top House races
By BETSY BLANEY
Associated Press
The landscape of Democrat Charlie Stenholm's congressional campaign looks unlike any of his previous 12 re-election contests.
Since 1978, his first campaign to represent District 17, Stenholm has raised more money than his general election opponent and received the Texas Farm Bureau's endorsement.
Neither is true this campaign.
Neugebauer
But then he's never faced an incumbent.
Stenholm's 17th District — which stretched from near the New Mexico border to the outskirts of Fort Worth — was a centerpiece in the Republican redesign of Texas' congressional districts last year.
He chose to run in District 19, situated in the High Plains, the Panhandle and other counties in eastern West Texas. He faces U.S. Rep. Randy Neugebauer, R-Lubbock, a freshman incumbent, in one of the most closely watched and most expensive House races in the country.
"It's become a referendum on redistricting," said Neale Pearson, a former political science professor at Texas Tech.
The spotlight comes from there being few competitive races in the House. But moreover, Texans and others across the nation are interested in the consequences of redistricting and want to see whether Stenholm's seniority in Congress can sustain him, said Brian Gerber, an assistant professor of political science at Tech.
Neugebauer, 54, won the District 19 seat in a runoff in June 2003 after Larry Combest retired. Though lacking Stenholm's experience and voter familiarity, Neugebauer has mounted an impressive campaign. He touts his ties to the party in power in Washington, saying he can tackle issues more effectively through a GOP-driven agenda and accomplish what a Democrat can't. And he's brought in some heavy hitters to bolster his re-election: Vice President Dick Cheney has visited the district twice to stump for him.
Stenholm, the ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee, points to his 25 years of experience on Capitol Hill and what he calls his independent record to woo voters in a district that is more Republican-leaning than his previous district.
The going got tougher for Stenholm, 65, in the past six elections as District 17 grew increasingly conservative. Beginning in 1980, Stenholm won re-election to six consecutive terms without Republican opposition. His margins grew smaller during most of the 1990s, and in 2002 he won by only 4 percent.
Gerber said that despite Stenholm's name recognition, District 19 demographics favor Neugebauer.
"Neugebauer has a big advantage because this is such a Republican area, but it is still is going to be a competitive race," Gerber said.
Competitive possibly because Stenholm has been an advocate for agriculture for more than two decades, working closely with Combest to shape the $180 billion farm bill in 2002.
So it came as a big surprise to him, Stenholm said, when representatives of the Texas Farm Bureau voted to endorse Neugebauer, who has been a member of the House ag committee for only a year. The bureau's endorsement comes through its political action committee.
Neugebauer claimed it is his "hard work and leadership" that won him the endorsement.
"It's because I work on solutions instead of talking about problems and using the politics of fear," he said.
Stenholm said not all of the Farm Bureau county representatives attended the meeting where the vote was taken.
"The important vote is going to come Nov. 2," he said. "We're going to do quite fine with the rank and file of the Farm Bureau."
Neugebauer has the edge in fund raising, bringing in nearly $800,000 more than Stenholm, according to Federal Election Commission reports through June. Neugebauer's $2.1 million ranks 18th among all House candidates. Stenholm ranks 77th with his $1.3 million.
The difference in contributions, Gerber said, might be a reflection of the race's importance to the GOP.
"The Republican Party majority status and Republican donors are looking at the seat and seeing (Neugebauer's) going to have a tough race," Gerber said.
Of the individual contributions above $200 — those which require designating from where the money comes — Stenholm has gotten 61 percent from Texans and Neugebauer has gotten 91 percent from Texans, FEC spokesman Bob Biersack said.
Stenholm said most of the donations from outside Texas are from those in agriculture. Neugebauer said he has ag contributions within the district "almost" equal to Stenholm's.
With fewer than 40 competitive House races across the country, Gerber said, out-of-state Democrats see possibilities for Stenholm to extend his tenure.
"That's not a surprise given his track record," Gerber said. "Democrats are probably sending money for that reason. This is one of those races they could sneak up and steal a Republican seat."