There's a bit of a groundswell going on in the blogs for State Rep. Pete Gallego of Alpine to run for the State Senate seat currently held by Frank Madla of San Antonio - see Andrew D, In the Pink and PinkDome for more. I don't know what Sen. Madla's plans are, but I will certainly be happy to thank him for his many years of public service if he decides that those many years are finished. And if Sen. Madla decides to take a well-deserved retirement after those many years of public service, I will be more than happy to see Rep. Gallego, a dedicated and well-regarded member of the House Democratic Leadership team and the first freshman rep ever to be elected chair of the House Democratic Caucus, step up to replace him.

Gallego has apparently given at least some thought to this, as he recently attended a forum in San Antonio (Gallego is from Alpine in West Texas; Madla's district has most of its population in San Antonio but covers a vast swath of West Texas, including Gallego's district) attended by various business, education, and political leaders (including Sen. Madla) and according to an email I got from an attendee, "he was charming, he was charismatic and he left the crowd wanting more. The crowd laughed, they clapped, and they constantly nodded in agreement."

Gallego would have some competition for Madla's seat from San Antonio reps Carlos Uresti and Robert Puente (both of whom were also in attendance at that forum), but with all due respect to those gentlemen, Gallego is the best option. When I look down the road to 2010 or 2014, it's Pete Gallego whom I can see mounting a successful campaign for Governor or US Senator. But of course it all depends on whether or not Sen. Madla chooses to put a distinguished end to his many, many years of honorable public service. So I guess we'll just have to see what he does.