Hardcastle said, "When I first ran for state representative, my plan was to serve for about 10 years, if my constituency allowed me. By the end of my current term, I will have served 14 years. Nancy and I figured we've served in public office long enough." The move comes as a surprise, and so far there are no Republican candidates that have expressed an interest in the seat -- although I'm sure that will quickly change.
There is talk that former State Rep. Joe Heflin, a Democrat from Crosby county, might be interested in running for the position. Heflin (pictured) had served several terms as the District 85 representative, but was defeated by Jim Landtroop (R-Plainview) in 2010. Heflin had said he would not run against Hardcastle because they were friends, but now that Hardcastle won't be running that impediment has been removed.
I don't know if Heflin will run or not, but I do think it would probably be very hard for him to win a District 68 race. For one thing, he lost his last race by a pretty overwhelming margin (38% to 62%) and that was a district where he was well-known. He is not nearly as well-known in most of the counties in District 68 (which his home county is new to). And most of those counties have a recent history of voting heavily for Republicans.
Also, in 2010 the State Ethics Commission ordered Heflin to pay a $1,200 fine for some campaign finance violations. Heflin claimed they were "minor infractions". Even if they were minor, they obviously had an effect on the 2010 election -- and there is little doubt this would be brought up by a new opponent in 2012. This could be devastating for a candidate running in a district where the residents of most counties don't know him (or his record).
I would love to see a Democrat win in any of the West Texas or Panhandle districts, but I wouldn't bet two cents on Heflin's chances in the newly-drawn District 68.
which means he's already made more money than he can spend in 2 life times.
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