House GOP Leader Talks Up Will Hurd's Re-Election Chances

U.S. Rep. Greg Walden of Oregon, the leader of House Republican campaign arm, held a news conference Wednesday in which he heaped praise on U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-San Antonio.

“He’s in much stronger shape going into this time than last time, even with the presidential model dynamic in terms of the electorate,” Walden said of Hurd, who is the freshman incumbent of Texas’ only competitive federal race.

But then Walden turned his commentary to Hurd’s rival, former U.S. Rep. Pete Gallego, a Democrat. Hurd and Gallego are locked in a rematch for Texas’ 23rd Congressional District. 

"Pete Gallego is not exactly the most aggressive campaigner,” Walden said. “I mean he’s got a rap of being a little bit lazy. It’s not just me. That’s what I pick up from people."

The Gallego campaign declined to respond, citing a focus on a high school shooting in Gallego’s hometown of Alpine.

But the House Democratic campaign arm did weigh in.

“By resorting to these personal, offensive attacks, it’s clear that the NRCC Chairman recognizes the threat that Pete Gallego and his top-tier campaign pose for Will Hurd’s reelection chances in November, particularly on the Trump ticket,” said Javier Gamboa, a spokesman for the House Democratic campaign arm.

*****

The Houston Chronicle has endorsed Libertarian Mark Miller in the race to replace David Porter on the three-member Texas Railroad Commission.

“Our editorial board interviews scores of candidates for political office every election year, but seldom do we find ourselves wholeheartedly endorsing a nominee from the Libertarian Party,” the editorial board wrote Tuesday night. “Then again, seldom have we met a Libertarian candidate like Mark Miller.”

Miller, a petroleum engineer who now develops software for the industry, previously ran for commissioner in 2014, earning about 3 percent of the vote.

He followed that race by authoring a book about the commission.

In this year's race, Miller faces Republican Wayne Christian, Democrat Grady Yarbrough and Green Party candidate Martina Salinas.

*****

On Wednesday, the Texas Digital Library announced plans to increase the visibility of Texas archival materials after receiving a $71,877 grant made possible by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and the Library Services and Technology Act.

The grant will go toward exploring ways to make digital archives from across Texas accessible to the world in the Digital Public Library of America. Throughout the coming year, TDL and its partners will begin developing a prototype aggregation system.

“Expanding the offerings of Texas-based content to include collections hosted in other repositories across the state will make Texas’ digital cultural heritage more visible and discoverable, while offering opportunities for them to be used in novel ways,” said Texas Digital Library Executive Director Kristi Park.

The project will accompany the University of North Texas’ Portal to Texas History, which contributes content from a collection of over 800,000 items to the DPLA.