As they wait to see if Perry runs again, donors hedge their bets
No Texas
governor except Dolph Briscoe, who was unsuccessful, has sought
a third term since terms were lengthened from two to four years
in the mid-1970s
By Clay Robison, San Antonio
Express-News
The $881,000 secret is out, folks. Gov. Rick Perry is NOT a
lame duck. No, the political donors who gave the governor that
much money during 12 generous days in June don't know if he will
seek another term. Some may hope he does, while others probably
pray that he doesn't. But they all can read a calendar. The next
gubernatorial election won't be until 2010, but the next regular
legislative session will be in 2009 and — barring a lightning
strike on the presidential campaign trail — Perry still will be
governor then, still in a position to promote or veto the
contributors' priorities. So the money will keep coming for a
while. Despite a popular misconception, there's no limit on the
number of terms the governor or any elected state official can
serve in Texas. But most political prognosticators (including
me) have been assuming this term will be Perry's last. This
assumption is partly based on tradition. No Texas governor
except Dolph Briscoe, who was unsuccessful, has sought a third
term since terms were lengthened from two to four years in the
mid-1970s. The assumption is strengthened by Perry's unusually
low (39 percent) re-election vote share (over three major
opponents) and a legislative session in which GOP lawmakers gave
Perry an unusually rough time.
Richardson says remark derided as gay slur meant to be playful
Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
says the word means “faggot” in Spanish
By SCOTT SONNER, Santa Fe New Mexican
Democratic presidential candidate Bill
Richardson said Thursday his use of a Spanish word that some
contend is a slur against homosexuals was meant to be playful
but apologized to anyone who was offended. Richardson, a
Hispanic and the governor of New Mexico, was a guest on Don Imus’
syndicated radio program on March 29, 2006. Imus, who later lost
his job over making racial comments, jokingly said one of his
staffers suggested Richardson was “not really Hispanic.”
Richardson replied in Spanish that if the staffer believes that,
then he is a “maricon.” The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against
Defamation says the word means “faggot” in Spanish.
The Troubled Texas GOP
Will Lone Star Republicans blow it on
immigration like the California party did?
By JONATHAN GURWITZ, Wall
Street Journal
In 1994 George W. Bush delivered the coup de grāce for the
Republican revolution in Texas by defeating incumbent Gov. Ann
Richards. The GOP then went on to complete its ascendancy in the
state. But is Texas now slipping away from the GOP? The answer
is more than a little surprising, and it's not just because of
the president's sagging approval ratings. Democrats haven't won
a statewide contest since 1994, and Republicans hold comfortable
majorities in the state House and Senate. Both U.S. senators are
Republicans. And even with the loss of two tight congressional
races last year, Republicans hold 19 of 32 congressional
districts. There are, however, signs of trouble for the GOP.
Merkley: I'll make up my mind by end of July
The committee, which has zeroed in on
Smith's seat as a top target for a Democratic upset, is still
looking for a candidate
By the Oregonian
Oregon House Speaker Jeff Merkley, D-Portland, said Friday
he'll announce by the end of the month whether he'll run for
U.S. Senate. Last month, Merkley said he had traveled to the
East Coast to talk to national Democratic fund-raisers about the
possibility of running to unseat U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith, a
Republican who will be seeking his third term in 2008. "A
campaign is tough on family," Merkley said. "I have small
children. So we're having lots of discussions in the family as
to whether this makes sense." Earlier this year, there were
reports that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee had
offered at least $5 million in campaign cash if U.S. Rep. Peter
DeFazio ran against Smith. DeFazio has since said he's not
interested. The committee, which has zeroed in on Smith's seat
as a top target for a Democratic upset, is still looking for a
candidate to back. The only other two Democrats to say they're
running so far are Portland activist Steve Novick and
businessman Ty Pettit. Other Democrats who say they might run
include state Sen. Alan Bates, of Ashland, Portland
businesswoman Eileen Brady and Southern Oregon radio host Jeff
Golden.
Ex-state Sen. Nixon in trouble with the law again
He was jailed 10 years ago in a sex case
and now faces charges of official oppression
By LISA SANDBERG, Houston
Chronicle
Ten years after serving jail time for soliciting sex from an
undercover police officer, former state Sen. Drew Nixon faces
new charges of official oppression in connection with an East
Texas election, the Texas Attorney General's office said.
Override session still on Tuesday
By Treena Shapiro, Honolulu
Advertiser
Gov. Linda Lingle publicly asked lawmakers yesterday to
compromise on a few bills on her potential veto list, but
legislative leaders said they intend to stick with their own
plans for a one-day special override session on Tuesday. If
there are technical problems with any of the bills on the veto
list, leaders said, they can be repaired next session. In an
open letter to Senate President Colleen Hanabusa and House
Speaker Calvin Say, Lingle asked for what she called "technical"
changes to at least four bills so she can sign them into law.
The bills cited in the governor's letter include a move to buy
prime agricultural land in Kunia and 'Ewa, put crosswalk timers
at certain intersections, build a traffic control center on Maui
and provide money for a Creative Media Academy and MELE programs
through the state university system. "All these that we picked,
we think are important, and we think they're easy to fix. We
don't think there's a big philosophical difference," Lingle said
at a news conference yesterday.
Death-penalty opponents hope for last-minute stay
of execution
Elijah Page's death sentence is scheduled
to be carried out next week
By Justin Wolfgang, Rapid
City Journal
Death-penalty opponents are holding to slim hope that Gov.
Mike Rounds might issue another last-minute stay of execution
for Elijah Page next week. Deb McIntyre, executive director of
South Dakota Peace and Justice Center, has thought through all
the possible reasons the governor might stay the execution and
believes last year's decision might be a positive sign. "Getting
that delay means that maybe it's not meant to happen," she said.
"It says that someone, somewhere was recognizing that this was a
bad thing to do -- to find that loophole if Page wasn't even
looking for a loophole." But state Sen. Bill Napoli said if
Rounds issues another stay of execution, the governor would be
ending his political career. "He doesn't have any choice if he
wants to maintain any sort of credibility with the people of
South Dakota," he said.
State considers what amount is legal for
medicinal marijuana
By the Associated Press, The
Olympian
This fall, sober public servants will convene meetings
across Washington state to answer a pressing question: How much
marijuana constitutes a two-month supply? What may seem like an
odd question for straight-laced government types to tackle is a
serious attempt to shore up the state's medical marijuana law,
which has been around for nearly a decade without defining the
60-day supply patients are allowed to have on hand.
Universities help pay salaries of Richardson
appointees
By the Associated Press, Santa Fe
New Mexican
Two New Mexico universities are helping foot the bill of
Gov. Bill Richardson appointees, and the arrangement has some
concerned about potential conflicts of interest. The University
of New Mexico will pay nearly $100,000 a year toward Higher
Education Secretary Reed Dasenbrock’s $257,250 salary and
$60,000 a year toward Health Secretary Alfredo Vigil’s $175,000
salary. New Mexico State University, meanwhile, is paying
William Flores his $220,000 provost salary while he serves as
deputy secretary of higher education.
