In Lt. Governor’s Race, It’s Time for Leticia

As the 2014 campaign season begins to pick up steam, it’s becoming clear which candidates hold the momentum. Some are fully engaged in general election fights, like Democrat Wendy Davis and Republican Greg Abbott in the Governors’ race, while others like Dan Patrick and David Dewhurst are forced to vie for the GOP nomination in the upcoming Primary run-offs. The Patrick- Dewhurst brawl has already gotten particularly ugly.

However, one candidate for Lieutenant Governor sees the GOP run-off as a golden opportunity… State Senator Leticia Van de Putte. Though she’s been a known fixture in Austin since the Ann Richards administration, Senator Van de Putte came to international prominence last June alongside Wendy Davis, causing a roar in the Senate chamber when she was disrespected by her male colleagues.

But make no mistake… Senator Van de Putte is not taking her cues from Davis. She is running her own campaign, and talking about the issues that matter to Texans as she sees them. The increased action on the GOP side is certainly an advantage, but in some ways, so is the fact that the Davis- Abbott battle is stealing the spotlight. As a result of these factors, Van de Putte is quietly building a movement for her campaign, and may have a better shot at victory than her  more famous Gubernatorial counterpart. The Senator has tackled the tough issues, and is a strong supporter of common-sense reforms, public investment, and providing healthcare for all Texans.

And this week, Leticia Van de Putte embarked on a bus tour across the state of Texas, giving voters a dose of old-fashioned shoe leather politics. Here’s more about the tour from Van de Putte’s op-ed in the Burnt Orange Report…

Campaigning statewide requires listening to the people in all of these areas, learning what they expect of government, and then unifying them all under the Lone Star flag so that we may move forward together as a single state.

And when I say unify, I don’t just mean Democrats or those who usually agree with me. I mean all the people of Texas. During my 30 years as a pharmacist and legislator, I’ve learned that to really serve people, first you listen – then you talk. That’s why I’ve been able to work with Republicans, Independents and Democrats to solve problems. I’ve worked with Fortune 500 executives, community activists, doctors and nurses, firefighters and financial executives, all sharing the same goal – keeping Texas the best place to live in the country. And I am proud to say I’ve developed friendships and working relationships with all of them.

Those relationships will be key to sway voters if the Senator is to make history in the Lone Star State. April is a critical time for the Van de Putte campaign… a time to get the word out, meet voters and make sure that Texans know there is a credible alternative GOP antics. Given that she’s kicking off the month with a statewide, press-generating bus tour, one has to think she off to a great start. As a business owner, pharmacist, mother of 6, and experienced legislator, Van de Putte brings a wealth of unique experience that her opponent, whomever it is, simply cannot match. It just may be the prescription for victory in November.

If you’d like to learn more about Leticia Van de Putte, check out her Texas Tribune interview with Evan Smith below…

Abbott, Davis Parlay Over Pre-K

Some very revealing plans for Pre-K came out of the Abbott campaign. Here’s the low-down from the Texas Tribune, including Wendy Davis’ response…

Announcing the first of his education policy proposals Monday, Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott called for reforming pre-kindergarten programs before expanding access, saying that additional funding should be tied to academic outcomes.

Abbott’s plan, which was unveiled in Weslaco, proposes providing an additional $1,500 per student on top of the funding the state already provides for half-day pre-K programs if the program meets performance requirements set by the state.

“Expanding the population of students served by existing state-funded programs without addressing the quality of existing prekindergarten instruction or how it is being delivered would be an act of negligence and waste,” Abbott’s policy proposal reads.

Abbott’s proposal comes with a $118 million price tag in the 2016-17 biennium and includes a focus on annual reviews for children beginning school in 2016…

On Monday, Davis was quick to respond to Abbott’s call for reforming pre-K instead of expanding access.

“The fact that Greg Abbott thinks it’s a ‘waste’ to ensure all Texas children have access to pre-K explains why he’s still fighting to defend nearly $200 million in cuts to pre-K in the courtroom,” Davis said in a statement. “Abbott’s plan of pre-K for the chosen few but not for all hardworking Texas children would set our state backwards at a time we need to prepare for a 21st-century economy.”

Earlier in the day, Davis also attacked Abbott before he released his proposal, calling his policies hypocritical given his defense of the state in court as part of the school finance lawsuit.

Abbott’s Pre-K “plan” is tailor-made for his mostly Conservative, non-minority audience. He proposes that instead of trying to take care of all Texas children, we should instead shift more resources to programs that are already doing well, and let the struggling children fall further behind.

But unlike years past for Democrats, Wendy Davis is able to offer a competing vision that will get noticed by voters. After massive cuts to public education in 2011, Davis lambastes Abbott for daring to cut some programs even further. She also mentions a landmark lawsuit where Texas schools are suing the state due to severe under-funding from the Legislature’s 2011 education budget slash-fest. One has to agree with Davis in this case…. having our precious Pre-schoolers compete in a Hunger Games battle for their education is not the way to make Texas a better state.

The sheer immediacy of the response to Abbott is impressive, and presents further evidence of a bold shift for the Davis campaign, and even for the Texas Democratic Party. Here’s hoping they can keep the heat on Abbott through November. It’s quite astounding that the Abbott campaign would be bold enough to even mention education platform this early before November. Are they giving Democrats free ammunition here? No matter one’s political stripes, everyone in the state of Texas lived through those ridiculous cuts in 2011, and they know that schools haven’t nearly recovered. As the Attorney General has proven today, a Davis administration would be much better for our kids.

(photo credit: CBS DFW 11)