The

Bluebonnet
The Newsletter of Texas College Democrats

June 2012
A few Democratic county chair races proved to be more than competitive. In Harris County, incumbent Lane Lewis narrowly defeated challenger Keryl Douglas with 53.8% of The Texas Democratic primaries ended their election cy- the vote. Manuel Medina, a political dark horse, managed cle on Tuesday, May 29th as voters from around the state to unseat popular Bexar County chair Choco Meza, also went to their respective precincts. There were a few sur- with 53.8% of the total vote. Incumbent Phyllis Wolper of prises as popular incumbents were defeated by formida- Denton County fended off her challenger John McClelble challengers and voters defied what many analysts had land by about 400 votes. Other county chairs, such as Andy Brown of Travis, Darlene Ewing of Dallas, Bill Liddle predicted. All in all, the primaries energized the Democratic voter base to get ready for the 2012 general elec- of Hays and Kenny Ketner of Lubbock, were elected unanimously. tion. In the senatorial race, Sean Hubbard, widely billed as the most formidable opponent to frontrunner Paul Sadler, came in last place on Tuesday with 16.14% of the vote. Addie Allen, an employee with the Department of Homeland Security, took 22.89% while Grady Yarbrough, a retired San Antonio educator, garnered 25.83%. Sadler took home a plurality of 35.11%, far from the majority required to secure the nomination. Sadler noted that a lack of media attention on the Democratic senatorial primaries made it difficult for voters to become informed about the race. Hubbard, who frequently targeted the former Texas Legislator throughout his campaign, later endorsed Sadler. Although Yarbrough is considered to be a perennial candidate by many, the East Texas native believes that targeting minority voters could propel him to the nomination. Yarbrough ran for statewide office in 1986 and 1990 as a Republican, and 1994 as a Democrat. This is his fourth race.

Texas Primaries Bring Surprises, Interest and Momentum

dinners through which supporters from all over the country have a chance to meet-and-greet the Commander-inChief. Donating anything from $1 to $1,000 or even more puts you in the drawing to have a meal with one of the most inspiring public figures of our generation! Entitled Dinner with Barack, these contests are held frequently and often with awesome celebrity supporters (such as George Clooney, Sarah Jessica Parker and Bill Clinton). Its a great way to reward those who make this campaign possible by making their own dreams possible. So why not help out the President during the 2012 election cycle? Itll be an added bonus to know you just might be the next seat at a dinner with Barack!

Texas Democratic Convention Runoff Elections

The Texas Democratic Party State Convention is finally here! 2012 is going to be an exciting year, and itll be even more exciting if youre apart of this years convenNow that the Democratic primary general election is out tion in Houston! of the way, its time to head into the runoffs! Runoff priItll take place June 79 at the George R. Brown Conven- maries will help determine a nominee in races where a tion Center and the Hilton of the Americas hotel. Both majority of votes was not reached. venues have won awards for their sustainability practices Runoff election day is July 31, as set by federal court orand proudly employ labor unions. Most of the nine Democratic incumbents in the United der. Early voting will take place from July 2327. ReStates House were re-nominated by their respective conA full itinerary of events can be found on the Texas Dem- member that you may vote at numerous polling places in stituencies. Eddie Bernice Johnson, Lloyd Doggett and ocratic Partys website (www.txdemocrats.org). The Con- your county during early voting, but only one on election Ruben Hinojosa handily defeated challengers with over vention will be called to order at 6 pm on Friday, but cre- day! 70% of the vote each. Representatives Al Green, Sheila Jackson Lee, Henry Cuellar and Gene Green were unop- dentials will be handed out as early as 8:30 am. Well be posed in the primaries. The Chair of the Hispanic Caucus, seeing you there! Charlie Gonzalez of San Antonio, has decided to retire after 14 years of service. He will be succeeded by former state representative Joaquin Castro.

Interested in Writing for the Bluebonnet?

Perhaps the biggest upset of the night was El Paso city councilman Beto O'Rourkes victory over incumbent Representative Silvestre Reyes. ORourke took home 50.5% of the vote, barely securing the nomination. The Campaign for Primary Accountability, a Super PAC that favors unseating long-term officeholders, pumped money and attack ads into the race.

Dinner with the President

The Presidents campaign has been hosting a series of

You could write a guest piece in the upcoming issue! All you have to have is a passion for Democratic causes and knack for politics! Contact Texas College Democrats Communication Director Danny Khalil at dkhalil@txcollegedems.org.