Perry, Lorenzen, Bush, Opiela, and HinojosaGov. Rick Perry, quoted in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on chances for legalizing slot machines to boost state revenue: "I think it was an issue that had some attraction to the Legislature when we had a huge budget deficit. I think that as the economy in the state of Texas grows, there is less interest by the Legislature... There's obviously less pressure to find alternative resources." Ed Lorenzen, a former aide to Charlie Stenholm, D-Texas, predicting in the San Francisco Chronicle how congressional Democrats will use his former boss' defeat: "They'll say, 'Look at Charles Stenholm. He worked with Republicans on Social Security reform and they still went after him with everything they had. Why would you want to help Republicans after what they did to Charles?' That is a very powerful argument they are making. It is a chilling signal to any Democrat attempting to work with the president on this issue." President George W. Bush, telling the Washington Post that voters ratified his Iraq policy: "We had an accountability moment, and that's called the 2004 elections. The American people listened to different assessments made about what was taking place in Iraq, and they looked at the two candidates, and chose me." From the papers dropping a Republican candidate's legal challenge to last year's election results: "Eric Christopher Opiela looks forward to the day that it can truly be said that fair and legal elections were conducted in Jim Wells and Bee counties... [he is] not abandoning his belief that he was the legally elected representative of the District 35 election of November 2, 2004." Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, D-Brownsville, in a letter to Opiela before the Republican dropped his claims: "As an elected official who has won and lost races in the past, I offer you this advice: support your claims with evidence, drop the racial overtones and negative innuendos, for you will never win an election if you fail to show respect to the voters."