“There is no “write-in” permitted in a primary in TX. Write-ins must declare themselves within 45 days of a general election and run as essentially a third-party candidate.”
That really sucks; but now that you mention it, I do recall hearing something about write-ins not counting after the ultra-tight Henry Cuellar-Ciro Rodriguez TX-28 primary in 2004 (when had there been like 60 write-ins cast and counted it would have denied Cuellar a majority and resulted in a run-off), but I thought that they were talking about write-ins for undeclared candidates.
Looked it up, and the write-in prohibition in primaries is from a 1986 law, amended in 1997. Maybe the TX legislature could amend the law and permit write-ins in federal primaries.
So, unless there’s a change in law, Stockman has really screwed conservatives by his last-minute decision; maybe he’s more than just a “fellow traveler” of the Paulistinians. That judge accused of fraud (Phil Fitzgerald) was not the only Republican to file yesterday right before the gun; TheGreenPapers.com also lists Doug Centilli, Chuck Meyer, Kim Morrell and Dave Norman as filing yesterday:
“House CD 36: Congressman Steve Stockman (Republican) - Open Seat; Doug Centilli (Republican) - added; Phil Fitzgerald (Republican) - added; Chuck Meyer (Republican) - added; Kim I. Morrell (Republican) - added; Dave Norman (Republican) - added.”
The question is, which one is the Paultard? Because I’m certain that Stockman whispered his intentions to his Paulistinian friends so that they could run a Paul cultist and steal a House seat that they could never win fairly. I think that, sadly, we’ll know which one is the Paulbot when one of them proclaims himself to be the “TEA Party choice” despite having no record of anything, and a bunch of FReepers are fooled into thinking that only so-and-so is a real conservative.
So I think that there’s a good chance that we’ll be stuck with a Paultard congressman for two years, and either James White or some other proven conservative can take out the trash in 2016, similar to what happened in MI-11 with Kerry Bentivolio.
Checked out Kim Morrell, he got only 3.5%, last place in 2012.
Centilli looks like the frontrunner to me.
Of course he works for a Congressman so he’ll be smeared as the “establishment choice”.
It would indeed make more sense if the late filing was just to get his favored replacement the nomination for the House seat. Ala Ginny Brown-Waite in Florida.
I was part of a successful write in campaign for congress in 1980 when Joe Skeen won.
White can file as a write-in and run in the 2014 general election if he wishes. Many might be able to spell “James White” but might not understand how to write in a name on a ballot. Rush calls them “low-information voters”.
There six listed for CD 36 in Harris County. Stockman is still on the list but will be removed.
https://webservices.sos.state.tx.us/candidate-filing/cf-report.aspx
Select Harris County.
Republicans
Kim I. Morrell
John Amdur
Doug Centilli
Dave Norman
Chuck Meyer
Phil Fitzgerald
Democrat
Michael K. Cole