… that raises the question of who replaces him in Congress, and which – if any – Democrat might realistically take a shot at the seat. The latter debate has already started over at Burnt Orange Report.
(If you’re behind on this story, read this previous post.)
Even with a clean slate, Dist. 10 will be a tough nut for any Democrat to crack. Remember, the Austin-to-Houston district was drawn by Tom DeLay in 2003 specifically for the purpose of electing Republicans, and has carried out that mission admirably: In 2004, no Democrat even bothered to file for the race, and write-in Dem Lorenzo Sadun garnered only 6% of the vote. In 2006, Ted Ankrum got 40% with almost no funding. Money didn’t make that much of a difference, however – in 2008, Larry Joe Doherty ran a well-organized campaign with more than $1 million, and only improved 3% over Ankrum’s total (and with the Obama breeze at his back).
As Doherty put it in his Election Night concession speech: “The monster that was created to produce the result that has occurred tonight has in fact produced the result that occurred tonight.”
This article appears in January 9 • 2009.