Texas Dems Have 3 Senate Candidates

A few months ago it looked like the Democratic Party in Texas would be running retired General Rick Sanchez for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison. Some senators from outside the state had come down and talked him into running, thinking that his high-profile military service in Iraq would be attractive to Texas voters. But several factors combined to prevent that -- namely the Abu Ghraib scandal, his boring campaign style, and only a half-hearted desire to be the candidate. Fortunately, he dropped out before the campaign really started.

But that left Democrats wondering who they had that could be a viable candidate. Frankly, there is no one in the party who really has statewide name recognition -- mainly due to the fact that Democrats haven't had an elected official holding statewide office in a long time. That means that any Democrat who runs will have a big job to do to get his name known in all portions of this very big state -- both in the primary and in the general election.

But while they may all be virtual unknowns to most Texans, there are three candidates running for the Democratic nomination for the senate seat. Here they are:

The Progressive Candidate

Sean Hubbard is the youngest candidate, and that may be his biggest problem (since he looks even younger than his actual age of 31 years old). But he is also unashamed of his progressive views.

Hubbard worked in the Obama campaign here in Texas in the last election. And he is a person who can be counted on to vote with the Democrats to support the president's initiatives.

He lists his top issues as the economy (especially in the area of job creation), education, and clean energy. He says, "What we have to do is get back to reminding folks what being a progressive means, and what being a Democrat is. We're the party of Social Security and Medicare; we're the party that fights for civil rights."

You can check out his background and issues at his website, which is the most complete website of all of the three candidates.

The Blue Dog Candidate ?

Paul Sadler is the only candidate with any elective experience. He served in the Texas House from 1991 to 2003, representing the East Texas counties of Rusk, Harrison, and Panola. He has worked as a lobbyist in Austin since losing his bid for a seat in the Texas Senate.

He had a stellar record in education when he was in the Texas House, and received numerous awards for his work in the area of education. But his website doesn't have (at least not yet) an issues page, so it is hard to know where he stands on issues important to Democrats nationwide.

This, in addition to his East Texas roots and the following quote from his website, tends to make me think he is a "conservative" Democrat (a blue dog). He says, "Today, it seems we spend a lot of our time calling each other conservative or liberal, moderate or progressive. I want us to be problem solvers committed to the principles of this great country. Those principles are larger than a label - they live inside each of us." In Texas, when a politician refuses a label and calls himself a "problem solver" that usually means he is a "blue dog" who will vote with national Republicans far too much.

Maybe I'm wrong. I hope I am. But until I see where he stands on some issues important to national Democrats, he looks like a blue dog to me. Here is his website.

The Mystery Candidate

I call Jason Gibson the "mystery candidate" because very little is known about him or his stand on the issues. We know he is a very successful trial lawyer, who has never held political office -- but that is about all we know. And his website doesn't help much at all. There is neither a bio nor an issues page on that site.

Here is the total content on his webpage (and it is just one page -- at least so far):

"I built my career fighting for everyday Texans. And like you, I’m frustrated with the half-hearted opposition to Republican gridlock in Washington.

For Democrats to win in Texas, we need New Leadership and a New Direction — that’s why I’m running for U.S. Senate."

Those are the three choices that Texas Democrats have right now. I haven't made a decision yet, since I would really like more information on all three of them. But right now, I'm leaning toward Sean Hubbard.