Viva Becky and Bush!
Posted on 09/27/2004 3:19:26 PM PDT by SwinneySwitch
McALLEN — If campaign signs could vote, Becky Armendariz Klein might have an advantage in the race for congressional District 25.
Klein, an Austin Republican, is running against U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, for the newly drawn fajita stripshaped district, which runs from southeast Austin to McAllen and Pharr.
And her signs are everywhere, located at busy intersections in staunchly Democratic Hidalgo County, standing alongside those of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, who are making their second White House run.
Klein described herself as "fascinated" by the District 25 campaign, knowing she has the potential to be the first Republican elected by Hidalgo County residents, she said.
"On the local level, and that means all the countywide races and the judicial races, Democrats win in Hidalgo County," Klein said. "But look at Bush — he won Hidalgo County in 1998 — at the top of the ticket."
Bush won in Hidalgo County with 54 percent of the vote when he ran for Texas governor in 1998 against Democrat Garry Mauro.
"I’m in the middle of the ticket and so it’s possible that a Republican could win," Klein said. "It would be historic, and I’m aiming to make history."
Doggett cautions that signs do not vote.
"But they are an expression of support," Doggett said. "And the ones that are the most important to me are the ones people have placed in their yards.
"I’ve got a respectable showing and I will get more up," Doggett said. "We have a lot of campaign work to do, but I feel our campaign is in good focus."
Doggett said Klein has become more aggressive here.
"She’s running a much more vigorous, aggressive campaign here in Hidalgo County than in the other counties in the district," Doggett said. "But people know me well, they know what I represent and what my values are. I just spent so much time here around the primary that I had to go back to being a congressman for awhile."
Klein’s aggressive campaigning may be due in part to her efforts to establish some name recognition with Valley voters.
"I definitely have a lot more recognition now," Klein said. "The (television) commercials we started a couple of weeks ago have helped considerably and everywhere I go people recognize me.
"It was difficult at first, but I’ve had such a strong response that it’s now inspiring."
The next few weeks will be crunch time for both candidates as the Nov. 2 election is just five weeks away.
Klein doesn’t think the Republican stance on the war in Iraq will affect her campaign.
"The war is prevalent," Klein said. "But I am the perfect person to tackle the issues, being a member of the military and having served on the Homeland Defense Task Force for the State of Texas.
"I just hope people vote for the candidate and the vote for the issues connected to the candidate."
Klein is a major in the Air Force Reserve.
Doggett said he’s going to continue being himself, and even plans to hang out at the Alton flea market on Sunday afternoons with his wife in order to reach a broader range of people.
"It’s a challenge being in multiple places at once," Doggett said. "As long as Republicans control the agenda in Washington and things are set for the same time here, it makes for a difficult choice. And when I attend events in the Valley, I miss things in Austin. I’m just going to continue working and reach as many people as I can."
The congressional races in Texas have been a money magnet, collecting more than $53 million — a state record by a wide margin — according to The Associated Press.
Both Republicans and Democrats have everything to win or lose. Republicans enjoy a very thin margin in the U.S. House, holding 228 of 435 seats, just 10 more than the majority.
The congressional elections decide which party will control the House and everything on the agenda, which can make life an uphill battle or a piece of cake for the next U.S. president.
And while Hidalgo County voters are largely Democratic, the number of signs for the Bush-Cheney ticket is up in Hidalgo County compared to the number of signs seen four years ago.
Signs for Democratic candidates John Kerry and John Edwards are almost non-existent.
Hidalgo County Democratic Chairman Juan Maldonado said the local party did not receive signs or funds for signs for the Democratic challengers.
"We have some small yard signs for Kerry-Edwards that we’ve already put out," Maldonado said. "The bigger ones haven’t arrived yet, but we won’t have that many.
"We have a bunch of the small yard signs — that’s what we’re going to use."
Maldonado said the lack of signs wouldn’t affect the outcome of the elections.
"The only thing I want to guarantee is that we not yield any ground at all," Maldonado said. "They (Republicans) keep getting a bit more daring, and every time we’ve got to make an effort that they understand that this is Democrat country and not yield any ground."
———
Alma Walzer handles special assignments, investigative reporting and politics for The Monitor. You can reach her at (956) 683-4422.
Viva Becky and Bush!
South Texas Ping!
Give doggett hell,Becky!
Go Becky, GO!
Doggett is a perpetually weak candidate and is hated in Austin and across Texas, He has no chance in this race
Go Becky, grab the fajita strip!
He has no chance in this race
One would think so, but Doggett is a snake. Rove ought to send Laura down there to draw some attention to Klein.
I completely disagree with that assessment. Doggett beat a hispanic in the Dem primary, running in a new district with completely different demographics.
Doggett is still the prohibitive favorite in this district, one the Republicans drew to elect a Rat hispanic.
The fact that Klein may be making up some ground is encouraging, but to say that Doggett has no chance is absurd.
*Becky Armendariz-Klein ping*
George W. Bush is 5' 10" tall. So Ms. Klein must be very petite.
"George W. Bush is 5' 10" tall."
I commented on this race a few months ago here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1063909/posts
I think it would take a miracle for Becky Armendariz Klein to defeat Doggett, since the district will give Bush less than 40% even if he improves greatly among Hispanics in the Rio Grande Valley, and Doggett will have a lot more money to spend. Klein would need to convince thousands upon thousands of Kerry-voting Hispanics to vote for her over the Anglo liberal Doggett, and that won't be easy to do unless Hispanic Democrat politicians who want to run for Congress in 2006 convince their supporters to vote for Klein on order to get rid of Doggett.
Have to agree with you..given the demographics..
This will be a real upset if she wins. But Hu-ahh anyway, Major.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
