Andrew White
Andrew White, the son of late Gov. Mark White, made it official Thursday morning: He is running for governor, joining the crowded Democratic primary with four days to go before the filing deadline.
White, 45, a Houston entrepreneur who has never run for office before, pitched himself in a speech here as a “common sense Democrat” who believes the state’s GOP leaders have lurched too far to the right — and as a primary candidate who stands the best chance of triumphing in the general election.
“I’m proud to be Mark White’s son. But I’m not running because I’m his son,” White said, according to prepared remarks provided by the campaign. “I’m running because we need more leaders like Mark White. We need leaders willing to do right and risk their re-election.”
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More than 100 people attended White’s announcement, including state Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston. Coleman said he was supporting White’s gubernatorial bid.
See here for the background, and here for video of White’s announcement. The Chron adds some details.
As a candidate, White said he will highlight how he believes Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick have taken Texas politics too far to the right, and that Texans need to come together on many issues to move the state forward to future success. “I will work with both sides,” he said.
White said he supports improving public schools and opposes vouchers. He is against a so-called bathroom bill that would require people to use the rest room of their birth gender, and the recently enacted ban on sanctuary cities, as well as other legislation that he says discriminates against Texans.
He supports property tax reforms, including a change in the Texas Constitution to remove a provision that amounts to a $5 billion tax break for owners of commercial property. He said he would use those savings to give teachers a pay raise.
As an avid hunter he supports gun-ownership rights, but thinks some restrictions may be wise to improve public safety.
In a position that puts him at odds with top party officials, White has been described as pro-life, though he says abortion remains legal under current law that he is not suggesting be changed.
“If I had a label it would be that I’m a common-sense Texan who is pro-business, who will do what’s right no matter the consequences,” he told the Houston Chronicle.
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First, Democratic activists said Thursday, White must explain his positions to primary voters that are contrary to party ideals.
“How does an anti-choice, conservative Democrat appeal to the thousands of progressives, women, and people of color who lobbied, rallied, and marched this year?” said Ed Espinoza, executive director of Progress Texas, an organization of progressive Democrats in Austin. “He needs to explain his positions: What does it mean to be a conservative in the era of Trump? If the legislature passes an anti-abortion bill, would he sign it? Conservatives actively oppose LGBTQ equality, from the bathroom bill to the recent Texas Supreme Court ruling that Houston can deny spousal benefits to same-sex couples. Where does he stand on that?”
Harold Cook, a veteran Democratic Party strategist, echoed that sentiment.
“I have to see how several of his positions fit with those of Democrats, and I’ve been unsuccessful so far,” Cook said. “I guess if you squinted your eyes just right, you might be able to imagine there are enough Democratic primary voters who will vote for the candidate they think will win the general election, even if you don’t agree with them, and I think that’s dead wrong. Primary voters vote their own values, and that won’t help him.”
White will definitely have to overcome a lot of skepticism, my own included. This is now the biggest and most interesting primary for Governor since 2002. I don’t know what it was like in the old days, but the past election records at the SOS website don’t show a gubernatorial primary with more than four candidates (that one was in 2002). I think it’s fair to say that the narrative is no longer “the Dems don’t have anyone running for Governor”.
Given all the ambient factors – the long statewide losing streak for Dems, which may or may not be offset by the political climate of 2018; Greg Abbott’s limitless campaign coffers, his decent level of popularity, and his lurch even farther to the right; the ever-increasing crowd in the race – I wonder what motivated everyone to make this effort. Some polling evidence to suggest they can win, or just a sufficient level of belief in themselves? A sense of duty? Not liking the other options in the primary? Everyone has their reasons for running, but everyone also presumably needed to be pushed over the hump. Usually, you don’t see this big a pileup of candidates unless there’s a clear reason to believe that anyone in that race can win it. A field this big for what is objectively seen as an extreme longshot is something different.
At this time, Lupe Valdez appears to be the consensus favorite to win in March (more realistically, in May), with Andrew White as her strongest challenger. Only Jeffrey Payne, who will surely write a check of some magnitude to himself, is going to be seen by the usual observers as a legitimate third contender. My one piece of advice, primarily aimed at Valdez and White, is to not take anything for granted. Start raising money to build a structure that will get out as many voters in March as possible. Payne will spend some money, too. Tom Wakely will have appeal to the Bernie Sanders aficionados. Grady Yarbrough, God help us, likely has the most name recognition of everyone, having run in many statewide Democratic primaries over the past 20 years and winning the primary for Ag Commissioner in 2016. Nobody wants to risk finishing behind Grady Yarbrough in this race, right? Don’t take anything for granted. Run hard, starting now. Make your best case, build an infrastructure that can be used after the primary, and may the best candidate win.
I’d really be interested to know what that $5B tax break for commercial property owners is, because I’m quite sure I am not getting any of that. It’s above market rate valuation and full freight tax for our property.
Another disingenuous comment feigning not to know the substance of the matter.