Brimer Dodges Second Debate

The following is a press release from the campaign of Wendy Davis, who is opposing Kim Brimer in Fort Worth's Senate District 10. It explains the situation very well, so I'm just reprinting it for your edification:

Fort Worth, TX - For the second consecutive night, Kim Brimer was a no-show for a public debate with challenger Wendy Davis.

Brimer informed the League of Women Voters this morning that he would be unable to attend their forum this evening in Fort Worth due to a fundraising event, after criticism of his failure the previous night to return phone calls, email and mail requests from the organizers of Monday's debate.

"In typical Kim Brimer fashion, he decided that it was more important to stay with the people writing him campaign checks than to join Wendy Davis and Tarrant County voters to talk about the issues," Davis campaign spokesman Bernie Scheffler said. "Leaving his fundraiser a half-hour early to meet with working Tarrant County families appears to have been an inconvenience for Mr. Brimer."

Brimer's second debate dodge came just 90 minutes after news broke that Brimer had accused a Tarrant County judge of impropriety in his handling of an appealed ballot challenge.

Brimer accused 2nd Court of Appeals Chief Justice John Cayce of intentionally slowing the appeals process, saying "...Mr. Cayce was still upset that he didn't get an appointment to the Supreme Court."

"I'm really disappointed in the senator in coming up with a nonsensical explanation for this situation... It is categorically false," Cayce told the Star-Telegram Tuesday. "It sounds like he is disappointed in the outcome and is grasping at straw and looking for people to blame."

Davis said that both the dodging of debates and the disrespecting of a Judge are indicative of Brimer's character.

"It is just extraordinary that a Texas Senator would disrespect a Court of Appeals judge in this manner. But it is consistent with Kim Brimer's character - he also disrespects the voters every time he tries to avoid a conversation about the issues," Davis said.