Posted on 04/10/2005 5:07:54 PM PDT by SwinneySwitch
Four longtime officeholders in Chambers County bolt Democrats, join regional trend
ANAHUAC - Chambers County has joined other fast-growing suburban counties where Republicans are no longer swimming against the tide to win a county office.
In fact, Republican contenders for Chambers County offices, which officials said started as a small "wave" in the late '90s, turned into a tidal wave within the past month as four more longtime Democratic officeholders defected to the other side.
The four are among the county's more powerful elected officials: the county judge, district clerk, county attorney and county treasurer.
They are responding to an influx of conservative families from the Houston area to new subdivisions in the county, a trend that has also been experienced in Montgomery, Fort Bend and Waller counties.
A majority of those who migrate to the suburban counties for cheaper housing, safer neighborhoods and better schools tend to be predominantly white conservatives, said Richard Murray, director of the University of Houston's Center for Political Policy.
"These former rural counties are being suburbanized," he said.
Yet longtime Chambers County residents remember how elections were dominated by Democrats for decades long after this rice-farming county was formed in 1858. During those years, winners were usually decided in the Democratic primaries, often because no Republicans bothered to run.
Democratic control wanes
However, Democratic control began to ebb when Precinct 3 Commissioner W.E. "Buddy" Irby switched party affiliations in 1999. Irby, a former longstanding Democratic supporter, gave the GOP its first beachhead in Chambers County.
He was joined in the 2000 election by two more Democrats turned Republicans, Precinct 6 Constable Robert Barrow and Precinct 4 Commissioner Bill Wallace. A Republican candidate also beat the Democratic contender for sheriff that year.
The latest four to jump ship are: County Judge Jimmy Sylvia, who has held an elected office for 12 years; District Clerk Bobby Scherer, who has held his seat for 33 years; County Attorney Cheryl Lieck, who has been on the job for five years; and County Treasurer Carren Sparks, who has been in office since 1993.
In Fort Bend County, Democrats held every political office until U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay of Sugar Land was elected to the Texas House in 1978.
Young conservative families then began moving into the county in droves, which led some officeholders to begin switching parties — until by 2001 all but three of the 32 elected offices were held by Republicans.
Not a single Democrat signed up to run for Montgomery County's local offices in 2004 — except the county's Democratic chairman, Raymond McNeel.
Abandoned party
The transformation in Waller County became apparent last year when two veteran Democrats abandoned their party. Sheriff Randy Smith, who has been in office 16 years, and Tax Assessor-Collector Ellen Shelburne, who has won four consecutive terms, were both re-elected as Republicans.
"It's happening everywhere across the state," said Sarah McLallen, the Texas Republican Party spokeswoman in Austin. "We're seen as the party of conservative values now."
From 1992 to 2004, she said, 197 Democrats holding county offices in Texas switched to the Republican Party.
"I'm severely disappointed," said Chambers County Democratic Chairman Guy Robert Jackson, mayor of the county seat, Anahuac. "But I still consider the defectors as friends."
At the same time, Jackson said if he finds a Democrat to run against them, he will support that candidate.
"Up until recently, we had all the countywide positions," he said.
But he acknowledges he can see a trend starting as more conservatives are moving from Houston into new subdivisions on the county's west side.
Murray, the political analyst, said the demographics eventually could shift the other direction in some of the suburban counties such as Fort Bend, where more minority families have recently relocated. "In the last presidential race, the Democratic vote had increased from 39 percent to 42 percent," he said.
Changing demographics
But in rural counties such as Chambers, politicians think they can no longer tread water and wait.
"The demographics are changing, and the Republicans are on the ascent now and Democrats on the decline. You can't ignore it if you want to stay in office," said Scherer, the district clerk, after switching parties.
All four officeholders paid a courtesy call to Jackson before changing parties.
"(Jackson) told me that he could call me a traitor and runaway and all that, but he didn't. He disagreed with our decision but knew we had to do what we had to do," Scherer said.
For years, the district clerk said friends had called him a "closet Republican" while he had insisted that he was a "conservative Democrat."
"But now, the term 'conservative' seems to be more at home in the Republican Party," he said, although he thinks neither party has all the answers.
Sylvia, the county judge, also points to the demographics.
"The west side of the county has grown like crazy, and it's a big Republican influx. Half the population now lives there. Our county carried President Bush by 75 percent."
He said he sees little difference between a Southern Democrat and a Republican.
"I am more aligned with the Republican philosophy of morals, values and conservatism," he said.
2002 election scare
Despite years of experience in office and no scandals, Sparks, the county treasurer, got a scare in the 2002 election when she came close to losing to a Republican newcomer, Sylvia said.
Sparks issued this statement about her switch: "My conservative nature is more in tune with the Republican Party. ... Without change we become stagnant and change has definitely come to Chambers County."
Lieck, the county attorney, said many new residents do not know the officeholders and cast their ballots only on whether there is an " 'R' or 'D' by their name."
"As a prosecutor, I cannot afford to be associated with liberals like Howard Dean (former presidential candidate recently named chairman of the Democratic National Committee). ... I don't like the way the Democrats are going nationally," she said. "I'm no dummy. I can see the wave."
cindy.horswell@chron.com
Yep. Just what the party needs!
Bump it up.
Last Nov. we voted out Lampson and elected Ted Poe to Congress. Beaumont and Port A. tend to the conservative candidate both (R) and (D). Houston, however, is a lost cause.
You're exactly right.
We've become the "Party of Recycled Dimocrats"
What good is that?
And you're right about Houston. Can you say "Sheila Jackson Lee? LOL!
Dittoes from another native Beaumonter who grew up there in the late 50's and early 60's. Beaumont itself was actually conservative during the 60's with a Republican Mayor, Ken Ritter (The nephew of Tex Ritter). At one point the City Council was even dominated by members of the John Birch Society although much of this was probably a reaction against forced integration by the Feds.
Ironically, I am now a resident of West Chambers Co., the area this article was written about.
They're still Democrats, but pretty conservative on the issues. And will crossover for a good candidate.
And speaking of blue on blue; Travis Co? LOL.
(I lived in Lago Vista until two years ago)
Last Nov. we voted out Lampson and elected Ted Poe to Congress.
The same turds who destroyed the democrat party in Texas are now working full time to destroy the republican party in Texas.
You need look no further than school finance to see this.
I think I'm in the only conservative area of the county--Lakeway. The lure of Lake Travis brought us here.
I haven't looked at it precinct-by-precinct, you could be right.
I known most of my acquaintances in Beaumont proper voted for Poe. Of course it might be the crowd I hang-out with too.
Jefferson:
| U. S. Representative District 2 | ||||
| Ted Poe | REP | 28,125 | 30.97% | |
| Nick Lampson | DEM | 61,893 | 68.15% | |
| Sandra Leigh Saulsbury | LIB | 792 | 0.87% | |
| ----------- | ||||
| Race Total | 90,810 | |||
| ---------------------------------------- | ||||
| Liberty: |
||||
| U. S. Representative District 2 | ||||
| Ted Poe | REP | 8,582 | 59.25% | |
| Nick Lampson | DEM | 5,454 | 37.65% | |
| Sandra Leigh Saulsbury | LIB | 448 | 3.09% | |
| ----------- | ||||
| Race Total | 14,484 | |||
| ---------------------------------------- | ||||
| Harris |
||||
| U. S. Representative District 2 | ||||
| Ted Poe | REP | 103,244 | 70.35% | |
| Nick Lampson | DEM | 40,809 | 27.80% | |
| Sandra Leigh Saulsbury | LIB | 2,691 | 1.83% | |
| ----------- | ||||
| Race Total | 146,744 | |||
"Severely disappointed? Is that the same as 'deeply saddened?"
Sure sounds like it to me.
"And why do you think he hates Tom Delay?"
Because Tom Delay is much too successful in fighting off the Demos and Libs. Simple as that.
When I left Texas, most state offices were Democrat; sales tax was about 3% and the governor suggested lowering it because of the surplus.
As I'm returning, most state offices are Repbulican; sales tax is about 8% and the governor seems to want to introduce a crypto-income tax and property taxes are much higher than Democrat-controlled New Mexico.
The GOP is still the party of Big Government and High Taxes.
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.