Panhandle Dem Has A Hard Row To Hoe

If there is a redder area of Texas than the Panhandle, then I'm not aware of it. Every state representative and senator from the Panhandle is a Republican (and the U.S. Representative is also) and it has been that way for quite a while now.

It has gotten so bad that the Democrats cannot even find a candidate to run in many of the races, and if a brave soul does come forward to run he/she will find that they are expected to run a campaign with no funds and little organization. Take for instance the three state representative districts in the Panhandle.

Two of the Republicans representing these districts, Rep. Chisum (District 88) and Rep. Smithee (District 86), don't have a Democratic opponent in the November election. They have virtually already been re-elected by default. The third, District 87, has a competent Democratic candidate who understands the issues and is willing to work hard for the ordinary citizens of Potter, Carson, Moore and Sherman counties. But that candidate seems to be getting very little support.

That candidate is Abel Bosquez. Bosquez is intelligent, knowledgeable, and very approachable to anyone who wants to discuss the issues or the needs of the Panhandle. But it will be very hard for him to get any votes outside of the Democratic Party. The reason for that is lack of money. He simply does not have the money to make himself known to independents and other undecided voters.

And it's just a fact of politics that voters will not vote for an unknown quantity. They will vote for someone they know but may not really like very much before they'll vote for someone they don't know. That may be harsh, but it's true. That's why candidates spend so much money to get their name and beliefs before the voters -- so those voters can feel somewhat comfortable voting for them.

But in District 87, at least so far, there is only one candidate having any success in raising campaign funds -- Republican Walter Price IV. Since the primary Price has raised $134,696 and still has $37,409 on hand. He will undoubtably raise even more as the campaign progresses. By November, the area's voters will see many billboards, newspaper ads and TV ads for Price.

By comparison, Democrat Abel Bosquez (pictured) has been able to raise only $1,725 from January 1st through June 30th, and currently has no cash on hand. Bosquez says, "The money is not coming as fast as I thought but we've got a couple of functions, one in August and the other in September, that I hope will bring money and create momentum for my campaign." He's also hoping for help from unions and the state party after Labor Day.

I hope the unions do come through with some money and decent money can be raised from the scheduled functions, but I doubt it will be enough to compete with the Republican candidate. As for the state party, I wouldn't hold my breath for help from them. They have written the Panhandle (and West Texas) off as lost causes, even though if they did offer some money and help with an organizing and registration effort they might be surprised as the results (because ongoing demographic changes in both areas could favor Democrats).

To make a long story short, Abel Bosquez is in bad need of campaign funds. We have left him flapping out in the wind for far too long and it is time to make things right. He is a good candidate, but he doesn't stand a chance if he can't get his name and issues in front of the voters. And it needs to start happening now -- not just before the election.

So I'm doing something I don't do very often on this blog. I'm asking you to donate to a political campaign. I'm not asking you to do anything I haven't done. Even though I live on a fixed income I've dug deep and sent Mr. Bosquez a small donation, and I plan to send more.

If you can help, this is the time to do it. It doesn't have to be much. Even $10 or $20 dollars will help, as a lot of small donations can really add up. If you want to help give a good Panhandle Democrat a chance to win, you can send contributions to:

Abel Bosquez Campaign

P.O. Box 527

Amarillo, Texas

79105

If you prefer to donate online, you can do so at his website bosquezfortexas.com.