Hall Hopes to Ride to Re-election With Help From Friends

Congressman Ralph Hall waves to the crowd at Frisco 2008 community parade.
Congressman Ralph Hall waves to the crowd at Frisco 2008 community parade.

Congress’ oldest member is trying to prove wrong those writing his political obituary with a spirited rally around the incumbent effort.

Ralph Hall has enjoyed a long run of electoral success since he was first elected to represent CD-4 in 1980 as a conservative Democrat. He seamlessly transitioned to life as a Republican a decade ago, but the congressman from Rockwall was thrown into a runoff this year with former U.S. Attorney John Ratcliffe.

The challenger in recent weeks has drawn support from a couple of high-profile conservative groups, the Club for Growth and the Madison Project. That has spurred speculation that Hall might be sent home by runoff voters, who tend to run a deeper shade of red. That’s despite Hall being the top vote-getter in March with 45 percent of the vote.

Hall, though, has counterattacked using the most effective tool available to a 34-year incumbent — his Rolodex.

First, he secured the help of his fellow Republicans in the House Texas delegation. His campaign announced on Wednesday that Hall had the support of the entire delegation, which is easily the biggest Republican state delegation in Congress.

That was followed by news reports of a Wednesday fundraiser organized by House Republican Conference Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington as well as Lamar Smith of San Antonio and Mike Conaway of Midland. Organizers expected to raise about $50,000 for Hall’s re-election campaign.

Smith is also hosting, along with Michael McCaul of Austin and Roger Williams of Weatherford, a fundraiser for Hall in Austin on Monday.

McCaul last month talked about the solidarity in the GOP House delegation with Hall.

“We have sort of code of conduct and honor in our delegation that we stick together, and Ralph’s one of our dearest members, and it’d be tragic to see him lose what could be his last election,” McCaul said.

Hall has racked up endorsements as well from former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Secretary of the Army Pete Geren. In the latter case, Geren talked up Hall’s efforts to save the Red River Army Depot. “I’m endorsing Congressman Hall,” he said, “because he fights for jobs and our troops.”

If Hall’s fellow congressmen want to make sure he is successful in his final campaign — he said in December that he would not run again — Ratcliffe is trying to make the case that Hall has been walking the halls of Congress for too long.

At the same time, Ratcliffe has tried to avoid making Hall’s age — he turns 91 next month — an issue.

The Tribune’s Edgar Walters reported Ratcliffe as saying, “I haven’t made age an issue in the campaign. ... He wants to stay in Washington for 36 years, and I think that’s anathema to the Constitution.”

Patrick Has Big Mo in Lite Guv Contest

Texas state Sen. Dan Patrick, shown talking to voters during the Tarrant County Conservative Candidate Fair held in Hurst.
Texas state Sen. Dan Patrick, shown talking to voters during the Tarrant County Conservative Candidate Fair held in Hurst.

The big headline last week in the GOP lite guv showdown was disarray in the David Dewhurst camp. This week, the story is a trio of high-profile endorsements for Dewhurst’s challenger, Dan Patrick.

Add those two things together and it equals big trouble for the incumbent, who, it should be remembered, also turned in a lackluster performance in the first round of the party primaries.

On Monday, Railroad Commissioner — and erstwhile AG candidate — Barry Smitherman came out for Patrick over Dewhurst. He was followed on Wednesday by state Sen. Bob Deuell, R-Greenville, as well as the political arm of the tort reform group Texans for Lawsuit Reform.

In the latter case, TLR reversed course. It had backed the incumbent in the first round but decided to switch allegiance for the upcoming runoff. In making the announcement, the TLR leadership said it had backed Dewhurst initially because “he played pivotal roles at crucial times over the past decade in the passage of comprehensive tort reforms."

It went on to say that Patrick “has earned the support of Republicans who want to retain the Lt. Governorship in conservative hands. … In determining the best course for the State of Texas moving forward, we believe it is time to rally to Dan Patrick for the fall election.”

In Deuell’s case, the endorsement is not being reciprocated by Patrick. But, pardon the pun, the move does serve a dual purpose for the state senator who finds himself in a potentially tricky runoff contest against Tea Party fave Bob Hall. Deuell doesn’t have a press release in hand announcing an endorsement from Patrick. But he's hoping to benefit by standing with Patrick, who is not only popular with the grassroots right but also happens to have big mo on his side.

*****

A trio of Tea Party House members are saddling up and riding to the help of T.J. Fabby, the Tea Party candidate in the GOP HD-10 runoff. Jonathan Stickland, Giovanni Capriglione and David Simpson, joined by HD-115 GOP nominee Matt Rinaldi, will appear at an April 22 fundraiser organized by Fabby at the Waxahachie Civic Center. Fabby squares off against establishment Republican candidate John Wray in the May 27 runoff. The winner succeeds House Appropriations Chairman Jim Pitts, who opted not to pursue re-election. With no one else running in the general election, the man who emerges victorious in May will have his ticket punched for Austin.

Newsreel: Dewhurst Gets Dumped, UT Regent Drama, Civil Rights Summit

This week in the Newsreel: A business group drops its endorsement of Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, a report on UT Regent Wallace Hall is in and four U.S. presidents visit Austin to celebrate the 50th anniversary of LBJ's civil rights legislation.

Inside Intelligence: About Those Regents...

With independent counsel Rusty Hardin handing in his inquiry report on University of Texas Regent Wallace Hall, we asked the insiders this week about the troubles at UT, what they think ought to happen and what they think the fallout will be.

Most of the insiders, 78 percent, believe Hall should leave the board of regents, and slightly more than half believe the House should impeach him. This next number should put that in perspective: 61 percent said their sympathies lie with the administrators and alumni trying to fend off the regents, while only 13 percent said they are on the side of “the regents who say they want to reform and modernize UT.”

Four out of five think the squabbling is hurting UT’s reputation, and 60 percent believe the turmoil will keep qualified candidates for chancellor away from UT.

As always, we collected comments along the way and a full set is attached. Here’s a sampling:

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Should Wallace Hall leave the University of Texas Board of Regents?

• "He has disgraced The University, the system, and himself; of course he should leave. But he won't."

• "One should not come to conclusions without knowing all the details. However, his mere presence has become toxic and that is something UT cannot have hanging over its head."

• "If he has not been found guilty of a crime he should stay"

• "When the topic of UT is anything other than educating kids, something is very wrong."

• "Only when and if all the facts are in and they support the action."

• "If our state government is truly set up so that Board Members and Commissioners oversee state agencies and not the Legislature, then Hall needs to stand his ground."

• "So we can replace him with somebody who will buy into the party line and do what he is told?"

• "What a waste of time and resources. I'd never heard of this regent prior to this parlor game, and I'm anxious not to hear of him again. Shame on all parties for furthering this vapid inquiry."

• "He has done an outstanding job exposing waste and corruption at a school that thinks it is above the law. Wallace Hall should be commended for his hard work and dedication."

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Should the Texas House of Representatives impeach Hall?

• "They first need to hear his side of the story and then weigh the facts and evidence before them. They should absolutely the hold impeachment hearing--too many unanswered questions exist for this to go away on its own--but whether they vote to impeach him depends on the whole, complete picture of what happened. The logical progression is to carry this forward to the next step."

• "Being a destructive nut is not cause for impeachment."

• "Yes, because it will be good for higher education to litigate this in the open."

• "It will cost too much to do it and constituents will not like it. It would seem congressional."

• "They shouldn't have to. He should step down."

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Are your sympathies more with the regents who say they want to reform and modernize UT or with the administrators and alumni who say they are trying to fend off political interference from the regents?

• "This isn't about reform and modernity. This is about a bruised ego and retribution. That said, these two options aren't mutually exclusive--as an alumnus and tax payer, I loathe political interference from regents, especially from Inspector Clouseau, but I realize some reform and modernity is likely a good thing; but it's all in how it's pursued and explained."

• "Bill Powers' personality isn't all that congenial, but frankly it's refreshing to see a university president who isn't afraid to buck the rich, politically connected, (mostly) white men who think they are qualified to run our universities because they managed to get Perry to appoint them to the coveted board of regents. Statutory qualifications for being a regent? You must be a qualified voter. Seriously. That's it."

• "The regents at universities have a responsibility to lead and take action that will help sustain and grow the organization, think corporate board. If they deem it necessary to make changes to the administration and how the school operates then that is their job. If the administration and students do not like change or modernization maybe they should leave and find some place that wants to be static and whither."

• "Insulated academics need to answer to somebody. But then regents need to know some bounds on how far they can or should go."

• "This is a battle between those who think they know it all and those who know they know it all. The only people more arrogant that political regents who want to 'help' their institution of higher education are the people in academia who never believe anyone outside of higher ed has a good idea."

• "I am pro-reform and anti-dysfunction."

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Is the squabbling among regents, administrators and others affecting UT’s reputation?

• "Yes, UT's reputation is affected both short term and long term and both in-state and out-of-state. But what's hurting UT's reputation even more was Mack Brown's dismissal and departure."

• "Hopefully, the next chancellor will possess the people and political skill to navigate among any conflicting parties and unite them toward common goals that benefit the flagship institution of this state. It is obvious, the previous chancellor was unable to do so."

• "And ain't it fun to watch! Hubris has a way of bringing about change. The 'mighty orange and white' so bold and brave and confident bringing its own house down. I need a drink and some snacks. This is made for TV fun that I enjoy."

• "In some circles...but would argue that UT's mediocre football teams in recent years have had a bigger impact on reputation."

• "Research dollars, private contributions, donations of collections etc. all slow down. Why give something to a university which is having 'stability' issues. When your regents and chancellor are having issues - it affects all of your universities, but most especially the flagship university!"

• "Of course it is negatively affecting UT's reputation. Isn't that Perry's goal? (Whoop!)"

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Will the turmoil keep qualified candidates for chancellor away from the University of Texas?

• "Who would accept the challenge to lead this outstanding system when the governing body can't get along? It's a recipe for disaster."

• "I think this is a rough patch but the truth is the chancellor of the UT system is still the brass ring in terms of academic posts."

• "The money and power will attract plenty of candidates."

• "It's a really big carrot."

• "Chancellor candidates for UT would be able to pick their institution. They will not want to come a place where they are not able to lead without undue interference."

• "There will be plenty of candidates, but some highly qualified possibilities will wisely stay away from a toxic political environment."

Our thanks to this week's participants: Gene Acuna, Brandon Aghamalian, Jenny Aghamalian, Victor Alcorta, Brandon Alderete, Clyde Alexander, George Allen, Jay Arnold, Charles Bailey, Dave Beckwith, Andrew Biar, Allen Blakemore, Tom Blanton, Chris Britton, Jay Brown, David Cabrales, Kerry Cammack, Thure Cannon, Snapper Carr, Janis Carter, William Chapman, Elna Christopher, Harold Cook, Kevin Cooper, Beth Cubriel, Randy Cubriel, Denise Davis, June Deadrick, Nora Del Bosque, Glenn Deshields, Holly DeShields, Tom Duffy, David Dunn, Richard Dyer, Jeff Eller, Jack Erskine, Jon Fisher, Norman Garza, Dominic Giarratani, Bruce Gibson, Stephanie Gibson, Eric Glenn, Kinnan Golemon, Daniel Gonzalez, Thomas Graham, John Greytok, Clint Hackney, Wayne Hamilton, Bill Hammond, John Heasley, Steve Holzheauser, Deborah Ingersoll, Cal Jillson, Mark Jones, Robert Jones, Lisa Kaufman, Robert Kepple, Richard Khouri, Tom Kleinworth, Sandy Kress, Nick Lampson, Pete Laney, Dick Lavine, James LeBas, Luke Legate, Leslie Lemon, Ruben Longoria, Matt Mackowiak, Dan McClung, Steve Minick, Mike Moses, Steve Murdock, Nelson Nease, Keats Norfleet, Pat Nugent, Todd Olsen, Nef Partida, Gardner Pate, Jerod Patterson, Robert Peeler, Jerry Philips, Tom Phillips, Richard Pineda, Allen Place, Kraege Polan, Gary Polland, Jay Propes, Karen Reagan, Patrick Reinhart, David Reynolds, Carl Richie, Grant Ruckel, Jason Sabo, Luis Saenz, Andy Sansom, Jim Sartwelle, Barbara Schlief, Stan Schlueter, Bruce Scott, Robert Scott, Bradford Shields, Christopher Shields, Julie Shields, Nancy Sims, Ed Small, Martha Smiley, Mark Smith, Larry Soward, Leonard Spearman, Dennis Speight, Tom Spilman, Jason Stanford, Bob Strauser, Colin Strother, Michael Quinn Sullivan, Sherry Sylvester, Gerard Torres, Trey Trainor, Vicki Truitt, Ken Whalen, David White, Darren Whitehurst, Seth Winick, Peck Young, Angelo Zottarelli.

The Calendar

Friday, April 11

  • American Federation of Teachers Local #3456 presents An Evening With Wendy Davis; Del Mar College, Harvin Center, Corpus Christi (6:30 p.m.)

Monday, April 14

  • Fundraiser for U.S. Rep. Ralph Hall; The Austin Club, Austin (4:30-6 p.m.)
  • Republican Leadership Council event with Texas Republican Party Chairman Steve Munisteri and state Senate candidate Paul Bettencourt; 918 Huntington Cove, Houston (5:30-7 p.m.)

Wednesday, April 16

  • The Texas Public Policy Foundation's Texas at a Turning Point conference and luncheon; Sheraton at the Capitol, Austin (8:45 a.m.)

Thursday, April 17

  • TribLive: A Conversation With Mike Collier, candidate for state comptroller; The Austin Club, Austin (7:30 a.m.)
  • Workshop with Railroad Commissioner David Porter on natural gas vehicles; Uni-Trade Stadium, Laredo (8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.)
 

The Week in the Rearview Mirror

The LBJ Presidential Library drew national attention this week by hosting the Civil Rights Summit to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Civil Rights Act. The biggest headlines were around the appearances of President Barack Obama and three former Presidents. But other noteworthy panels were held on gay marriage, the relationship between MLK and LBJ and memories of the civil rights movement from three frontline participants.

The counsel for the House committee investigating impeachment charges against UT Regent Wallace Hall released his report, listing the grounds that could be used to support a recommendation to impeach. The draft report by Houston attorney Rusty Hardin, though, created controversy by being released to media outlets before it became publicly available.

Gov. Rick Perry announced changes to his senior staff, naming Felix Browne his new director of communications and Hugh Addington his new director of scheduling and advance. The addition of Browne, who was a Mitt Romney adviser, spurred further speculation that Perry is eyeing another run at the White House in 2016.

The SBOE fashioned a compromise with advocates of an elective course on Mexican-American studies, adding instructional materials for a number of ethnic studies courses that could be picked up voluntarily by school districts.

The Texas Department of Transportation dismantled a portion of its toll tag website after a blogger noticed that it was leaving users' credit card information exposed. The flaw left 1.2 million TxTag holders vulnerable.

Disclosure: The LBJ Library and Museum is a corporate sponsor of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Texas Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.

Political People and their Moves

Sondra Haltom has been hired to serve as Texas state director for the DNC's Voter Expansion Project. Haltom founded the nonprofit group Empower the Vote Texas in December 2012 and before that was the political director for the Texas Democratic Party.

Carine M. Feyten is the sole finalist for chancellor and president of Texas Woman's University. She comes to the university from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where she has been dean of the College of Education, Health and Society since 2006.

Air Guard Brig. Gen. Kenneth W. Wisian has been promoted to the rank of Major General in the Texas Air National Guard. A University of Texas graduate, Wisian has served in the Air National Guard since 1994.

The political arm of the Texas Medical Association has endorsed in two GOP House runoffs: DeWayne Burns in HD-58 and Morgan Meyer in HD-108.

GOP attorney general candidate Dan Branch picked up the endorsement of State Republican Executive Committee member and Hispanic Republicans of Texas founder George Antuna.

GOP SD-10 candidate Konni Burton received endorsements from Tarrant County District Clerk Tom Wilder and Constable Clint Burgess. The Burton camp noted that Wilder had previously supported her and former state Rep. Mark Shelton.

GOP SD-4 candidate Brandon Creighton announced the support of the Texas Patriots PAC as well as from the Kingwood and East Montgomery County Tea Parties. Creighton is running in the May 10 special election to fill the seat relinquished by Tommy Williams.

Quotes of the Week

Hall acted like a roving inspector general in search of a problem rather than a solution.

An excerpt from the draft report prepared for the House panel investigating allegations of impeachable offenses by UT System Regent Wallace Hall 

[The report] leads us to conclude the committee is not serious about its mission, and instead is engaged in a campaign to influence public impressions of Regent Hall for political purposes.

Hall attorney Stephen Ryan expressing displeasure in a letter to the House panel over the release of the draft report to media outlets before it was publicly available

Yes, they broke the law, but it’s not a felony; it’s an act of love. It’s a different kind of crime.

Rumored GOP presidential contender Jeb Bush challenging his party's orthodoxy on immigration

I mean, that statement he made about illegal immigrants being an act of love is kind of bizarre. I grant him the complete sincerity and honesty of his view, he’s always had that kind of approach. But that’s leading with your chin.

Conservative commentator Charles Krauthammer, clearly put off by Bush's immigration comments

I went to the drug store to fill a prescription, and there were two people hitting me up for tickets.

LBJ Foundation vice chairman and former Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes on the popularity of this week's Civil Rights Summit in Austin