The first real body blow may have been landed in a Travis County primary as Paul Workman has charged his rival for the House District 47 Republican nomination, Holly White Turner, with being a carpetbagger.
Even before he has a fully-functioning campaign website, Workman has issued a barbed press release that tackles an intriguing question for Turner. According to her (always reliable) Wikipedia profile, she has a house and business in Austin. But when did she move here?
As noted by the Chronicle back on Dec. 4, Turner’s major political background was serving as treasurer for her lobbyist husband Chris Turner‘s failed 2008 run to replace Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, on that city’s council.
The fact that she and her husband were residents of Fort Worth two years ago, and that (apart from Chris’ lobbyist work) there is no indication of an Austin connection before then, has stirred Workman’s campaign to congratulate her on having moved to HD47 just in time to be eligible for the primary. Workman, by comparison, notes his residency in Travis County for the last 25 years.
Expect this one to get uglier before it gets prettier, and expect to see some indications of what the general election will be like. Incumbent Rep. Valinda Bolton, D-Austin, is often talked about as a Democrat in a naturally Republican district, but with two terms under her belt and a brutal Republican smear campaign deflated in 2008, she may not be easy to dislodge – especially if the GOPers pour cash and acrimony into the primary fight.
Workman’s press release below:
Congratulations Candidate Turner: tomorrow you are eligible to vote in HD 47 Recent Fort Worth migrant achieves eligibility 15 days after filing for ballot
Travis County – The Workman for Texas Campaign for State Representative in House District 47 today offered advance congratulations to Republican opponent Holly Turner for becoming eligible to vote in the district on Saturday.
“My opponent may not own in property in HD 47, or have any history fighting for Republican causes in Travis County, but at least she will be eligible to vote for herself starting tomorrow,” said Workman. “In the spirit of the holidays, I want to welcome her to the district and congratulate her on establishing her registration here just in time for the Republican Primary.”
A resident of Travis County for more than 25 years, Paul Workman has lived in Southwest Travis County for 24 years, and at his current residence for more than a decade. He has created jobs for citizens throughout the county for a quarter century, including starting a successful commercial construction company in 1991 that has built commercial properties in Travis County for close to two decades.“I have created jobs and built a successful business here, have paid property taxes and raised a family here, and have been an active member of the business community here, including the fight against lawsuit abuse,” said Workman. “I have a detailed understanding of the challenges facing area residents, whether it is ending traffic gridlock, fighting skyrocketing property taxes, or investing in better area schools. I look forward to a healthy debate about the issues, and who has the proven Travis County experience and leadership to inspire conservative change.”
This article appears in December 18 • 2009.
