Posted on 11/11/2004 4:01:40 PM PST by SwinneySwitch
Talk about a run should a Senate seat open up Fresh from his success in attracting more minority votes in Congressional District 23, U.S. Rep. Henry Bonilla (R-San Antonio) says he is ready to take his party's message to "the Latinos of Texas."
Bonilla's supporters say they believe this could means the Texas Republican Party's only Hispanic congressman is gearing up to run for the U.S. Senate - should U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) stand down in preparation for a gubernatorial bid.
"Let me say, first, that I would love Kay Bailey Hutchison to stay on as senator. She is a fantastic woman," said Del Rio Mayor Dora Alcala, a Republican. "But if she wants to do something else, certainly Henry Bonilla is ripe for the job. He is definitely ready for statewide office and to represent us in the U.S. Senate."
What will Governor Rick Perry do then?
Henry Bonilla has been suggested as a Senate candidate every since Phil Gramm retired.
I dunno. Perry would win in 2006 unless Kay Bailey runs. She'd win the primary, and win the governor's mansion.
I'd prefer to see her stay in the Senate. But, if she leaves, Bonilla would be a great replacement.
After all, who are the Democrats gonna run? That loser Sanchez, or the jailbird Dan Morales?
Too early to tell if Rick can beat Kay in 1 1/2 years. I think he'd win in a 3-way race with Strayhorn!
Rep Bonilla has alway been one of my favorite Reps since he first ran and won. Lamar Smith was my Rep but Bonilla was in the district next to Smith's. I can remember how his wife on the local TV News had to leave the air during the campaign because CBS said it would be unfair for her to remain on the air. I often wondered if Bonilla had been a Dem if CBS would have made her take leave during the campaign.
I'm not sure Hutchison would win the primary. It'd be a close fight, but she's slightly more liberal than Perry by all appearances, and the primary is where the only battle would take place. The winner will win Texas in the general primary, of course.
Well, I think Kay Bailey would win the primary handily. She's the most popular politician in Texas today. She'd get lots of Democrat votes as well.
Many Texas Republicans that I know aren't real happy with Perry and would for Kay Baby if she ran.
Hutchison would do fine as governor, also, and she is a reliable GOP vote in the Senate. Not much is going to change for Texas under any plausible scenario.
Hutchison would get more Democrat votes in the general election, I think, but whether she'd get any more than Perry in the primary election depends entirely on how interesting the Democrat primary battle is.
One thing we know is that Dan Morales won't be running this time, since he's caged in Federal prison in Texarkana.
"I often wondered if Bonilla had been a Dem if CBS would have made her take leave during the campaign."
Congressman Henry Bonilla would make a fantastic U.S. Senator, and I don't think any Texas Democrat could defeat him. Several of the Democrat Congressmen who lost or retired due to redistricting might run for the Senate if Hutchison steps down, and I think that by nominating Bonilla we would keep those Democrats from winning the large percentage of the Hispanic vote that they would require to win statewide.
I would much rather have the pro-life Bonilla in the Senate than the pro-choice Hutchison, so I hope that Hutchison either runs for governor or retires in 2006. And since Bonilla's district was shored up in redistricting, there is no doubt in my mind that a Hispanic Republican (perhaps Del Rio Mayor Dora Alcala, who was quoted in the article) would hold his House seat.
I agree. Republicans gain much by electing Bonilla, who is pro-life and Hispanic, to the Senate. We gain a pro-life vote and get a minority Republican Senator.
Her pro-choice stand is rather immaterial since she votes with the GOP when it matters, such as with PBA.
I would rather have Bonilla as our Senator than her, for strategic reasons.
I am very sold on Henry Bonilla; hope he runs for Senate from TX.
I would take Henry Bonilla ANY TIME over "moderate" Hutchison. He is pro-life and she isn't. She hobnobs with the liberal women senators and has even, on occasion, participated in their feckless little demonstrations.
Map of Bonilla's District...it is very Hispanic.
http://nationalatlas.gov/congdist/TX23_108.gif
A few key towns are Laredo, Del Rio, Uvalde, Fort Stockton and Pecos.
God, I hope Kay Bailey leaves the Senate. Assuming her pro-abortion record causes her to lose her gubernatorial bid, we'll be rid of her for good.
Whatever it is you can count on him screwing it up.
Bonilla was supposed to be Gramm's successor and Gramm even offered to step down early if Perry would appoint him. But Perry was his usual incompetent self and Rove didn't approve of the idea or something so it never happened.
In hindsight I believe that Bonilla would have made a better senator than Cornyn, who is a bagman for the amnesty crowd.
As for Bonilla running if Kay's seat opens up, I'm against it for two reasons. First, unlike in 2002 when the last vacancy happened, Texas' congressional seats have been redistricted the way the GOP wants them. But that also means Bonilla's seat will only remain in Republican hands so long as Bonilla holds it. Had Bonilla filled in for Gramm they could have fixed the loss of his seat in 2003. Now we have to wait until 2011 and by then the Dem will be entrenched and hard to depose even with favorable redistricting.
Second, unlike Bonilla's congressional seat, the Texas senate seat IS safe for republicans when a vacancy arises. Because of that we should probably run a candidate from a safer congressional district that will remain in Republican hands after he leaves. My first vote is for Ron Paul but I'd also take Pete Sessions. Either of them could leave their House seat and have a GOP successor take their place. Paul was the only republican who went unchallenged this year because the Dems had no chance and Sessions soundly clobbered Martin Frost
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