TribBlog: Channeling Obama? [Updated]

The Lone Star Project, a Democratic group, claims to have found Republican Stefani Carter's muse.

A new web video released by the group features Carter, a former Collin County prosecutor running to unseat state Rep. Carol Kent, D-Dallas, giving a speech that — at least in this short portion — hits the same notes as a section of President Obama's 2004 Democratic National Convention speech.

It's true that both candidates reached their current perch from humbler beginnings. The question is: Are the marked similarities in the way they raise that rhetorically coincidental or otherwise?

We have a call in to Carter's campaign and will update if she responds. In the meantime, here's the video:

UPDATE: Carter spokesman Craig Murphy says, "A look at the entire Carter speech and the six-year-old Obama speech rather than just snippets shows that not only is it entirely different, but that the point Stefani Carter was making was entirely different. The fact that Kent and this trial lawyers front group are attacking Carter so early and on such a reach is just the first indication of how far behind they think they are in this Republican District."