Politex

Clinton allies threaten caucus lawsuit: report

The Rio Grande Guardian is reporting that supporters of Hillary Clinton are threatening to file a lawsuit over botched weekend caucuses in South Texas. The web publication quotes Clinton supporter David Garza of McAllen as saying that attorneys for the New York senator have been contacted over "totally illegal" manuevers that, they complain, boosted Barack Obama's performance.

Meanwhile, the Guardian says Obama supporters in South Texas have filed a complaint with the Texas Democratic Party over allegations of double-counting -- favoring Clinton -- at the caucus held in Laredo.

The news comes as the Associated Press reports that Obama, thanks to his strong caucus showing, beat Clinton in Texas by a margin of five pledged delegates even though the former first lady narrowly won the popular vote. Clinton aides concede the New York senator lost the caucuses but say Obama's lead in Texas is smaller than that. The numbers won't be official until the state party's convention this summer.

-- Jay Root

Collin County's democratic convention was an all-nighter

The Collin County Democratic Party began their democratic convention at 10 a.m. yesterday.

It ended at 7:15 a.m. this morning.

The 21-hour event went off pretty well, said party vice chair D. Shawn Stevens, who was still speaking coherently and in full sentences while on the phone with me after pulling the equivalent of a raging kegger minus the booze.

Who will be this campaign season's Sanjaya? Omarosa?

Alyson Ward had an essay in yesterday's S-T about how the presidential race has become like the longest, most entertaining reality show for viewers.

  We even talk about the candidates as if they're reality-TV stock characters.

Clinton is the beloved victim of a media-rigged game -- or she's the evil, plotting character viewers love to hate. (Will she stop at nothing to win? Find out next week!)

Barack Obama is the smooth fan favorite who can do no wrong -- or he's the one who made it to the final rounds without having to prove himself. (Will he self-destruct? Tune in to Thursday's debate!)

And John McCain, now that he's sewn up the Republican nomination, is the sneak-up contestant -- so low-drama, he just might win before anyone really takes him on. (Can McCain maintain his immunity to the final round?)With characters like these -- passionately liked or disliked, intensely interesting to watch -- who wouldn't tune in? It's dramatic, and it's shown on every channel, at all times of the day. Besides that, it's guilt-free, because who can fault us for following an election?

-Aman Batheja

Clinton admits caucus defeat but margin in dispute

Hillary Clinton's campaign concedes losing the first two steps of the "Texas Two Step" caucuses to Barack Obama. What's still in dispute is the former first lady's margin of defeat.

Clinton, of course, won the popular vote on March 4, netting her four Texas delegates via the March 4 primary. But Obama's lopsided victory in the caucuses erased her lead. Obama folks say he netted nine delegates in the caucuses. Do the math and the Illinois senator would have five more pledged Texas delegates than Clinton, a 99-94 split. That's how CNN projected it weeks ago.

But while Clinton's top Texas honcho, Garry Mauro, acknowledged losing the county-level conventions to Obama Saturday and Sunday, he said it was too soon to make precise delegate predictions. He agreed Obama was ahead Sunday night, but said it was between one and three pledged delegates statewide.

"It looks like he’s got a small lead, but it’s a lot smaller than it was on Election Night,’’ Mauro said

That the two presidential candidates are still fighting so intensely over what appears to be at most three Texas delegates -- weeks after voters went to the polls -- indicates just how bitterly contested the 2008 Democratic race has become. Obama leads Clinton nationally by about 125 delegates, depending on who’s doing the counting.

Obama thanked his Texas supporters in a statement released by his campaign Sunday night.

“I want to thank the record-setting number of Texans who participated in the caucuses and helped our campaign secure an important victory in Texas,” said Obama.  “Texans from across the state sent a crystal clear message that families across America are ready for change in Washington.”

-- Jay Root

Barack Obama wins caucuses, has Texas delegate lead

Barack Obama dominated Hillary Clinton in round two of the state caucus process over the weekend, leaving the Illinois senator poised to win more pledged national delegates from Texas despite narrowly losing the popular vote a few weeks ago.

The results won’t truly be official until the Democrats meet at their state party convention in June, but Obama’s legendary organizational strength -- helping him win 14 of the last 17 caucuses, including the one here –- all but assures he’ll leave Texas with more pledged delegates than Clinton.

The Clinton campaign, which had strongly criticized the caucuses as chaotic and prone to shenanigans, hadn't issued a statement as of late Sunday afternoon. The Obama campaign declared victory Saturday evening. Based on unofficial numbers provided by Burnt Orange Report and the Associated Press, Obama will have a net gain of at least three and probably five pledged national delegates from Texas. CNN earlier projected a net gain of five.

Of course there are still 35 Texas superdelegates who can pick whomever they wish. Nearly half remain uncommitted as of now, recent surveys have shown.

More to come tonight so stay tuned.

-- Jay Root

Still no projections

There's still no projection of delegate count out there, but AP's latest count has Obama with 56 percent of the state convention delegates and Clinton with 44 percent. That's with fewer than half the 280 conventions counted, and that's not a projection.

-- Richard Stubbe

Obama campaign declares victory

Many senate districts have not reported yet, but the Obama campaign is declaring victory. From the press release:

AUSTIN - With more than 56% of the results tallied from today's 284 Democratic district conventions across Texas, Senator Barack Obama currently is projected to earn a 38-29 pledged delegate win in the Texas caucuses, exactly as projected on the day after the March 4th precinct caucuses.  The nine delegate margin in the  caucuses means Obama will gain a net margin of five pledged delegates from Texas because Senator Clinton narrowly won the Texas primary by only four delegates, 65-61.

"Despite the Clinton campaign's widespread attempts to prevent many Texans from participating in their district convention, the voters of Texas confirmed Senator Obama's important delegate win in the Lone Star State," said Obama spokesman Josh Earnest.  "Today's record-shattering turnout sends a clear message that the American people are ready for change in Washington and new leadership in the White House that will stand up for working families."

-Aman Batheja

Looking all over the Interwebs, I have no idea who is making this projection. There is a projection to that effect from CNN dated March 10, which is the only one I can find. Any thoughts?

-- Richard Stubbe

Latest AP delegate count

From the AP:

"Here is the apportionment so far of presidential caucus delegates to the Texas Democratic state convention based on reports from Saturday's county and senate district conventions. A total of about 7,300 delegates were expected to be selected in this stage of the caucus process, according to the Texas Democratic Party.

"These results are from 117 of about 280 conventions.

"Clinton: 933, or 50 percent

"Obama: 937, or 50 percent."

Burnt Orange Report, which supports Democrats, is also keeping a count. Its numbers are Obama 1,885 and Clinton 1,424 with 100 of the 280 districts reporting.

-- Richard Stubbe

Democrats still going

It's after 8:40 p.m. and it's pretty quiet in the Will Rogers Coliseum.

Not because they are through with the District 10 convention. Noooooo.

It's because they are counting. Yup. Counting to see how many delegates will go to the state convention in Austin this summer for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

And about 200 of the most interested delegates are still here. Waiting.

Me too.

-- Anna M. Tinsley

Delegates: "There is game play going on"

As the hours pass, more delegates are leaving the District 10 senatorial convention at Will Rogers Coliseum -- and more are expressing frustration with the system.

One gentleman went to the microphone to ask that the process speed up.

"I feel there is game play going on today," he said. "I feel you are trying to get the Obama people tired so they will leave."

But delegates on both sides were leaving in droves.

"It shouldn't have been this difficult," said Donna Domm, a Hillary delegate who left after spending 11 hours at the convention. "It's very disorganized."

Willa Morehouse, an Obama delegate, echoed the sentiment.

"It was real tiresome -- wait, sit, sit, wait, wait, sit, sit, wait," she said. "It was a hassle I could have done without."

Despite the frustration, though, both Domm and Morehouse said they would have done it again.

"It's a once in a lifetime situation," Domm said.

"It's something I felt I had to do," Morehouse said. "I did all my body could take."

-- Anna M. Tinsley

Euless precinct was for Obama. Now it's for Clinton.

Today’s Democratic senate district conventions are the personification of an age-old saying: history is made by those who show up. 

Take precinct 1388 in Euless. On March 4, the precinct caucus elected ten Obama delegates and four Hillary delegates, according to Carl York, one of the Clinton delegates.

Fast forward to today. Seven of the elected Obama delegates didn’t show up. Neither did any of the ten Obama alternates. All four Clinton delegates are here today, as well as all four alternates (who were upgraded to delegates earlier today to make up for the Obama no-shows).

Precint 1388 just finished their second caucus. They were allowed to elect one delegate and one alternate to the state convention. Both are Clinton supporters. Obama was shut out.

“We’re all shocked,” said Andrea Lambert, a Clinton supporter from the precinct.

-Aman Batheja

GOP District 10 update

The convention at the Republicans' Senate District 10 turned into a parliamentary battle as supporters of Ron Paul tried to wrest control of the convention away from the old guard.

Jeremy Blosser, a Paul supporter, challenged longtime Republican organizer Stuart Lane for chairmanship of the convention. Blosser and his supporters backed rules that included polling every precinct in the chairman's election.

Blosser bristled at Lane's characterization of Paul's supporters as "libertarians" or "outsiders bent on taking over the party."

"We are Republicans. I don't know how you take over something you're already part of," he said.
Blosser said the party has strayed from its conservative roots, and shouldn't support John McCain.

Another Paul supporter said: "The establishment Republicans haven't been protecting the unborn; the establishment Republicans haven't been protecting our borders."

Lane's supporters tried to be conciliatory.

"Our worst infighting is ten times better than the Democrats'," said Don Shipe.

The district's results were recorded on a spreadsheet that projected on screens around the auditorium.

Groans went up when the first sheet was filled in an delegates realized they still had two more sheets to go.

-- Mike Lee

Increasing frustrations

It's after 5 p.m. -- nine hours after many people arrived at the Will Rogers Coliseum for the District 10 senatorial convention.

But some precincts don't yet have their packets that allow voters to caucus and choose delegates to attend the state Democratic convention this summer.

Not only that, but convention leaders have yet to discuss challenges to precinct caucuses, which must be presented to, and voted on, by the entire convention. This portion traditionally has taken up large chunks of time in other senatorial conventions.

"I make a motion that this nonsense end right now and we take this to the sttae," one man said into the microphone.

"We are very tired," another woman said.

-- Anna M. Tinsley

It's getting warm in here

The District 9 convention just ran into a glitch.

The air conditioning automatically shut off at 5 p.m., and with hundreds of people crammed into the cafeteria and hallways at Tarrant County College's Arlington campus, that may pose a problem.

Organizers apparently thought the convention would be finished by now. It's not.

Veronica Warrior, the school's nurse and safety coordinator, told the convention leaders they may want to hurry.

"I'm going to be picking people off the floor in a little while," she said.

- Sarah Bahari

Bumper stickers galore

Here's some bumper stickers on sale at the Gaylord Democratic convention (click on the photo for a closer look).

Will of the voters

District 9 just flew through its 10 challenges.

The credentials committee recommended to confirm nine of the 10 challenges, most of which had to do with inaccurate delegate counts, missing caucus forms or other irregularities stemming from March 4.

"We want the will of the voters to prevail," district 9 temporary chair Marvin Sutton said.

Delegates, meanwhile, are getting restless. Many have been here for hours and thought this would be over by 2 p.m.

"Move on," one woman yelled to organizers from the back of the crowd.

Organizers say they hope to wrap this process up shortly.

We'll see.

- Sarah Bahari

A broken system?

Someone just asked all the delegates at the Gaylord Texan if this was their first senate district convention.

Virtually every hand went up.

The question left unasked: Will they ever come back?

Given the hours of waiting, the confusion and the frustration at both the precinct conventions and today's events, plenty of people are hoping that Texas Democrats scrap this entire system before 2012.

“I understand this is supposed to build community but I mean this is all kind of a joke if you ask me,” said Tim Bialek, an Obama supporter from North Richland Hills. “It’s like how many Democrats does it take to screw in a lightbulb. That’s what everyone is waiting in line for.”

87 votes, give or take 86

It would take hours, they said. Everyone will be stuck here until midnight, they said.

The Senate District 12 Democratic Convention just breezed through all 87 challenges in under a minute.

Organizers had warned that every challenge had to be voted on by all the 2,000+ delegates in the ballroom at the Gaylord Texas in Grapevine.

When the time came to wade through them all, convention chair Tag Green called a motion to approve the credentials committee's recommendations on all 87 challenges at once. The crowd agreed. It was close to unanimous.

This seems to go against party rules but organizers say it's allowed because everyone voted to do it.

Credentials Committee Chair Steve Lerma said Hillary Clinton gained about 30 delegates in Senate District 12 because of the challenges. We still don't know what the final count from the senate district will be.

Now they're moving on to other business and this could be over by dinnertime.

-Aman Batheja

Democrats: 'Have some consideration'

Finally.

At 3:15 p.m., nearly six hours after the largest Democratic senatorial convention in Tarrant County was scheduled to kick off, the District 10 gatherig was formally called to order.

Not so fast.

Officials wanted to skip to the end of the agenda, to read resolutions, while they wait for the remaining precincts to work out delegate issues.

But a "point of order" -- a maneuver used to delay or kill actions -- was brought up to prevent that. A second point of order has been brought up asking how a quorum could be established if all delegates have yet to be delegated.

Now tempers are starting to fly.

"Please move a bit faster," said delegate Whitney Larkins, who suddenly stepped up to the microphone. "Have some consideration. Think about those of us who took time out of our lives to participate in this.

"Whether you are for Obama or for Hillary, I know you're ready to get this on the road."

The crowd cheered. Now they are listening to the resolutions.

-- Anna M. Tinsley

Don't go

More than five hours after the Senate District 10 convention officially began, it looks like some business is finally on the verge of being presented to the full convention.

Each of the precincts has been asked to send someone to pick up packets of information, which means that everyone finally must have been signed in.

Some precincts then will have to take care of business, such as whittling down delegate and alternate numbers, in cases where too many were selected election night.

That information will go back to a committee to be reviewed.

Then the credentials committee will deliver its report, which means any challenges will finally be brought before the full convention. Once that report is approved, delegates can finally get around to deciding which people will be going to the state convention.

Officials have been getting on the loudspeaker for the past few hours, interrupting the music, to encourage people not to give up and leave.

"Don't go," they say.

-- Anna M. Tinsley

A deal in GOP District 12, not yet in District 10

Peace broke out at the Republican Senate District 12 convention shortly after the preliminary speeches were over.

The temporary chairman, Tom Quinones, and his co-workers stayed up until the wee hours of Saturday morning working out a deal to recognize the Ron Paul voters' numbers and give them delegates to the state convention based on their numbers, with the understanding that they would not disrupt the convention.

Chad Bishop, a Paul delegate, gave a speech nominating Quinones as permanent chairman. He said he recognized that the district was among the most conservative in the state, and "that conservative heritage is not lost on us."

The convention drew more than 500 delegates, about four times the normal number, and will send 194 to the state convention in Houston.

Quinones said, "There been a lot of work to try to arrive at this point."

"I think the Ron Paul delegates will be well represented on our state delegation list," he added.

Party notables including Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams urged unity. Williams called the election a contest between "fascism and capitalism" and said voters who abstain from the election would only hurt the party in the long run.

"You may be mad at someone at the top of the ticket, but are you mad at the county judge?" he asked.

At the District 10 meeting, the Republicans were still haggling over delegates as of 2 p.m.

 

-- Mike Lee

Beautiful words?

Emotions ran high in Arlington when Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez took the stage.

Chavez, a Clinton supporter, told the crowd that, "Beautiful words are not going to change the landscape."

The crowd, which appears to have more Obama fans than Clinton, began booing. Loudly.

Chavez continued.

"The gas companies and drug companies aren't going to give up their power because there's a nice person in the White House," he said.

Obama delegates began chanting, "Obama, Obama, Obama," drowning out Chavez.

Wrapping up his speech, Chavez said, "Let's go throw those bums out of Washington."

The crowd went wild.

- Sarah Bahari

A late start

The Senatorial District 9 Convention got off to a late start, but delegates are ready to go now.

Boyd Richie, the Texas Democratic party chairman, roused the crowd with a welcome speech and said he had never seen such Democratic enthusiasm in Texas.

"This is a tremendous turnout," he said. "We can turn Texas blue in November."

State Rep. Paula Hightower Pierson, a former Arlington City Council member, followed by saying, "We're going to dance in the streets," in November.

Delegates responded by cheering, whooping and waving signs for Clinton and Obama.

- Sarah Bahari

Equal representation for Obama

Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez spoke to several  senatorial conventions in Texas Saturday on behalf of the candidate he supports -- Hillary Clinton.

He touted her accomplishments and her plan to bring about change. "Sen. Hillary Clinton won New Mexico and she's going to win the presidency too," he said.

But he also urged unity.

"If Obama is the nominee, I will support him with enthusiasm," Chavez said. "The most important thing is that we win in November. We are family ... and this is about the future of this country."

Obama supporters wanted equal time and equal billing, so local delegate Stephanie Ellis took to the microphone.

"We will have change whomever is elected," she said. "This is an historic event and I'm so very proud to be part of it. I would love to see a real change in this world

"Do you want change? Do you deserve change? I believe Barack Obama will make that change."

-- Anna M. Tinsley

Still signing in

More than three hours after the largest Democratic senatorial convention in Tarrant County -- for District 10 -- was to begin, officials are still signing delegates in at the Will Rogers Coliseum.

They have yet to start publicly addressing the challenges, or complaints addressing problems at the precinct conventions held after the polls closed March 4.

Officials say they aren't sure how late the convention is likely to run.

"I've seen rodeos and circuses in this arena and this is the appropriate venue for this (convention) today," said Jim Lane, delegate and former Fort Worth City Council member.

-- Anna M. Tinsley

Uproar in Grapevine - convention may go on until midnight

Pandemonium erupted briefly at the Gaylord Conveniton Center when convention leaders suggested splitting the delegates from the challenged precincts evenly for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

The crowd roared a definitive “no” at the initial suggestion.

Steve Lerma, chair of the credentials committee, warned the convention will go on until midnight to get through each the challenges one by one.

“We have 87 challenges,” Lerma said. “We have gone through 13.”

Once the credentials committee gets through every challenge, then all the delegates have to vote on each one one by one.

Lerma said the Clinton and Obama campaign lawyers had approved expediting the process. That got some more people in the crowd to support it.

People hollered and shook their fists in frustration. Due to problems with the sound system, it's unclear if people understood everything that was going on.

In the end, the motion failed.

-Aman Batheja

Delegate switches to Obama

Caron Byl went to her precinct convention on March 4 and became a delegate for Hillary Clinton.

"I was a strong supporter of Bill Clinton and I also thought I would never get a chance to vote for a woman for president in my lifetime so naturally I threw my support toward Hillary," Byl said.

Over the past three weeks, Byl had a change of heart. She came to her senate district convention at the Gaylord Texan today and asked to switch her support to Barack Obama.

"It was slowly building up over time," Byl said.

Obama is the only candidate who can unite this country, Byl said.

"Unfortunately, she's carrying a lot of baggage," Byl said, referring to Hillary Clinton.

The other delegates from precinct 1277 voted and agreed to let Byl switch teams, though the Clinton delegates weren't too happy about it, she said.

-Aman Batheja

Superdelegate in the house

Albuquerque Mayor and superdelegate Martin Chavez is here at the Gaylord preparing to make a speech for Hillary Clinton.

Chavez is making stops at all three Tarrant County Democratic conventions today.

He said he hoped his words might help sway a few Obama delegates to the former first lady’s corner. (Did you forget that delegates can switch teams?)

“I think if we’re going to be successful in November, Hillary Clinton is our best chance,” Chavez said.

UPDATE: From Chavez' speech: "If there are any superdelegates out there, we vote our conscience. We vote our duty. We vote who is going to win in November."

-Aman Batheja

Big crowds in Arlington

Democrats have packed the Tarrant County College campus in Arlington.

The convention was supposed to start at 11:30 a.m., but organizers are saying it will be quite a while before they get everyone signed in.

"It's wild," said Robert Price, a convention volunteer. "Just wild."

Volunteers were scrambling to find more chairs to help people get comfortable, and police were trying to keep things as calm as possible.

"It looks like we're in for a pretty long day," Price said.

- Sarah Bahari

Republicans having busy morning

Turnout was heavy at all three Republican Senate district conventions as supporters of presidential candidate Ron Paul sought to gain some leverage over the grass-roots machinery of the party. Party regulars spent most of Friday trying to rally enough supporters to keep control of the conventions.

At the District 10 convention at Southwest Baptist Theological Seminary, the line of delegates was out the door and across the atrium at Truett Auditorium. A harried party official expected the convention to convene 20 to 30 minutes later than scheduled. "Heavy turnout," he said.

At District 12, the crowd filled the parking lot of Birchman Baptist Church. Paul's supporters parked a large trailer with models of the Liberty Bell and the Ten Commandments in one corner.

District 9 had about double the normal number of delegates, but seemed to have few fireworks.

-- Mike Lee

Buck up, Democrats

As a parade of politicians continues speaking to delegates gathered at the Will Rogers Coliseum, Tarrant County Commissioner Roy Brooks urged fellow Democrats to work together.

"The only way we can lose this November is if we kill each other off," Brooks said. "If we let things, differences, tear us apart, there will be another Republican in the White House afer November."

He urged Democrats to come together and leave "our petty differences at home."

"Lets take charge of our own destiny," Brooks said. "I'm tired of us, as a party, continuing to shoot ourselves in the foot. We've got so many new young people involved in the process now. We need to do this thing right if only so we don't lose them."

-- Anna M. Tinsley

No horses, just donkeys

Tarrant County Democratic Party Chairman Art Brender wanted to send a shout-out to the Cutting Horse Association for letting the District 10 senatorial convention be held in space the association had booked for the day.

Cutting horse events are still being held in the coliseum this weekend, hence the dirt still covering the coliseum floor.

"The Cutting Horse Association had this reserved for this weekend, but they were kind enough to let us come in and have our convention here," Brender said, also thanking Fort Worth City Council members who helped them book the facility as well.

-- Anna M. Tinsley

Calm at the coliseum

There was no pushng, no shoving. Just lots of crowding.

Thousands of Democrats crowded into the Will Rogers Coliseum this morning for the District 10 senatorial convention.

But officials abandoned plans to have delegates sign in at the doors. Instead, they let them flood into the coliseum and search for signs indicating where their precincts are gathered. Then, they let members of each precinct begin signing in.

Delegates are still signing in, more than an hour after the convention was scheduled to be in full swing. But it's calm enough that the line at the concessions stand is steadiy growing.

Tarrant County Democratic Party Chairman Art Brender is urging patience.

"It took us eight years to get here," he said. "Just give us a little more time."

-- Anna M. Tinsley

Lerma said some caucuses were rigged

Steve Lerma, temporary chair credentials committee chair of the Senate District 12 Democratic convention at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, said there are 87 challenges that need to be addressed.

Many are due to people who did the delegate math incorrectly at their precinct convention. Others are more serious.

"There was hanky panky at some of these caucuses," Lerma said. "Some are bordering on felony behavior."

Stay tuned.

-Aman Batheja

Who's the bride?

As Tarrant County Democratic Party Chairman Art Brender looked around the Will Rogers Coliseum this morning, at thousands of delegates gathered for the District 10 senatorial convention, he was truly awed by their numbers.

"We haven't had this many Democrats gather in Fort Worth since they did for John Kennedy in 1963," he said.

At the same time, one movie line kept running through his head: "Show me the money."

Brender said he'll be asking Democrats to pass the hat to raise money to help pay for the use of the very facility they are sitting in right now.

"My job is like the father of the bride," Brender said. "I don't get to plan the ceremony, but I do get to pay for it."

-- Anna M. Tinsley

A challenging morning at the Gaylord

The Senate District 12 convention here is scheduled to start in ten minutes though it's likely running late. Hundreds of people have been aimlessly wandering around outside the ballroom at the Gaylord Texan all morning, unsure which of many lines they should stand in.

Steve Lerma, the convention's temporary chair credentials committee chair, is trying to tell people how things are going to work, but the sound system is echoing around the room so no one can understand him. He said delegates and alternates can not sign in if their precinct caucus is being challenged.

"You could have had a problem with your math. You have too many delegates. You have delegates who didn't even vote," Lerma said.

This is causing frustration because people don't understand how to find out if their precinct is being challenged.

Colleen Butterfield of Grapevine is on the all-important credentials committee that is hearing the challenges. The group's been meeting everyday this week until late in the evening, she said.

Most of the problems are minor, she said, though many involve precincts that are going to have to get rid of some of their extra delegates.

Could get awkward.

-Aman Batheja

Time to be a Democrat?

Texas Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie made a quick stop by the senatorial convention at Will Rogers Coliseum Saturday morning, thanking fellow party members for participating in the primary process.

"There isn't a better time or a better day to be a Texas Democrat," Ritchie said. "There is not a single Republican seat in this state that is safe this election cycle.

"In November, we will return responsible government to the people of Texas."

-- Anna M. Tinsley

Can they?

As delegates to the District 10 senatorial convention wait for the event to begin, chants of "Yes we can" are resounding through the Will Rogers Coliseum.

One wonders if they are echoing Barack Obama's campaign slogan -- or wondering if this convention will be called to order.

They now are getting their answer to at least one of those questions: Tarrant County Democratic Party Chairman Art Brender is officially kicking off the event.

-- Anna M. Tinsley

Competing interests?

Tarrant County Democrats arriving at the Will Rogers Coliseum this morning for their senatorial district convention -- the next step in selecting delegates to support presidential hopefuls Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton -- had some competition for limited parking spaces.

Signs advertising a gun show at the facilities abounded, pitting Democrats and gun afficianados against each other for places to park their cars.

As a result, many ended up with a hefty walk to get from their parking spaces to the coliseum.

-- Anna M. Tinsley

Democrats crowd into coliseum

Thousands of Democrats have been pouring into the Will Rogers Coliseum for more than an hour, looking for signs that show them the way to their precinct.

They came wearing Obama shirts, Hillary buttons -- and lots of red, white and blue.

For many, this is their first time to attend a senatorial convention.

"I've never done this before, but I think we'd better participate in our political system," said Tam Littleboy-Maldonado, a Hillary Clinton supporter from Precinct 1082 in Fort Worth. "Otherwise, we're letting other people make our decisions."

Benita Allen, a Barack Obama supporter, said she became a first-time delegate because she felt she needed to help with changing the way government is run.

"We need serious change in everything," said Allen, of Precinct 1079 in Fort Worth. "I'm excited. It's worth all the troubles we have, the hassles to get here, the walking half a mile to get here. It's worth it all."

-- Anna M. Tinsley

More Democratic fun: Around Texas Saturday

Delegates to be chosen today for state convention, Anna M. Tinsley, Star-Telegram

Parties set for Texas regional conventions today, W. Gardner Selby, Austin American-Statesman

Texas Board of Education adopts broad Bible course standards, April Castro, The Associated Press

Judge strikes down Texas strip club fee, AP

Rosenthal found in contempt for deleting e-mails, Houston Chronicle

Judge strips the strip club fee, says it's unconstitutional

AUSTIN -- The stripper club fee has been stripped from the law books -- at least for now. That's the word Friday from Austin, where Judge Scott Jenkins ruled that the state's recent imposition of a $5-a-head tax on topless club patrons violates the U.S. Constitution. The state plans to appeal the ruling, officials said.

Jenkins found that the fee, passed by the Legislature last year, had singled out a "business activity involving expression that, while politically unpopular,is nevertheless protected by the First Amendment.''  The $5 door fee was designed to pay for sexual assault prevention and health insurance programs for the poor. Jenkins said those were "laudable goals" but he ruled that the Legislature had failed to directly tie the erotic activity they wanted to tax with the social ills they hoped to remedy. In particular, the bulk of the money from the fee was destined for health insurance programs, and Jenkins said there is "no evidence that combining alcohol with nude erotic dancing causes dancers to be uninsured, or that any uninsured dancer could qualify for assistance from the fund.''

Steward Whitehead, who represented a group of topless clubs that filed the lawsuit, applauded the opinion, saying: "We think that the programs that were to be funded from this tax are worthy. But we strongly disagree with the unconstitutional way the Legislature chose to do so. The court agreed with us.’’ The fight isn't over yet, though.

Jerry Strickland, a spokesman for Attorney General Greg Abbott, said the state would appeal the ruling. Citing reports that a Dallas strip club had illegally allowed a 12-year-old to dance, Strickland said Abbott's office would "vigorously appeal the trial court’s ruling and remains committed to sexual assault awareness and prevention."

-- Jay Root

Ron Paul supporters may pack local GOP conventions

For all the talk of tomorrow's Democratic senate district conventions, where Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton supporters are jockeying for a win, the Republican district conventions may get some drama as well.

Local Republicans are bracing for the possibility that Ron Paul supporters may pack the local GOP events (like they did in Missiouri and Alaska) and try to overthrow the party.

Ho-hum, says Hutchison about another run by Rick

If U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison is worried about going head-to-head in a Republican primary against sitting Gov. Rick Perry in two years, she's not showing it.

"Whatever," Texas' senior senator shrugged after hearing that Perry might be eye-balling an unprecedented third four-year term in 2010. "I'm just gonna do what I'm gonna do."

Hutchison, who has represented Texas in Washington, D.C., since 1993, has made little secret that she's in her final term in the Senate. And she's even gone so far as saying she might quit before that term expires in 2013.

"I'm looking at it (a run for guv) and am excited about the possibility," she said after making a speech in New Braunfels. "I don't want to get involved with that (the 2010 campaign until after the 2008 cycle). I don't think that's fair. But I'm certainly beginning to look at gearing up."

Perry, meanwhile, has had the governor's chair since George W. Bush left for the White House after the 2000 elections. Most observers had expected him to look for a new line of work when his current term expires, especially considering that he only gained 39 percent of the vote in a multi-field race to win re-election in 2006.

But as PoliTex reported Thursday, insiders are now saying Perry might be planning to stay put. There's an unauthorized bumper sticker on a pickup or two around Austin that has his logo with "Again in '10" slogan stenciled on it.

Ho-hum, replied Hutchison. "Whoever else is in the race is in the race," she said.

-- John Moritz

Conventions are still on for Saturday

State Democratic leaders had one message for Texans on Friday: Saturday's conventions are still on.

Apparently someone, possibly falsely using the name of the state party, is telling people that the conventions have been cancelled.

"The Texas Democratic Party has not been informed that any county or district convention has been cancelled or postponed," Boyd Richie, chairman of the party, said in a statement. "If any delegates receive information to that effect, I urge them to plan to attend their convention as scheduled unless they receive information about a postponement or cancellation from their Democratic County Chair of the official Texas Democratic Party website."

More than 80,000 Texans are expected to head to senatorial conventions statewide on Saturday.

-- Anna M. Tinsley

One partisan says parties are "increasingly irrelevant

If he didn't actually bite the hand that feeds him, veteran Democratic consultant Kelly Fero at least took a little nibble.

The two major political parties, Fero told the Texas Legislative Conference in New Braunfels this morning, "are becoming increasingly irrelevant" to ordinary voters "who think of themselves as increasingly independent."

The remarks were part of a panel discussion on parties' influence before the organization that also featured GOP consultant Jason Johnson, Democratic state Sen. Rodney Ellis of Houston, former U.S. Sen. Bob Kruger and former U.S. Rep. Tom Loeffler.

Fero's point was that candidates, especially Texas Democrats, often have to carry sometimes unpopular baggage that their party has accumulated over years and decades. One of Fero's chief clients over the past decade and a half is former Comptroller John Sharp, a moderate Democrat who lost races for lieutenant governor in 1998 and '02 as Republicans consolidated their grip on Texas politics.

Johnson, who has represented Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples and Attorney General Greg Abbott, said the parties still provide the valuable service of guiding voters toward whatever broad philosophical bent they might carry with them to each campaign cycle.

Ellis, meanwhile, said parties were a lot more influential before consultants took over much of the political landscape.

-- John Moritz

Another Jenna Bush drinking scandal

Have we all stepped into a time warp? At 26, Jenna Bush has been able to legally drink all the margaritas she wants for five years. And yet here it is: a brand new drinking scandal from her underage era. Bottoms up.

The tidbit comes from Slate.com, which excerpted New York Times reporter Eric Lichtblau's upcoming book, Bush's Law: The Remaking of American Justice. From the excerpt:

On Sept. 12, 2001, another major newspaper was set to run a story on the extraordinary diplomatic maneuverings the U.S. Secret Service had arranged with their Mexican counterparts to allow Jenna Bush, then 19, to make a barhopping trip south of the border. (She had just been charged with underage drinking in Texas.)

A few days earlier, a scoop about a presidential daughter's barhopping trip getting special dispensation from the Secret Service and a foreign government might have gotten heavy treatment. But the story never ran, and the Secret Service's maneuverings remained a secret until now. In the weeks and months after 9/11, there was no longer an appetite for such stories.

-Aman Batheja

Will Rick Perry run for governor again?

Speculation is mounting that Gov. Rick Perry will run for yet another four-year term in 2010, which could give him an unprecedented 14 years in the highest state office. Sources tell PoliTex that Texas First Lady Anita Perry has given the guv a green light if he wants to run again. Meanwhile, watchful eyes have begun to notice a new bumper sticker on the automobiles of some of Perry's supporters. It sports Perry's trademark cattle brand-looking "R" and says: "Again in '10.''

"They are not ours, but we've seen a growing number of them around town,'' said Perry spokesman Robert Black, who remained coy about Perry's political destiny.

"The governor has not decided what his future plans would be, but if there is one thing everyone should know about Rick Perry by now, it's that you never underestimate him,'' Black said.

-- Jay Root and John Moritz 

Dewhurst to get Texan of the Year award

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst is joining some pretty elite company.

Dewhurst, the second-term Republican who presides over the Texas Senate, will get the Texan of the Year award tonight from the Texas Legislative Conference. Others who have received the award during the conference's 42-year history include President Bush, former Congresswoman Barbara Jordan and Lady Bird Johnson.

The conference meets annually in New Braunfels and puts forward ideas that members think state leaders need to address and perhaps implement.

"Conference organizers credited Dewhurst's initiatives to bring together Republicans and Democrats to pass legislation to create jobs and economic opportunity, improve schools, and protect public safety as a catalyst for his selection," said Michael Meek, president of the New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the conference.

"He led the effort to pass one of the toughest Jessica's Laws in the nation and his Texas Children First Initiative imposes tough new penalties against child predators."

-- John Moritz

Local Dem predicts Clinton will win more Texas delegates Saturday

Conventional wisdom is that Barack Obama will be the victor in number of delegates from Saturday's senate district conventions around Texas. Tarrant County Democratic Chair Art Brender isn't so sure.

To review: Hillary Clinton won the primary vote in Texas but Obama appears likely to win more of the 67 delegates allocated by the caucuses. Yesterday, the Obama campaign said they don't expect a significant change in their expected delegate count based on Saturday's events.

Brender said the party has received over 50 challenges for each of the three senate district conventions that will take place in Tarrant County Saturday. More of those complaints appear to be challenging precincts where Obama did better than Clinton, Brender said.

Brender said Obama will likely win more delegates from Tarrant County, since he also won the popular vote here. Statewide, he bet that Clinton would squeak out another win.

"By the time it all sorts out, I don’t think the caucus results are going to be terribly different than what the election results were," Brender said. "It’ll be off a few percentage points." (Clinton won the Texas primary vote with 51% support.)

Some may roll their eyes at Brender's prediction, given that he's a Clinton backer, as he made clear in this video.

-Aman Batheja 

Democrats get ready for Saturday: Around Texas Thursday

Party's not over for Texas Democratic caucus-goers, Houston Chronicle. Summary: "Enthusiastic new voters swamped the Democratic caucuses earlier this month. Now, many are among the 88,000 delegates expected to attend this weekend's senatorial district and county conventions — yet another chaotic step in the state party's presidential nominating process."

Democrats hope trial settles ballot dispute, Aman Batheja, Star-Telegram. Summary: "The Texas secretary of state's office has planned changes to the state's mail-in ballots in response to the lawsuit."

Safety fears lead preacher to call off Texas visit, Terry Lee Goodrich, Star-Telegram

Perry still backs sale of lottery, John Moritz, Star-Telegram. Summary: "Although Gov. Rick Perry's proposal to turn the Texas lottery over to a private contractor fizzled out last year, he still supports the idea because he thinks it could generate billions of additional dollars for health or education programs, his spokesman said Wednesday."

With raises on the way, city workers cheer union pact, Houston Chronicle. Summary: "The 13-2 vote made Houston the first city in Texas to sign a pact with employees who are not police officers or firefighters."

As extra red-light cams went up, Houston tickets went down, Houston Chronicle. Summary: "Red-light camera citations have decreased steadily since Houston police boosted their monitoring at intersections six months ago, newly released records show."

Candidate Thompson rarely voted, Texas Politics blog

Hidalgo County to pick caucus delegates Saturday, Kyle Arnold, The Monitor

-- Richard Stubbe

Governor: Superdelegates should caucus in Dallas

Phil Bredesen -- superdelegate, Tennessee governor, and champion vacuum-lifter -- is pushing a new plan to ensure the Democratic National Convention doesn't sneak up on all of us in August with Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton still fighting it out.

Bredesen wants to hold a "superdelegate primary" in June. The details: all 795 superdelegates would don their tights and capes, gather in one spot and hear a final pitch from Clinton and Obama before casting their votes. (At this point in the primary calendar, superdelegates hold the key to either candidate getting the 2,025 delegates they need to officially declare victory.)

Bredesen is suggesting holding the proposed shindig in an "easily reachable city like Dallas."

Slate's Trailhead blog endorses the pick of Dallas, in part, because "the Dems can continue lavishing attention on a red state that has shown flashes of Democratic enthusiasm this year."

-Aman Batheja

Tarrant County vs. Harris County: election edition

Early voting for April 8 runoffs start Monday. In Harris County, the Elections Administrator is worried voters might get lost because so many polling locations have been changed from the March 4 primary. Her recommendation: vote early.

We asked local Elections Administrator Steve Raborn if anything that confusing is going on in Tarrant County. His emailed response:

"Nothing on that scale here.  A total of 8 polling place changes from March 4 (when there were 216 polling places) to April 8 (we will use 210 polling places for the runoffs).  Most of the changes are because those sites were unavailable for April 8."

You can look up all the early voting and election day polling locations here.

If you have no idea whose on the ballot in the runoffs, click here if you're a Democrat and here if you're a Republican.

-Aman Batheja

Tracking down double voters: Around Texas Wednesday

DA gets 1,148 names to check in illegal-voting probe, Houston Chronicle. Excerpt: "The list included two groups: 759 voters who appear to have voted in both the Democratic and Republican primaries and an additional 389 people who appear to have voted during the early voting period, and again on primary day."

Selling lottery could force expansion of Texas gaming, Brandi Grissom, El Paso Times

Auto insurance bills will increase April 1, John Moritz, Star-Telegram

Democrats prep for Saturday's district conventions, Anna M. Tinsley, Star-Telegram

Auditor: Background checks on state staff lag, Corrie MacLaggan, Austin American-Statesman

6 UT campuses may bust tuition barrier, Austin American-Statesman

Lowering property appraisals may be just a click away, Houston Chronicle

-- Richard Stubbe

Bush's ex-pollster: it's "Obama's race to lose.''

Hillary Clinton likes to say her recent wins in big U.S. states make her a much better candidate than Barack Obama when it comes to the race against Republican John McCain in the fall. But do intra-party primary victories mean anything by the time November rolls around?

Nope.

That's the word from President Bush's former pollster, Texan Matthew Dowd, who notes that the percentage of voters who turn out in the primaries pales in comparison to the turnout in November. He said about 30 million people will vote in the Democratic contest, for example, compared to an estimated 130 million who will participate in the general election.

"To put it bluntly, there is no relationship between primary success in any given state and November success in those states,'' Dowd writes in his recent ABC News blog.

Dowd also predicts the Illinois senator will start rising again in the polls and says the 2008 sweepstakes is still "obama's race to lose.''

-- Jay Root

Nader: I will lose in Texas, please give me money

Perennial presidential candidate Ralph Nader has conceded defeat in Texas, eight months before the general election, according to a press release.

He still would appreciate $150,000 from supporters to get on the Texas ballot and lose officially.

Read the whole release after the jump.