Business leaders take sides in GOP education board (SBOE #5)

[sonias]

AAS 1/24/10
Business leaders take sides in GOP education board contest
Challenger drawing substantial support from business leaders

A pivotal Republican primary for the State Board of Education has drawn an unusual amount of interest and money from some prominent business leaders.

The support has helped the challenger in the District 5 race, Tim Tuggey, take a substantial fundraising lead over incumbent Ken Mercer, a member of the board's conservative bloc. District 5 includes southern Travis County, northern Bexar County and 11 other Central Texas counties.

Tuggey brought in about $60,000, according to the latest campaign finance reports. That is more than seven times the amount Mercer raised and is considered a princely sum for a state board race.

(snip)

The 15-member board is sharply divided between Mercer's conservative side and a more moderate opposition faction. Eight seats are up for election this year, and any change in board membership could tip the balance of power.

The District 5 Republican primary winner will face the Democrat who emerges from a four-person field.

The Rs have come to understand that their right wing nut base is hurting their party. I think they should have acted earlier. Too late now. I'm hoping that nut case Mercer wins, because I think our candidate can knock him out in November.

I support Dr. Rebecca Bell-Metereau in our Democratic primary for SBOE 5. This district includes these counties
Bell, Northern Bexar, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Comal, Gillespie, Guadalupe, Hays, Kendall, Llano and Southern Travis.

If you are in this district please vote for Rebecca.
www.VoteRebecca.com

Sonia

[sonias]

1. SBOE Fundraising: Non-Crazies Leading in Important Races

BOR thread 1/28/10
SBOE Fundraising: Non-Crazies Leading in Important Races

Lately, I've liked telling people that Democrats have a very good chance to make important gains in all levels of state government, from the Governor's Mansion to the State Board of Education.

With the SBOE, there are really only one or two districts where Democrats can reasonably hope to take away from Republicans, but the story on that board is not so much Democrats vs. Republicans. In the SBOE, somehow, one major group is of crazy conservatives who want to isolate Texas into a Christian and potentially unproductive box. The other group: rational people, both Democrats and Republicans, who want to ensure that Texas children are prepared to compete in the global economy.

There are four important seats where that way-too-extreme social conservatism is being fought tooth-and-nail. One is SBOE 3, where Democrat Rick Agosto has embarrassingly been a swing vote with the crazies. He's been pushed to not running for reelection, and Michael Soto is expected to take his place and do well.

Texas Freedom Network also has the numbers:
SBOE Campaign Finance Update

We are being out-raised in SBOE 5 by the business community - of course. :grr:

Sonia