As expected, Andrew White made his encore effort for Governor official on Wednesday. I got two different impressions of it, based on which news story I read about it. From the Chron:
Andrew White
Andrew White, a Houston businessman and son of the late Gov. Mark White, officially jumped into the race to challenge Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday, branding himself an “independent Democrat” who will stay above the political fray.
White, whose father spent four years in the Governor’s Mansion in the 1980s, is arguably the biggest name to enter a so-far sleepy Democratic primary to challenge Abbott, who is seeking a record fourth term.
White told Hearst Newspapers he believes Abbott is “driven by politics” and failing to deliver on key issues like health care. He pointed to the Texas Republican’s longstanding opposition to Medicaid expansion, leaving billions in federal funding on the table.
“Texans want a leader who rises above the culture wars,” White said in an interview. “What really matters are schools, hospitals and infrastructure. You know, good old, traditional issues that affect every Texan.”
[…]
White argued Democratic voters [in 2018] weren’t “ready” for him, saying the party was “playing a lot of identity politics” and focused on movements like Black Lives Matter and MeToo.
“I think they’re ready for me now. They’re ready for a candidate that looks and speaks and acts — and with the background that I have,” he said. “I’m a balanced candidate. I’m a candidate, as an independent Democrat, that’s willing to work with both sides. I’ll work with reasonable Republicans and Democrats to get stuff done.”
This did not thrill me. Like, you can’t escape the culture wars because the Republicans are enthusiastically engaging in them – we’ve all seen what kind of laws they’ve been passing in the Lege lately, right? – and because Dems have tried that strategy in the past and it didn’t work (see: gay marriage in 2004, for one prime example). Especially in the time of Trump 2.0, when the single biggest complaint among Democratic voters (and a lot of independents) is that Dems are not doing nearly enough to fight back against the current depredations, I’m just not sure who he thinks is “ready” for him now that wasn’t then.
But the Trib story cast him in a more favorable light.
Andrew White, a Houston businessman and son of former Gov. Mark White, launched his bid for governor Wednesday, vowing to run as an independent in the Democratic primary.
“I’m not a culture warrior — I’m a problem solver,” White said in a news release. “Whether it’s floods, school shootings, or the grid failing, we need leaders who prepare us before disaster strikes, not just show up after.”
White, who unsuccessfully sought the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 2018, argued on his website that Gov. Greg Abbott “answers to extremists” and has left billions of dollars of federal funds on the table in opposing Medicaid expansion. He also accused Abbott of costing Texans billions more in electricity bills after Winter Storm Uri and through the private school voucher program he pushed lawmakers to enact earlier this year. In a news release, White called Abbott the “architect of these culture wars.”
“It’s time for a new approach,” White said on social media, adding that Democrats needed to expand their base, including independents, to defeat Abbott. On his website, White said he was “determined to build bridges while others burn them.”
I can live with the “independent” framing, though one must, you know, actually win the Democratic primary, by convincing Democratic primary voters to vote for you, before you can bring that forward. At least here, he sounds more pugilistic, which is sorely needed. Specifically blaming Abbott for the “culture wars”, and tying that to the failure to solve problems because he’s in the pocket of those who fund those culture wars, is an approach with some merit and appeal. How he runs with that from here will be the key. Let’s just say he’s still got some skeptics to convince.