Behind the Scenes at Battleground Texas

Travis County Democratic Party volunteers make calls to voters on Election Day from the coordinated campaign headquarters in Austin, Texas.
Travis County Democratic Party volunteers make calls to voters on Election Day from the coordinated campaign headquarters in Austin, Texas.

A visit to the headquarters of Battleground Texas, led by former Obama operatives who want to make the state politically competitive again, does not immediately inspire one to think big.

The office measures about 300 square feet. The mismatched, rickety furniture inside looks like leftovers from a charity garage sale. Half the people manning the phones could pass for high school kids let out early from theater practice. Even the map of Texas on the wall, missing a tack in the upper right corner, was drooping sideways when a reporter walked in on a recent evening.

But the enthusiasm level is palpable inside that cramped room on Austin’s East Side, and the conviction of the volunteers and the group’s leaders should make Texas Republicans pay attention to the very real threat they pose. Some day, when Democrats again win something worth bragging about in Texas, it is likely that scholars will point to the field work this group is performing right now as a key reason. 

These are not morose Texas Democrats who remember and pine for the glory years, when their party held real power. Many of the volunteers either weren’t born or can’t remember a time when Democrats held statewide office. And the people running it came here from swing states like Ohio, Colorado and Virginia, the latter of which had seemed like a Republican lock until Barack Obama won it in 2008 — the first time a Democrat carried the commonwealth since the LBJ landslide of 1964.

The work they are doing isn’t nearly enough to rescue the bedraggled Texas Democratic Party, which has been shut out of statewide office for two decades and has been in the minority in both chambers of the Legislature for 10 years. That will take top-tier candidates, a winning message and maybe some lucky breaks — not necessarily in that order. But without the unglamorous and long-neglected activist work Battleground is doing in the field, something Republicans did for years before they started dominating elections in Texas, Democrats will continue to perform far below their potential in the only reliable GOP state where minorities make up the majority of the population.

What’s striking is that a massive voter registration and outreach operation of this nature hasn’t been tried until now. It might be because Democrats have been down for so long — longer than any other Democratic Party in any U.S. state, in fact — that they quit believing they could win again.

That’s not the vibe at Battleground Texas. On a recent evening, a group of volunteers huddled around a wooden desk at the center of the room and used their own cell phones to dial other volunteer prospects who had signaled — at some previous Battleground field visit somewhere — an interest in helping the group register and motivate new Democratic voters.

Every so often, amid the cacophony, a receptionist bell would ring, prompting cheers and an exchanging of high fives. The bell, placed in the center of the table, is slapped every time a new volunteer agrees to help Battleground, and at one point in the evening it was ringing every two or three minutes.

Will Davies, a 22-year-old college student who went through a training program and now volunteers 20 hours a week for Battleground, said he was not expecting to see such an overwhelming response to the outreach when he signed up as a summer “fellow.” Davies, who grew up near Amarillo and now lives in South Austin, attributed the enthusiasm to an overreach by Republican leaders who “awoke a sleeping giant.”

“I knew people wanted change. I didn’t realize how much people wanted change,’’ he said. “I’m more optimistic every day about what can happen.”

Republicans are using the threat of Battleground to raise money and pump up their own grassroots. The Texas Republican Party, citing the work the group is doing, got national GOP money to fund the hiring of nearly two dozen new people who will conduct minority outreach in Texas, something Texas Republicans have neglected for years.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, the Tea Party firebrand Democrats (and some moderate Republicans) love to hate, told reporters in Houston recently that he had “great confidence” in the conservative-leaning values of the Texas electorate. But he has also warned Republicans that they need to do a better job of courting the growing Hispanic population or risk losing Texas — and the White House — to the Democrats forever.

Battleground Texas Field Director Alex Steele, whose most recent gig was running Obama’s field operation in Colorado last year, found himself in rare sync with Cruz on that point.

“Me and Ted Cruz don’t agree on much,” said Steele. “But I’ll let Ted speak for me on that one.”

Guns Coming to Campus, but Not Campus Carry

Late in the regular legislative session, as it became evident that a bill allowing people with concealed handgun licenses to carry firearms on college campuses would not pass, the Senate suspended its rules to push through a less ambitious bill.

Senate Bill 1907, by state Sen. Glenn Hegar, which takes effect in September, says universities may not prohibit concealed handgun license holders from storing or transporting a firearm in a locked, privately owned car in a college campus parking lost, parking garage or other parking area.

For those hoping to carry guns on college campuses, this measure hardly goes far enough. As the summer dragged on and lawmakers remained in the Capitol for multiple special sessions, supporters of campus carry urged the Legislature to go the extra mile. 

“As countless firearms companies leave gun unfriendly states and look for new homes, Texas can show itself to be serious about business rights and firearms rights alike by further clear and immediate action,” Kurt Mueller, the director of public relations for Students for Concealed Carry, wrote in a statement. 

Naturally, the parked car bill did not please opponents of campus carry either.

“I’m really not sure why they passed this bill,” John Woods, a spokesman for a group called Texas Gun Sense, said this week. “I don’t think it changes very much.”

Under existing state law, concealed weapons can only be prohibited on campus “premises,” a term that does not encompass public walkways, streets or parking lots.

Woods said he does worry that Hegar’s bill might increase the prevalence of guns at tailgate events before football games and other sporting events. “On principal, we don’t think the mixture of guns and alcohol at high-stakes athletics events is the right place for firearms,” he said.

Hegar readily acknowledges that his bill is unlikely to satisfy those who want to carry concealed firearms into campus buildings. “I’m not trying to replace campus carry,” he said. “This is a different concept."

The senator said he considers SB 1907 an extension of a bill he passed in 2011 that prohibited employers from preventing their workers from storing guns in vehicles parked in employer-controlled lots.

Though that previous law, coupled with the fact that current law does not prevent the concealed carry of firearms in campus parking lots, may make this seem like an incremental change at most, Hegar called it an important step in ensuring schools don't restrict law-abiding students from storing guns in their cars.

“Everyone else has one privilege,” Hegar said, “but the student, because they are paying tuition, they are held to a different standard.”

Inside Intelligence: More GOP Primary Predictions

This week, we asked our insiders who they think the early front-runners are to win the primaries in 2014's big-ticket statewide races. The shocker: In the race for lieutenant governor, the incumbent ranked last.

There were no surprises in two of the top contests. In the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, 88 percent said they expected incumbent Sen. John Cornyn to keep his seat. A mere 10 percent said they would pick U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler, to oust Cornyn.

In the GOP primary for the state's top political job, governor, our insiders overwhelmingly picked Attorney General Greg Abbott to defeat former Texas Workforce Commission Chairman Tom Pauken. Abbott got 96 percent compared to Pauken's 3.5 percent.

Our insiders were much less decisive about the races for lieutenant governor and attorney general, fields that are chock-a-block with Republican candidates. In the race to lead the Texas Senate, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, the incumbent, came in dead last, with just 11 percent of the vote. Current Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples, a former state senator, was the top pick at 27 percent. More than 25 percent said state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, would take the dais, while nearly 20 percent picked Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson.

In the race to replace Abbott, state Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas, came out on top with nearly 40 percent of the vote. Nearly 28 percent chose state Sen. Ken Paxton, R-McKinney, as the winner, and less than 18 percent picked Railroad Commissioner Barry Smitherman as the victor. 

We collected comments along the way and have included the full set as an attachment. Here’s a sampling: 

Who do you think would win the Republican primary for U.S. Senate?

.

• "Other than liberal pundits and TEA Party cranks, who is spending any time thinking about this race? This is and will be Cornyn's seat as long as the state votes Republican."

• "I think Gohmert could give Cornyn a run for his money but Cornyn has been tacking to the right for a while now and that's probably enough for him to survive a primary run."

• "The stars and planets would have to be perfectly aligned to take out Senator John Cornyn. He will take every threat seriously and destroy it."

• "Cornyn wins easily. Although if Gohmert runs, it will be a fun campaign to watch."

Who do you think would win the Republican primary for governor?

.

• "Experience, results, message and money. Unless Abbott moves out of state, this race is over."

• "Abbott is defeatable, not strong and a duplicate of Rick Perry. Pauken really needs to take advantage of it and set-up himself as the anti-establishment candidate and win this mother out."

•  "Seriously? Is Evan Smith allowing the interns to come up with these questions? The primary is Abbott's warm-up match before the main event."

Who do you think would win the Republican primary for lieutenant governor?

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• "The establishment guys are either quietly backing Dewhurst or shilling for Staples. If Patterson can raise some money, he will surge to the top."

• "Despite his problems among party activists, the others will divide the opposition vote, and that, combined with the Dew's money, will likely get him there."

• "Governor Dewhurst should retire and let the rest duke it out. #getaclue #timetogo"

• "I see a runoff between Dewhurst (money gets him there) and Patrick (right wing support). In a runoff, I see Patrick beating Dewhurst with more hard-core right wing supporters."

Who do you think would win the Republican primary for attorney general?

.

 

• "Smitherman's more pugnacious than the other two and that'll win favor and support in the primary."

• "Dan Branch has done a lot of work in the past few weeks to make this a toss-up between him and Smitherman. Paxton chose a painful way to retire from the Senate."

• "Any of the four could win."

• "Paxton is going to surprise. He has the "I challenged the Speaker" and has a large base."

 

Our thanks to this week's participants: Allen Blakemore, Allen Place, Andrew Biar, Andy Sansom, Anthony Haley, Blaine Bull, Beth Cubriel, Bill Hammond, Bill Stevens, Bill Jones, Bill Ratliff, Bruce Gibson, Bruce Scott, Tom Duffy, Cathie Adams, Chris Britton, Charles Bailey, Cal Jillson, Clyde Alexander, Colin Strother, Clint Hackney, Christopher Shields, Dennis Speight, Dale Laine, Dan Shelley, Darren Whitehurst, David White, David Cabrales, David Dunn, Deborah Ingersoll, Debra Medina, Denise Davis, Doc Arnold, Dominic Giarratani, Mike McKinney, Robert Kepple, Elna Christopher, Ed Small, Gary Polland, Gene Acuna, George Allen, Gerard Torres, Gardner Pate, Grant Ruckel, Harold Cook, Hector De Leon, Jack Erskine, Jenny Aghamalian, James LeBas, Jim Henson, Jason Johnson, Jay Arnold, Jay Pritchard, Jeff Eller, Pete Laney, John Greytok, Jim Grace, Janis Carter, John Esparza, Jon Fisher, Jim Sartwelle, Jason Skaggs, Jay Thompson, June Deadrick, Keats Norfleet, Kevin Cooper, Kinnan Golemon, Ken Hodges, Kim Ross, Keir Murray, Kerry Cammack, Karen Reagan, Nick Lampson, Laura Huffman, Dick Lavine, Lydia Camarillo, Lisa Kaufman, Leslie Lemon, Louis Bacarisse, Larry Soward, Luke Marchant, Luke Legate, Marc Campos, Mark Smith, Matt Mackowiak, Dan McClung, Mike Moses, Mark Jones, Michael Quinn Sullivan, Myra Leo, Nora Del Bosque, Neftali Garcia, Nef Partida, Nelson Nease, Norman Garza, Pat Nugent, Patrick Reinhart, Wayne Pierce, Peck Young, Ramey Ko, Randy Cubriel, Brian Rawson, Richard Pineda, Richard Dyer, Richard Khouri, Richie Jackson, Richard Levy, Robert Miller, Bob Strauser, Robert Jones, Robert Scott, Royce Poinsett, Robert Peeler, Russ Tidwell, Ruben Longoria, Seth Winick, Shanna Igo, Sandy Kress, Snapper Carr, Stan Schlueter, Jason Stanford, Steve Murdock, Steve Holzheauser, Sherry Sylvester, Tom Banning, Tom Blanton, Thure Cannon, Tim Reeves, Tom Kleinworth, Todd Smith, Tom Phillips, Tom Spilman, Trey Trainor, Eric Glenn, Vicki Truitt, Victor Alcorta, Vilma Luna, William Chapman, Wil Galloway, Wayne Hamilton, Ware Wendell, Angelo Zottarelli

Interactive: Top Contributors in Statewide Races

The Calendar

Saturday, Aug. 24

  • Education debate between state Sen. Dan Patrick and State Board of Education Vice Chairman Thomas Ratliff; University of Texas at Tyler Ornelas Activity Center (6:30 p.m.)

Sunday, Aug. 25

  • Texas Democratic Party reception with Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz; W Hotel, Austin (6 p.m.)

Tuesday, Aug. 27

  • State Rep. Ralph Sheffield's annual fish fry; Cathedral Oaks Event Center, Belton (6-8 p.m.)

Thursday, Aug. 29

  • Reception for state Rep. Eddie Rodriguez; Austin Club (5-7 p.m.)
 

The Week in the Rearview Mirror

After a relative was arrested for allegedly shoplifting at a grocery store, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst personally called the Allen Police Department to ask how to get her out of jail, referring to himself as the "No. 1 pick of all the law enforcement agencies within Texas." His staff has said he behaved appropriately in the call

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, the Canadian-born Tea Party darling who appears to be eyeing the White House, released his birth certificate to The Dallas Morning News — but instead of putting questions to rest, it only sparked more of them. In response to concerns about whether he was qualified to run for president, Cruz said he would give up any claim he might have to Canadian citizenship. 

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott got crosswise with Jose Garza, a lawyer for the Mexican American Legislative Caucus, calling Garza unethical for his suggestion that people in the Rio Grande Valley should attempt to vote without a photo ID. Garza said Texans have to test the impact of the 2011 voter ID law, which a court has allowed to take effect, to measure how many people it will keep from voting. 

The Texas Department of Transportation launched its effort to convert more than 80 miles of paved roads to gravel — a cost-saving repair mechanism for the cash-strapped agency. The plan has outraged some state lawmakers and many of the farmers and ranchers who live near those roads. Dimmit County, near the Texas-Mexico border, will be hit hardest by TxDOT’s decision. 

In February, Gov. Rick Perry sent an email to University of Texas System Regents Wallace Hall, Brenda Pejovich and Gene Powell suggesting that UT-Austin President Bill Powers was spreading "misinformation" to build up political support around the UT Law School Foundation investigation, according to records obtained by the Houston Chronicle. "Seems there is a contrived effort to stir up the [lieutenant governor]," Perry wrote in the email. "My bet is Powers, et al are deep into misinformation !!!"

Gov. Rick Perry's office is disputing reports that the state is negotiating with the federal government to draw down $100 million in additional financing under a rule created by the Affordable Care Act. Politico reported on Tuesday that Texas is taking advantage of the Community First Choice program, which was set up under Obamacare to increase federal Medicaid matching funds for home attendant services. Perry's office says none of his health policy aides have been involved in negotiations — and said the funding has "nothing to do with Obamacare." 

A proposal to include sexual orientation and gender identity in San Antonio's nondiscrimination policy has turned the city into a new gay rights battleground

Political People and their Moves

Longtime state Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, the influential chair of the House's chief budget-writing committee, has announced his retirement from the lower chamber.  

Rick Santorum is backing state Sen. Ken Paxton's bid for attorney general. In a video endorsement, the former presidential contender said Paxton, R-McKinney, has a record of standing up to members of his own party "when they wander off the conservative line."

San Antonio defense attorney Michael McCrum has been appointed to investigate a complaint alleging that Gov. Rick Perry abused his power and violated state law when he threatened to cut funding for the state's Public Integrity Unit unless the district attorney who oversees it resigned.

State Rep. Harvey Hilderbran formally launched his bid to succeed Comptroller Susan Combs. Hilderbran is the fourth Republican to enter the race after state Sen. Glenn Hegar of Katy, former state Rep. Raul Torres and former gubernatorial candidate Debra Medina. No Democrats have formally announced plans to run for the seat.

Republican state Sen. Glenn Hegar, who authored the Senate version of the state's restrictive abortion legislation and is running for comptroller, has announced the support of key anti-abortion groups, from Texas Right to Life and the Texans for Life Coalition to the conservative Heidi Group and the Texas Eagle Forum.  

Scott Johnson, a Frisco city councilman, will run for the Republican nomination for SD-8, the seat left empty by Sen. Ken Paxton's run for attorney general. Johnson's only opponent thus far is Tea Party favorite Van Taylor, a state representative from Plano.   

The latest state to get a visit from Gov. Rick Perry's job-poaching, "Texas works" campaign? Missouri, where TV ads — featuring former Democratic gubernatorial candidate and hair care magnate Farouk Shami, among others — will air ahead of the governor's Aug. 29 visit. The $106,000 ad buy means Perry will be on the airwaves everywhere from local TV to CNBC, FOX News, MSNBC, CNN, ESPN and the Discovery Channel. 

Gov. Rick Perry has appointed his former chief of staff Brandy Marty to the Public Utility Commission. 

State Rep. John Davis, R-Houston, has announced he will not seek re-election. He was first elected to the lower chamber in 1998.

Deaths: Former state Rep. Jimmy Earl Mankins Sr., of Kilgore. He was 87. 

Quotes of the Week

I am every year the No. 1 pick of all of the law enforcement agencies within Texas, the No. 1 pick.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst's recorded remarks to an Allen police sergeant in an effort to get a relative released on a shoplifting charge

Jeff, thanks for your support. 

Attorney General Greg Abbott's response on Twitter to supporter Jeff Rutledge, who tweeted: "@GregAbbott_TX would absolutely demolish idiot @WendyDavisTexas in Gov race - run Wendy run! Retard Barbie to learn life lesson.  @tcot"

The only reason we have mothers and fathers [in the plan] is because of Asians. Asians have this mother and father thing.

U.S. Rep. John Carter, a Williamson County Republican, on a tenet of proposed federal immigration reform that would permit the parents of adult immigrants living in the country legally to obtain legal status

I almost hate to say I said so ... almost. 

State Rep. Sarah Davis, the lone Republican to vote against Texas anti-abortion legislation, via Twitter on reports that states trying to limit abortions have suffered a 0-for-8 losing streak after court challenges to their new laws this year

The comments from the staff meeting on May 21 were and are my personal opinions and thoughts as guaranteed to me by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

San Antonio Councilwoman Elisa Chan's response to a released recording of her calling gays and lesbians "disgusting" and saying that they should not be allowed to adopt children