In the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor, the Chron goes with Ronnie Earle.
As lieutenant governor, Earle says, he would be able to work across party lines to reach consensus and avoid paralyzing the legislative process.
“I have a long history of working with anybody who is willing to sit down at the table and work things out,” Earle told the Chronicle editorial board. He says he would relish the collegial give and take in the Senate in shaping policy.
At the same time, Earle makes it clear he would not support controversial voter ID legislation, saying voter fraud is not a problem in Texas and the bill “reeks of oppression” of certain demographic groups.
If elected, he promises to open the Senate process to public input and greater transparency, just as he sought as district attorney to get community members more involved in the criminal justice process.
And the Star Telegram recommends Linda Chavez-Thompson.
Known as a tough but reasonable negotiator, Chavez-Thompson says she wants to be a consensus builder in the state Senate, tackling the issues of education funding and the projected budget shortfall. She favors passing a local-option funding bill for transportation.
Chavez-Thompson said the Republican’s leadership in gerrymandering congressional districts in 2003 bordered on “stupidness — if that’s a word.”
Because she would bring a fresh perspective, a commitment to work with both sides of the aisle and an emphasis on the state’s public schools and higher education, the Star-Telegram Editorial Board recommends Linda Chavez-Thompson for lieutenant governor in the Democratic primary.
Chavez-Thompson also picked up the BOR endorsement.
Linda Chavez-Thompson got her first job in Texas at the age of ten, working for thirty-cents an hour hoeing cotton with her family. She picked cotton, cleaned homes, and learned English when she should have been finishing high school — all so she could support her family. In her youth, she learned the values of protecting Texas families and ensuring every Texas child has the best education possible. It is amazing to hear Linda Chavez-Thompson talk about how her days growing up in Texas instilled in her the strength, intelligence, and passion she has carried with her throughout her life.
The rest of her lifetime of public service is well documented. From a ten-year old picking cotton in West Texas, she became the first woman and first person of color to serve as Executive Vice-President of the National AFL-CIO. And in that time, she — unlike her wealthy billionaire opponent, incumbent David Dewhurst — always put the best interests of Texas families first. One fellow blogger wrote passionately about why she is supporting Linda Chavez-Thompson:
Until we elect somebody like Linda, who understands what the rest of Texas goes through, our state won’t develop policies designed for everybody to succeed. Linda Chavez-Thompson has been working for those less fortunate not just her entire career, but her entire life.
We agree. We endorse Linda Chavez-Thompson for Lieutenant Governor, and hope you get to hear her story directly very soon.
Keeping the “split” theme going, Ronnie Earle had won the BOR readers poll, but their editorial board went the other way.