In Other Election News ...

Anybody who thinks congressional candidate Jon Porter is a flaming liberal should consider this: The Democratic challenger for the CD 31 seat just received a $4,500 check ... from the Republican National Committee! Porter, a Cedar Park lawyer, is challenging right-wing freshman Rep. John Carter, R-Round Rock, in the redrawn district. It isn't hard to figure out what happened: The check was meant for a different Jon Porter – the Nevada GOP congressman of the same name. Jon Porter of Texas said, "This just shows how awash the system is in money. They're sending money every which way, and they don't even know where it's going." Porter said he'll probably just hold onto the check until after Election Day and then return it to the RNC. – Lee Nichols

The commuter rail campaign enjoys the support of both Downtown business types and progressive leaders – the latter group held a news conference this week at Barton Springs to reiterate its support – but Capital Metro's plan has acquired at least one new high-visibility foe, Mike Levy. The Texas Monthly publisher sent out a Levygram to his thousands of friends echoing the fiscal perspectives and preference for roads over rail of anti-rail yell leader Jim Skaggs. Levy's record of influencing Austin elections is mixed at best, but the emergence of actual, vocal, passionate opposition to the rail plan was enough to land Levy on the front of the Statesman metro section. – Mike Clark-Madison

The Bexar County election atmosphere has taken on a whiff of old Texas frontier days, as two GOP challengers have filed assault charges against their incumbent Democratic opponents in the upcoming election. Following a televised debate on San Antonio's public TV station, KLRN, GOP candidate Roger Scott accused U.S. Rep. Charlie Gonzalez of "grabbing his arm," and simultaneously, Jim Valdez accused his opponent, state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, of grabbing him by the lapels and saying, "If my husband and son get ahold of you, you're in trouble." Gonzalez acknowledged lightly touching Scott's forearm, and Van de Putte told the San Antonio Express-News Valdez "was in my face and I put my hand up instinctively to keep him from coming at me." San Antonio police have referred the Class C misdemeanor charges to municipal court. Neither Scott nor Valdez are given much of a shot in their respective races, but maybe they can have their days in court on Judge Judy. – Michael King

On Sept. 23, the New Hampshire Democratic Party filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission against Norway Hill Associates – the campaign consultant firm of Dave Carney, who happens to be Gov. Rick Perry's lead consultant as well. The complaint charges Carney's firm with providing illegal in-kind services to the Ralph Nader campaign without proper disclosure and in excess of the $5,000 limit on corporate donations. Party Chair Kathleen Sullivan charged that Norway Hill provided a petition campaign for Nader, effectively taking part in illegal coordination, and then tried to "cure" the donation after the fact by listing individual $2,000 contributions from company staff. The complaint also recounts Carney's history with the group Americans for Job Security, which has launched stealth negative campaigns in Texas and elsewhere and has also been accused of illegal coordination with campaigns. Asked about the complaint, Carney told Quorum Report that it was simply a Democratic political ploy, adding with a laugh, "I am a proud member of Ralph's Rangers." – M.K.

Weed Watch (Election Edition): John Kerry has snagged the High Times nod for president. The magazine credits Kerry with exposing the drugs-for-arms scheme at the heart of the Iran-Contra affair while serving on the Senate's Foreign Relations Commission in the 1980s and, more recently, pledging to end federal prosecutions and raids of medical marijuana patients and dispensaries operating in compliance with state laws. "Let's say it plain: The War on Drugs is bullshit," the endorsement reads. "Every dollar the Bush administration has spent on television ads blaming pot smokers for 9/11, or paying Tommy Chong's rent [by incarcerating him], is one less dollar spent to secure a port, put body armor on a soldier, or hunt down Osama Bin Laden." – Jordan Smith