Jun
26
Written by:
Andy Hogue
6/26/2010 2:50 PM
CORPUS CHRISTI -- Statewide candidates addressed the Texas Democratic Party Convention this afternoon, minus one.
Democratic Texas Agriculture Commissioner nominee Hank Gilbert's mother died on the eve of the convention, causing the candidate to skip the convention. Via a partially amended speech delivered by Rep. Senfronia Thompson, Glibert knocked Republican incumbent Todd Staples -- par for the course for the challenger, who began the campaign season in a run for Governor.
Thompson noted that Gilbert "nearly won" in 2006 against Staples, and stated that Gilbert is a true agricultural worker and noted his involvement in the founding of TURF (Texans United for Reform and Freedom), an anti-toll road alliance. The speech called Staples a "rhinestone cowboy."
With rhinestones on her lapel, Democratic Attorney General candidate Barbara Ann Radnofsky spent most her time proposing a lawsuit against Wall Street investors. She said her request that Republican incumbent AG Greg Abbott prosecute the amorphous "Wall Street" resulted in what she considers to be a non-answer -- an announcement that Abbott's investigation had concluded.
"It's time his investigation ended, and time that he filed a lawsuit that I conveniently provided him ..." she said, claiming that she agreed to handle such a case pro-bono.
She said Abbott had a "gross inability to practice law" and promoted an opposition Web site http://www.SueWallStreet.com.
Democratic Lieutenant Governor-candidate and Labor Union Leader Linda Chavez-Thompson blasted Gov. Rick Perry and praised the leadership of Democratic nominee Bill White in her speech. She told delegates Democrats can best project Texas jobs. She invited business leaders to join with the Democrats because the party supports educating future workers.
Democratic Land Commissioner candidate Hector Uribe, though he did not call out Republican incumbent Jerry Patterson by name, said he would do more to regulate oil and gas drilling activity. Uribe said since the BP deep offshore oil spill ocurred, the call for greater drilling activity has gone suddenly "underground."
"'Drill, Baby, Drill,' may as well be 'Spill baby spill,'" he said, characterizing BP as "a greedy, foreign oil company."
Railroad Commission candidate Jeff Weems -- perhaps the down-ballot Democratic statewide slate's best hope when Republican underdog David Porter took the GOP primary -- also called for greater oil and gas regulation.
Texas needs the oil and gas industry," Weems said "... and you've got to keep it strong. But you gotta watch what they're doing."
Water sources, he noted, should also have greater protection from oil and gas drilling.
He called his Republican opponent a "groundhog" who hasn't surfaced much since the primary. The mustachioed Democrat said he has been to more than 125 counties throughout his campaign.
Editor's note: Paragraph about Linda Chavez-Thompson's speech added at 4:20 pm.