The Republican primary in House District 52 is getting crowded. After yesterday’s announcement that former Craddick press guy James Bernsen is eying a run, ex-Texas State University System legislative liaison Larry Gonzales wants the right to challenge incumbent Democratic Rep. Diana Maldonado, along with three more hopefuls.
Neither is actually that overt about their political history in these initial statements. Bernsen, for example, mentions that in 2007 he was in Iraq, but doesn’t mention that was between serving as press/communications advisor to the Texas House Republican Caucus and press secretary to Speaker Tom Craddick. Gonzales is no political noob either, having worked in the attorney general’s office, and he spent the 2007 session working for Rep. John Otto, R-Dayton.
But there are a few other interesting names swirling around that race.
First up is John Gordon: He has arguably the best local credentials, because he pretty much built the Wilco GOP from the ground up, and he’s run for the seat before. However, he only took 29% in the first round of the 2008 primary, coming in third.
Then there’s Stephen Casey. His website bio stresses his eight years in the Navy, but of more legislative interest is his Texas Supreme Court clekship under Justice Stephen Brister, and his law and divinity degrees from Regent University: Yes, Pat Robertson’s right-wing evangelical college. Casey recently told the alumni magazine of his other alma mater, LeTourneau, that “God needs Christian lawyers, like he needs Christian businessmen.”
Finally there’s Ralph Pina, who calls himself a “small business owner who came to Texas because of the state’s policies of low taxes and regulation.” Pina currently runs cigar importer/lounge Fumee, but he’s not without his own political credentials, having served as a congressional staffer for sometime-social liberal/full time fiscal conservative Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Florida.
Of course, all these names come with the caveat that it’s a long way from announcing to filing. Gonzales, for example, was heavily touted to be considering a run in 2008, but backed out.
This article appears in September 11 • 2009.
