The Race for Seventeen (Part 2)...

In many ways it is easier to be well informed about national political candidates than it is local candidates, and that is especially true of some Texas State House of Representative candidates. How the electorate judges candidates is many times based off of their records in public offices. Many times candidates that are campaigning for state offices have served at the local level, such as city council or as mayor. This type of political hierarchy is not uncommon, as candidates will move up from local to state and many times national public office.

However, in the 17th State House District of Texas none of the candidates running have ever held a position as an elected official in public office. Then the process of determining the most qualified candidates and the candidate that best suites each voter’s preferences and ideals becomes more complicated. When a state house race is in a largely rural portion of the state, the exposure to the candidates becomes limited. However, many times voters may actually have an opportunity to meet the candidates face to face, and word of mouth becomes very important.

So who are the candidates campaigning for the State House Representative in District 17?

Republican Time Kleinschmidt:
The Republican Tim Kleinschmidt, a graduate of Texas A&M University and Baylor Law School, is a lawyer in the firm of Schneider, Krugler, Kleinschmidt & Placke in Giddings, Texas in Lee County. Although Kleinschmidt has never served as an elected official he has served as city attorney for both Giddings and Lexington. Kleinschmidt ran for the same office in 2006, but lost by only one percentage point to the incumbent Democrat Robert Cook. According to his campaign web site Kleinschmidt wants to restore “traditional conservative values to District 17’s representation in Austin.”

In the 2006 election much of Kleinschmidt’s campaign focused on criticizing Representative Cook for his support of a Texas House bill that requires participation in the National Animal Identification System, with advertisements of farm animals saying things such as “Save me from Robby Cook and the bureaucrats!” Kleinschmidt also made the case that because he is a Republican it would be easier for him to gain committee memberships and possibly chair committees in a Republican majority than it would be for the Democratic incumbent (who sits on the Judiciary and Land & Resource Management committees).

Left of College Station sent the Kleinschmidt campaign emails on three separate occasions to solicit the Republican’s positions and thoughts on the issues, and why he believes that he should represent District 17 in the Texas State House of Representatives. Left of College Station never received any communication back from the campaign. (These emails can be made available upon request.)

When a candidate has never served in public office one of the best ways to establish what kind of representative they may be is to follow the money. According to the Texas Ethics Commission records the Kleinschmidt campaign has been financed in large portion by interests outside of District 17, and from interest that do not always reflect the rural and agricultural interest of District 17.

Bob Perry, of Perry Homes in Houston, donated $10,000 to the Kleinschmidt campaign. This is the same Bob Perry that donated $4.45 million to Swift Vets and POWs for Truth and $3 million to Progress for America Voter Fund. Other politicians that Perry has donated to are President George H.W. Bush, Governor Rick Perry, and former Congressman Tom DeLay.

Texans for Lawsuit Reform, a political action committee that lobbies for legislation to make it harder for patients to sue doctors for medical malpractice, has donated a total of $39,625 to the Kleinschmidt campaign. This is the same Texans For Lawsuit Reform who’s former supporter and spokesman Forney Fleming who according to the Houston Chronicle was reprimanded and fined “$7,500 by the Texas Medical Board in 2004 for misdiagnosing what turned out to be bone cancer in a 16-year-old girl's leg. The leg later was amputated.”

It must also be noted that Bob Perry donated $250,000 to Texans for Lawsuit Reform, which represents his single biggest donation in the last year.

The total amount of campaign donations that Tim Kleinschmidt has received in the last year is $73,374. In the same time period the Kleinschmidt campaign has received $13,649 in donations from inside District 17, which represents 19% of the total amount of campaign contributions. While 81% of total campaign donations have come outside the district, and 54% of campaign contributions have come from one source: Texans for Lawsuit Reform.

Democrat Donnie Dippel:
The Democrat Donnie Dippel, a graduate of Sam Houston State University, is agricultural consultant and a lobbyist for Texas Ag Industries Association. Previously Dippel served as the Assistant Commissioner for Pesticide Programs for The Texas Department of Agriculture under Rick Perry and Susan Combs. According to Dippel’s campaign web site if he is elected he wants to “Preserve, protect, and promote rural Texas.”

In an interview with Josh Berthume of TheTexasBlue.com, Dippel described much of what he sees as important to his district and what his priorities would be. When asked how he would protect rural Texas Dippel answer that he would be protecting rural Texas “mainly from the big cities, like Dallas and Houston that dominate the legislature. I have five different counties plus a small part of another one, Harris County has twenty-six representatives from one county.” In the interview Dippel talked at length about strengthening health care, education, and municipal services in rural Texas, and protecting his constituents from an unwanted Texas Corridor and protecting their water supply.

Left of College Station emailed Dippel and inquired about his positions on the issues and why he believes that he should represent District 17 in the Texas State House of Representatives, and received and interesting and thoughtful response and his reasoning on why he does not answer broad based questionnaires like that of VoteSmart.org:

“For example, I think the Legislature shirked its duty when it passed legislation allowing colleges and universities to set their own tuition rates. Tuition rates have skyrocketed since then. However, I am well aware that legislation capping tuition could also contain, for example deep budget cuts that would severely undermine the quality of our colleges and universities. In that circumstance, there's a good chance I would vote against the bill, even though it could fix a critical problem I am very concerned about. So while I respect the idea of openness and getting folks on the record, I also believe that the public elects its representatives to use judgment in how they cast their votes.”

According to the Texas Ethics Commission records the Dippel campaign has raised less money that their Republican counterparts, however, they have had to look for money from more donors because the campaign has not received the large individual donations that the Kleinschmidt campaign has. Dippel has not received donations for more than $4,500, while the Kleinschmidt campaign has received four donations of at least $10,000. The Dippel campaign has raised $61,455.62 since December, and $23,095 of those donations (38%) came from within District 17 which is 59% more money within the district than the Republican opponents.

The Dippel campaign has received $15,573 in donations from Democrats and Democrat Organizations, while Kleinschmidt has only received $1,750 from Republicans and Republican organizations. Dippel has received donations from political action committees, but 61% less in donations have come from PACs to the Dippel campaign than to the Kleinschmidt campaign.

Many of the campaign donations have come from private citizens, while some donations have come from interest groups or individuals with ties to different organizations and interest. Donations to the Dippel campaign have come from teachers’ organizations, labor unions, and the health care industry. A significant amount of money has come from organizations and individuals with ties to agricultural and industry.

Endorsement:
Donnie Dippel is a candidate that has the political knowledge and experience working in the local area, in Austin, and in Washington, D.C., that gives him a decided advantage in experience over Kleinschmidt. Dippel’s year working for the Texas Department of Agriculture and lobbyist on behalf of Texas agriculture industries make him uniquely qualified to address the issues that face rural Texas.

Donnie Dippel has received endorsements from the Texas State Teachers Association, Texas Dental Association, Texas Poultry Federation & Affiliates, Capitol Annex, and the Burnt Orange Report among others. Now, Left of College Station is adding its name to the long and diverse list of voices that have endorsed Donnie Dippel.

Donnie Dippel Needs Our Support!
Dippel needs not just support from District 17, but from all of Texas Democrats. Kleinschmidt has outraised Dippel by $12,827, but that has been without much help from the Republican Party. In the 2006 election almost $180,000 was donated to the Kleinschmidt campaign from Republican Organization, and Governor Rick Perry has recently been involved in fundraising for Kleinschmidt. Please join with Democrats from District 17 and donate to the Dippel campaign, and help keep HD-17 blue!