Dallas News Blog

Sam Merten

Debra Medina in Dallas two weeks ago, after the final GOP debate

​Hard to say how seriously to take the results of today's Public Policy Polling press release that says Debra Medina's becoming quite the player in the GOP gubernatorial race; after all, this is the same company that asked America the other day, "Saints or Colts?" (Saints all the way, but of course.) Anyway. Says the release, Rick Perry's pulling 39 percent of the would-be votes, while Kay Bailey Hutchison's running a distant second with 28 percent. Meanwhile, Medina's coming up the rear with 24 percent.

Per the release, Perry's doing well with conservatives; so too Medina. KBH, alas, is a fave amongst the moderates -- which "account for only 20% of GOP primary voters," says the release, which adds:

"The big question for Debra Medina is whether there's enough unhappy voters out there for her to get into a runoff with Rick Perry," said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. "That would rank up there with the results of the Massachusetts Senate election as an early shocker in the 2010 political season."

Danny Fulgencio

​In the current paper version of Unfair Park, we detail the lengthy battle between Robert O'Donnell and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, who extinguished O'Donnell's child support collection business after several courtroom victories. Despite the efforts of Abbott and his office to find O'Donnell's company non-compliant with federal law, several big-name politicos supported O'Donnell (the son of former Dallas County Judge Bob O'Donnell), including Governor Rick Perry.

Perry's May 2006 letter to former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt stressed that finding O'Donnell's practices in violation of federal law, which had been previously determined by Leavitt's own agency to be a matter best left in the hands of the state, had "the effect of decreasing competition and potentially decreases the likelihood that the custodial parent will receive their child support payment."

This placed Perry in a group of powerful folks we reached out to for comment on the story, and, to his credit, he was one of very few willing to do so. However, what we got back didn't make the cut as the best he could muster was having his deputy press secretary, Katherine Cesinger, answer a few questions via e-mail. Her response to our inquiry about whether the Office of the Attorney General does a better job of collecting child support than other states -- and, of course, why or why not -- struck us as particularly terse.

"The Attorney General's State Disbursement Unit is effectively and sufficiently collecting child support in the state," she wrote.

Farouk Shami

​Tonight's the Democratic gubernatorial debate at KTVT HQ in Fort Worth -- can't wait! In advance of what could be an epic showdown, "hair-care guru" Farouk Shami sends word that he's picked up the endorsement of Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway following a Friday-night winding held by the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance. From the confusingly written release:

Caraway and Shami met recently during one of Shami's many campaign stops and said that he was impressed with the gubernatorial candidate for several reasons, but mostly because "he speaks with experience and from the heart. He speaks about issues -- jobs, economic development -- that affect the average citizen and those who have not had a voice for some time." said Caraway. "He is real and he is committed."

"I am proud to have this endorsement," said Shami. "Mayor Caraway is very much in touch with the communities I am trying to help by creating jobs and those who have been impacted most by the economic downturn."

Mark Graham

​As he prepared to board an airplane bound for Austin at approximately 6 p.m. on Wednesday night, Dallas County Judge Jim Foster received a flurry of phone calls related to the now-infamous meeting that Dallas County Constable Jaime Cortes had with approximately 30 of his deputies. With Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez (who suffered minor injuries in a taxi cab accident shortly after her arrival) and other county employees already in Austin for a Texas Commission on Jail Standards meeting held on Thursday, Foster decided his best course of action was to stay in Dallas.

As Foster explained to Unfair Park this morning in his office on the second floor of the former Texas School Book Depository, he has firsthand knowledge of many of the complaints in the investigation of the constables, including those against Lt. Howard Watson, one of Cortes's deputy constables that was recently charged with bribery and sexual assault.

"I'm the person that they were going to, and they're still coming to me," he says. "I wish I weren't in the middle of it, but I am because they don't know where else to go."

​Reaction to Terri Hodge's plea deal with the feds continues to trickle in, with Angela Hunt telling us this afternoon that she has withdrawn her support of Hodge "for obvious reasons" and now supports Eric Johnson in the March 2 Democratic primary. (Update: Hunt, Craig Watkins, Royce West, Rafael Anchia and others are scheduled to appear at South Side on Lamar to endorse Johnson on Monday at 11:15 a.m.) While Hodge could still win the seat, forcing a vote of the precinct chairs in House District 100 to name her replacement on the November ballot, Hunt says that would be a mistake.

"There's no need to drag out the election process and create a situation where voters do not directly decide who's representing them," she says. "I hope that cooler heads prevail on that."

Hunt explains that she supported Hodge because she was the only other officeholder to join her in supporting the 2007 referendum to remove the Trinity River toll road from inside the floodway.

"She was on our side because she wanted to do what was right," Hunt says. "It was not politically helpful to her to stand with us against the mayor and all the other powerful interests, and I was impressed with that."

Sam Merten

Neil Emmons

​Democratic precinct chair and former City Plan Commissioner Neil Emmons was certainly not alone in his support of Terri Hodge in her bid for an eighth term in Texas House District 100, as Hodge's endorsements included several of the city's most notable politicos. But even after Hodge pleaded guilty in the City Hall corruption case, agreed to resign from her seat and, most important, admitted to the government's allegations of accepting more than $30,000 from Brian and Cheryl Potashnik and using campaign contributions for personal use, Emmons (one of several Hodge supporters we've contacted for comment) continues to stand by Hodge.

"I can think of so many public officials who have done so many underhanded things that aren't crimes that have much more negative impacts on people's lives long term," he tells Unfair Park.

Emmons, a resident in Hodge's district, says his relationship with her resembles extended family, and he praises her for often answering the phone in her office when constituents called with concerns. He says the indictment against Hodge was "painful" and he had hoped it wasn't true, but he doesn't regret endorsing her. "I don't because from where I stood, she did a great job as a rep."

Photos by Sam Merten

Once again, Debra Medina was the only one with the guts to face the press after the debate.

​For no other reason than sheer curiosity, I spent last night at WFAA studios for the taping of The Belo Debate featuring Republican gubernatorial primary candidates Rick Perry, Kay Bailey Hutchison and Debra Medina. I just had to know why dozens of journalists would pack themselves into a storage room to watch an event on television that, of course, they could watch on television anywhere and report the exact same story.

The possible upside to being in attendance? Catching the post-debate press conference. But, as had been the case after the first debate, Perry and Hutchison balked at facing the press (Perry announced early that he was out; Hutchison considered it before ultimately declining), while Medina made a statement, took a few questions and left. So while I still try to figure out why everyone didn't just watch it from the comfort of their homes, here are my top 10 observations, a concept admittedly stolen from Richie over at the Sportatorium.

10. This is likely the last debate between these three until the March 2 primary, and Belo decides that relevant questions include naming the first governor of Texas (which Hutchison flubbed, guessing "Burleson," while no Texas governor had that name) and estimating the average annual salary for a teacher (which Medina nailed, guessing $46,000, only $179 off the mark). Even the editorial board at The Dallas Morning News had issues with what they referred to as "Double Jeopardy" questioning. These are not questions that matter to voters, and the exercise amounted to a total waste of time.

9. Will Perry stay for all four years if he's reelected? Will Hutchison really leave the Senate no matter what happens in the primary? Again, these aren't issues germane to the race! Of course, Perry is going to say he's going to serve all four years as governor if he's reelected. And, of course, Hutchison will maintain that she's leaving the Senate no matter what -- she'd be contradicting her previous stance if she said anything else. But does anyone seriously believe that Hutchison is ready to end her political career if she loses? And does anyone think Perry would balk at a presidential run in 2012 if the opportunity presented itself?

Patrick Michels

From left: Royce West, John Crawford, Angela Hunt and Craig Watkins take questions last night.

Spike Johnson

Want to know which hotel Medina's staying at? Here's a clue: Intern Spike notes that the lobby smells like pickles.

​Described in today's Wall Street Journal as "an obscure candidate" threatening to force a runoff between Governor Rick Perry and U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, Debra Medina sat down briefly with Unfair Park yesterday afternoon as she's in town for tonight's Belo debate.

While Medina told us that the Tea Party, which she describes as "a dynamic and fluid grassroots movement," has given her an audience and contributed to "boots on the ground" for her campaign, she hesitates to point to any one thing that has attributed to her rise in popularity as a relatively unknown former chair of the Wharton County Republican Party. She does, however, give credit to "the growth and prominence of social media."

Before she was whisked off to another interview, we asked her to elaborate on her stance that property taxes should be abolished -- that's right, not cut, abolished. She points to an April 2009 position paper by the Texas Public Policy Foundation as the foundation for her belief that a revised sales tax is a better option.

Medina says income and property taxes are the biggest drags on the economy, while sales tax has the least effect. She compares it to putting a heavy load on a mule's shoulder instead of spreading it across its back. And because Texas taxes only about half of the 168 items that other states do, she says there's a lot of room to broaden the base.

"For me, it's not about just the fiscal idea," she says. "It really is about understanding that it's an essential element of freedom. That's why you have to do it, but freedom and prosperity walk hand in hand. When you do things that give people more freedom, you see that the whole society will be more prosperous."

David Kelton

​While combing through the recent campaign finance reports filings due Friday, we took notice of the one turned in by former Republican Judge David Kelton, who lost his robe in 2006 to Carlos Cortez, switched parties and is now battling Dale Tillery and Baltasar Cruz in the Democratic primary for the opportunity to unseat Dallas County Civil District Court Judge James Stanton. Turns out there wasn't an expenditure for Grass Root Strategies, the consulting firm of Tanya Watkins, the wife of District Attorney Craig Watkins, who we heard on good authority has been working on Kelton's campaign.

Rather than finding a payout to Watkins, there was an expenditure of $7,500 on December 9 to Palancas Consulting. However, we searched the business records of Palancas and found its status as "forfeited existence" effective August 7, 2009.

To clear things up, we called Kelton, who was the subject of a nasty press release from State Democratic Executive Committee member David Bradley, and asked if Watkins was in fact his consultant. He told us that after considering Watkins, he decided instead to use former Dallas County Democratic Party chair Susan Hays, and then he named Palancas as her company after searching for his paperwork.

Later in our conversation, we brought up Watkins's name again, asking what he thought of the controversy surrounding her gig as a consultant considering her hubby is the DA and a top Democrat in the county. He said it has "probably been overblown" and then added, "Susan may very well be in touch with Tanya on my election campaign, but I've hired Susan, and I don't care who Susan uses. If she wants to use Tanya to help, that's fine with me."

L.M. Otero of the Associated Press/Courtesy KERA-TV

Kay Bailey Hutchison, Debra Medina and Rick Perry at last week's GOP debate at the University of North Texas

​First KERA wasn't sure it would let Debra Medina participate in its Republican gubernatorial debate on the University of North Texas campus, which was held last week. Then, it extended an invite after all, and Medina did all right, all right. Then, Belo said, so sorry, but it wasn't gonna allow the GOP candidate to join Rick Perry and Kay Bailey Hutchison on January 29. Now, Belo's higher-ups have taken a peek at the Rasmussen poll released today and decided, sure, she's more than welcome to come down to WFAA's studios that night. Right, Mike Devlin, president and general manager at WFAA-Channel 8?

"The Rasmussen poll released today shows Debra Medina is now at 12 percent, which is a substantial jump since the previous poll. Factoring in the margin of error (+/- 3.5 percent) and using reasonable news judgment, it appears Ms. Medina is a viable candidate and qualifies for the Belo Debate to be broadcast on January 29."

Hal Samples

Jonathan Neerman

​Earlier today, Irving Mayor Herb Gears e-mailed The Dallas Morning News to let them know that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid "just called to inform me that pressing government business in our nation's Capitol requiring his presence necessitates his having to postpone tomorrow's planned events in the DFW area including those in Irving."

We weren't sure if this was good or bad news for the local Republican Party, which had planned to protest Reid's appearance at a Gears fund-raiser. Was this a victory or a botched opportunity to throw tomatoes at one of the nation's most hated Dems?

We called Dallas County Republican Party chair Jonathan Neerman to find out.

Does this make Reid a pussy or what?

[Laughs.] No. Seriously, it's disappointing. It's disappointing that Texans don't get a chance to face Harry Reid and tell him exactly what they think of him and the health-care bill they're trying to push up in Washington. Some people see this as a victory that he backed out. I'm actually disappointed because most Texans don't get a chance to go to Washington and see Senator Reid or Speaker Pelosi. So when they come here, it's our chance to voice our opposition to what they're doing in Washington. I want to invite him back.

Perhaps when things aren't so pressing in Washington.

Well, we would know how pressing it was if they were televising the negotiations like President Obama said he would during the campaign. But since he's not televising those, we really don't know how pressing the business is.

Sam Merten

With Foster and Jenkins highlighting the race to take on Republican Wade Emmert for county judge in November, it's easy to forget Larry Duncan is also part of the mix.

​That's right. Wanna know why Johnny Gomez thinks he's got a shot against incumbent Gary Fitzsimmons? Or why lawyer Clay Jenkins has been anointed by nearly every Dallas politico (including Fitzsimmons) as Jim Foster's replacement? If so, the Preston Hollow Democrats (which are in desperate need of a Web site update) are feeding the candidates to the audience this evening from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at PoPoLos after each one is given a couple minutes to introduce themselves.

"And then we'll go through a list of about 21 different races and give our endorsements in those races," says Roger Grape, president of the Preston Hollow Dems.

He says the three county judge candidates -- Jenkins, Foster and Larry Duncan -- have confirmed that they'll be in attendance, along with Fitzsimmons. But what about Fitzsimmons's opponent?

"I'm not sure who decided to run against him," Grape tells Unfair Park. "I forgot the gentleman's name."

I guess we won't hold our breaths for an upset endorsement headed Gomez's way.

Rob Schlein, president of the Dallas chapter of the Log Cabin Republicans

​We admit that of the 14 contested primary races for Republican precinct chairs in Dallas County, the odds are that you aren't paying attention to any of them, even if you live in those precincts. Heck, we hadn't planned on it either until we discovered an intriguing battle up North in Precinct 1800, which is bordered by Addison to the west and Preston Road to the east.

Turns out that Homer Adams, husband of Cathie Adams, chair of the Republican Party of Texas, is squaring off against Rob Schlein, president of the Dallas chapter of the Log Cabin Republicans. If you recall, Cathie wasn't exactly friendly toward the Log Cabin Republicans as president of the Texas Eagle Forum, a title she held since 1993 prior to taking over as state chair in October 2009.

In our December 2008 cover story profiling Dallas County Republican Party chair Jonathan Neerman, she criticized him for reaching out to Log Cabin Republicans in an effort to build the party, claiming that doing so tore away "the fabric of the morality of our community." Earlier in '08, she told The News that the Log Cabin Republicans "do not accept the beliefs of the grassroots of the party."

So naturally we wanted to see if Homer shared the same views as Cathie on the matter. When reached on his cell phone, he told Unfair Park, "I'm in the process of cooking right now. I'll have to talk to you later. Thanks." Click.

Sam Merten

Mike Rawlings

​Mike Rawlings and Mike Faenza of the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance briefed the City Plan Commission this morning regarding the city's goal of diverting those living in homeless shelters into 700 new units of permanent supportive housing. Their appearance was timely after last night's brutal weather caused the city to temporarily house overflow from local shelters in the Samuell Grand Recreation Center.

"It looks like between city outreach, The Bridge and the other shelters pushing their capacity, we kept people from freezing to death," Faenza tells Unfair Park.

Rawlings, the city's homeless czar, says local media should have focused on how well the area shelters coordinated to ensure everyone had a warm place to sleep last night.

"I'm a little bit upset at Jay Gormley and The Morning News because there's probably only 15 or 20 people that want to stay and sleep outside, and they focused on those folks."

Reaching the city's permanent supporting housing goal is "all about politics," Rawlings says, as the city council faces tough calls with constituents unwilling to allow affordable housing in their neighborhoods.

"When those neighbors say, 'I don't care what you say. I don't want 'em,' as a kid would say, they've got to say, 'Look, it's the right thing to do.'"

Debra Medina

​A couple of weeks back, GOP gubernatorial candidate Debra Medina was demanding she get an invite to KERA's January 14 debate at the Murchison Performing Arts Center on the University of North Texas campus. KERA spokesperson Meg Fullwood told us, look, she just needs to be patient: "We do not yet know whether Ms. Medina will meet the criteria, but we are continuing to gather information, and, if she does, she will be included." Looks like she passed the smell test: Fullwood sent word late yesterday that, yes, Medina will indeed stand alongside Governor Rick Perry and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison in Denton one week from tomorrow:

KERA has determined the candidates for The Texas Debates: Race for Governor will include Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, Debra Medina and Governor Rick Perry. Each candidate meets the viewpoint-neutral standards found in KERA's Criteria for Candidate Participation in KERA Broadcast Debates. Among the factors considered regarding Debra Medina's inclusion were whether she was conducting an active campaign and generating media and public interest. The criteria also allows for consideration of polling data. However, because there is sparse recent polling information, polls played a minor role in the decision to include Medina. The Texas Debates: Race for Governor takes place Thursday, January 14 at 7:00 p.m. This is a ticketed event by invitation only.

Still no Paul Burka, though, who's also known to generate media and public interest.

Mike Orozco

​Four years ago we were writing about the race for Dallas County Precinct 5 constable: Mike Dupree v. Jaime Cortes. Ah, the good ol' days; how things have .... changed? Now, it's Jaime Cortes v. a handful of comers looking to snatch away his job, which he only got after Dallas County Commissioners appointed him to replace Dupree, who resigned in June 2007 after years of allegations and investigations. Cortes, of course, has his own dark cloud now -- criminal and civil investigations stemming from an ever-lengthing laundry list of allegations.

Among the contenders to take Cortes's gig: Mike Orozco, a current deputy constable in Precinct 3 -- who, according to Kevin Krause, is also the co-owner of apartment-security firm Archer Consultants with Precinct 5 deputy constable Leo Armendariz, who also owns Encore Ultra Lounge on Lower Greenville. Orozco actually worked as a deputy constable in Precinct 5 from '97 till '07 and served under Dupree. Orozco just sent an e-mail directing us to check out his Web site. And, while there, we noticed the following caveat: "Orozco has not served in Precinct 5 under embattled Constable Jaime Cortes and is not included in the ongoing county and criminal investigations currently taking place." You know who else is running in Precinct 5? Sam's buddy, Chief Ozumba Lnuk-X.

Sam Merten

Rep. Terri Hodge

​We just love shenanigans, so it's no wonder why we found ourselves roped in by claims from Eric Johnson's campaign that some of the petitions attached to state Representative Terri Hodge's ballot application didn't pass the smell test. It appeared as though Hodge, who submitted 610 signatures from registered voters (500 are required) just prior to Monday's filing deadline in lieu of paying the $750 filing fee, might have been circulating petitions with Dallas County Clerk Gary Fitzsimmons' name on them, nabbing the signatures, whiting out his name and then replacing it with hers.

"I was able to hold the petition up to the light, and by looking through it, Gary Fitzsimmons was typed under the whiteout," said Ben Setnick, one of Johnson's two campaign operatives dispatched to Dallas County Democratic Party headquarters.

"Of course, I have no way of knowing when that occurred," Setnick stressed to Unfair Park late last night. "I guess it's possible that it occurred prior to people signing the petitions, but it's certainly suspicious and possibly improper."

The discovery appeared to be a coup for Johnson, who's raised more than $200,000 and is the only one standing in the way of Hodge's eighth term in office -- provided, of course, that Hodge doesn't end up serving a term in the pokey instead. Her federal trial on bribery and corruption charges connected to the City Hall corruption case begins just six days after the March 2 primary.

Upon our inspection of Hodge's petitions this morning, there were indeed two pages where Fitzsimmons' name was previously typed and whited out, and Hodge's was written in ink on top. But here's where things get ... interesting? Sure, let's go with that.

John Carona

​On Tuesday, state Senator John Carona said he'd "give consideration" to a mayoral run should Tom Leppert vacate office early in pursuit of Kay Bailey Hutchison's U.S. Senate seat. A top Republican in the state and one of several names included among Leppert's potential would-be successors in Sunday's story in The Dallas Morning News, Carona also shares a consultant with Leppert, Allyn Media.

Mari Woodlief, president and CEO of Allyn Media, says she hasn't talked to Carona about his plans for mayor, and his statement has nothing to do with having any knowledge of Leppert's intentions. "There is no conspiracy. There is nothing brewing."

Any speculation is premature at this point, she says. "Somebody named Gromer thought it would be a fun story to write who would be the next mayor, and so he called around and got a list of names that other people just tossed out and took people's names that have been on the potential mayor's list before and wrote a story about it."

She stresses that both Leppert's and Carona's prospective moves are contingent on Hutchison's resignation, which Hutchison said will happen sometime in 2010 after the March 2 primary.

"We're not all going to wake up one day and all the sudden Tom Leppert's going to run for Senate and John Carona's going to run for mayor, and it'll all be that cut and dry," Woodlief tells Unfair Park. "This is going to be a long, painful process that's predicated on what Kay Hutchison decides to do at whatever time she decides to do it."

Paul Burka

​Far as I can tell, Texas Monthly's Paul Burka hasn't mentioned this on his blog, but this morning, the Texas Tribune notes that KERA won't let the political columnist pose questions to the GOP gubernatorial candidates at its January 14 debate. Writes Ross Ramsey, Texas Monthly had been a sponsor, but when it was told to send anyone but Burka, the magazine pulled its name from the brought-to-you-by list. The Monthly's newish editor, Jake Silverstein, says, "We were dismayed at what they decided to do, and surprised, given Paul Burka's involvement in past debates. We stand behind everything he does, and we consider his voice our voice on Texas politics." KERA hasn't had an issue with Burka's involvement in past debates. Then, none of them featured Kay Bailey Hutchison, whose campaign isn't fond of Burka's blog.

"The decision was made internally," KERA spokesperson Meg Fullwood tells Unfair Park this morning. "The decision was made to go with straight reporters, not opinion writers, and the feeling was Paul was moving into opinion with his blog. Texas Monthly and KERA have a good relationship, and we hope to work together again, and if any additional opportunities come up, Paul will be considered. But as far as panelists were concerned, that was the decision." Maybe he could get Debra Medina to plead his case? (Update: Fullwood called to say I misunderstood her. She says she did not say "as far as Paul was concerned," but, instead, "as far as panelists were concerned." The item has been changed to reflect that.)

Debra Medina

​On January 14, KERA will broadcast, statewide, a GOP gubernatorial debate beginning at 7 p.m.; it will take place at the Murchison Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of North Texas in Denton. As you can see from The Texas Debates home page, Rick Perry and Kay Bailey Hutchison are prominently featured and scheduled to attend, but of course. Meg Fullwood, public relations manager for KERA, tells Unfair Park today that formal invites to all of the Republican contenders have not yet gone out: "That decision won't be made till the 4th of January," she says, scheduled to coincide with the close of the filing period.

Reason I asked who was invited was because Debra Medina's campaign just issued a statement saying invite or no, she'll be there: "KERA's position of supporting Governor Rick Perry and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison at this debate while excluding Debra Medina's participation clearly violates the IRS' prohibition against political campaign activity. It is obvious KERA is conducting this Republican primary debate in a partisan manner and with bias," says campaign press secretary Nelda Carrizales Skevington.

Fullwood says it's not like Medina's been excluded; it's just that they're waiting to see if she fulfills the criteria -- which says, among other things, "if a candidate receives a minimum of a 6% rating in an established, nonpartisan poll," they're good to go. According to the Texas Tribune's inaugural election survey, conducted a month ago, Medina's running a distant third to Perry and Hutchison -- but pulling in 7 percent nonetheless. Says Fullwood, via a follow-up e-mail, "We do not yet know whether Ms. Medina will meet the criteria, but we are continuing to gather information, and, if she does, she will be included."

​For more than a year, Smokey Joe Barton's been trying to kill the Bowl Championship Series -- most recently, of course, with H.R. 390: College Football Playoff Act of 2009, which would ...

... prohibit, as an unfair and deceptive act or practice, the promotion, marketing, and advertising of any post-season NCAA Division I football game as a national championship game unless such game is the culmination of a fair and equitable playoff system.

Last week, the bill was forwarded to the full House Energy and Commerce Committee, and, hey, if nothing else, Politico reports today, Barton's latest bit of "nutty" legislation is good news for lobbyists working for those pro and con, as "college football is bringing big bucks to K Street."

​For reasons we can't explain, politicos are sticking by state Representative Terri Hodge in her bid for an eighth term in office despite the pending March 8 trial for her role in the federal corruption case involving affordable-housing developer Brian Potashnik. Her host committee includes longtime supporters, among them Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price and state Senator Royce West, but it also includes others you might have thought would have avoided Hodge like the plague. Like, oh, state Representative Rafael Anchía and council member Angela Hunt.

Sure, Hodge is innocent until proven guilty, but the indictment isn't pretty: The feds have a long list of rent and utility subsidies paid by the Potashniks while Hodge was living in a Southwest Housing development. The feds allege that the Potashniks covered Hodge's bills in exchange for valuable letters of support from the state representative. Cheryl Potashnik will be the government's star witness.

Clearly that hasn't been enough to convince the big names in the Democratic Party to jump ship and endorse lawyer Eric Johnson, Hodge's opponent in the March 2 primary. Monday's report from KPRC-Channel 2 in Houston, which uncovered letters from Hodge urging the transfer of a rapist who later escaped and was captured, isn't likely to change anyone's minds either, but it's worth a look-see nonetheless.

Daniel Daughtery

Even those not old enough to pay taxes joined in the Tax Day Tea Party protest at Dallas City Hall.

​National Public Radio just posted a piece of its All Things Considered piece on the Dallas Tea Party; the audio, of course, won't be available till this evening for those who aren't going to listen live sometime after the show's 4 p.m. kick-off on KERA-FM (90.1). What do we learn so far? Not much we didn't already gather from our own conversation with 47-year-old Dallas Tea Party founder Phillip Dennis, highlights from which you'll find after the jump.

But there is one intriguing gem from Lorie Medina, described by NPR as "an emerging leader for the Dallas Tea Party." Says Medina of President Obama, "If you look at the way he speaks, the way he talks about our country, if you look at the programs and the things he tries to put into place, it really appears that he does not love our country like most Americans do -- and like past presidents do."

So before Robert Siegel's piece runs, we thought it was a fine time to debut the highlights from our interview with Dennis. Jump for it.

​In late August, Kim spoke with Phillip Dennis, head of the Dallas Tea Party, about his aspirations for the group. This is what he told her:

I believe in what we're doing. I believe in this movement. I think this really is the beginning of the second revolution of America. It's going to be peaceful. I think this is the first time since the original Tea Party itself that you've seen middle class tax-paying people take to the streets and become active like we have. No one's ever seen this before.

Perhaps that is why National Public Radio's Robert Siegel spent a week down here with the Dallas Tea Party for a piece scheduled to air tomorrow on All Things Considered, of which Siegel is, of course, the host. NPR's Emerson Brown sends word that it'll be a lengthy story accompanied online by all manner of charts and photos:

In a 12-minute report airing tomorrow ... Siegel follows the group to try and find out how a person's daily life and experiences bring them to conclude that the direction of the country must change. He talks to members of the organization and spends some time with them and their families to understand the economic, cultural and communication links they have to the issues of the day.

He speaks with three members about their beliefs and how they were formed, and how they are now harnessing them to create a grassroots network local candidates have to give their attention.

ATC, of course, airs locally on KERA-FM (90.1) beginning at 4 p.m.

Danny Fulgencio

Governor Rick Perry

​For polling purposes, Rasmussen Reports pretended the Tea Party movement organized as a political party and then tossed it into a ménage with the GOP and Dems. On a generic congressional ballot test using the three parties, 23 percent of respondents to a national telephone poll voted for the Tea Party candidate, second to the 36 percent grabbed by the Democrat. The Republican finished last at 18 percent, and 22 percent were undecided.

The Tea Party emerged as the top candidate at 33 percent among voters not affiliated with either major party, with 25 percent committing to the Democrat, 12 voting for the GOP and 30 percent undecided. Rasmussen also cites Tea Party candidates as the first choice among political conservatives and more popular than Republicans among moderates.

This is encouraging news for Governor Rick Perry, who made national headlines during the Tax Day Tea Party in Austin earlier this year with his secessionist rhetoric. While the polling data is national, it shows that Perry has clearly tapped into a movement with serious legs, and the numbers could be troublesome for U.S Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.

In fact, if these numbers hold true in Texas, it could spell doom for Hutchison's campaign. She's banking on moderates, independents and conservatives to help her topple Perry in the GOP gubernatorial primary, but if all these groups are showing a tendency to vote for a Tea Party candidate, that would give a significant edge to Perry, who's quick to remind Tea Party activists frustrated with Washington that Hutchison's part of the problem.

Sam Merten

​When we cornered Houston Mayor Bill White in late October after his campaign speech in Plano, he said he can appeal to conservatives and moderates as a Democrat because he knows how to make government run efficiently. He added that he's "honest and straightforward," which had been tested when we posed a hypothetical about the possibly of him running for governor if Kay Bailey Hutchison hadn't resigned from her Senate seat by the filing deadline.

"Honestly, it's not something I think about at all," he told Unfair Park. "I just think about how we win this race. That's an honest answer."

Although we thought otherwise, White stressed his commitment to running for the Senate, and his spokesperson followed up with us just in case his inability to give us a direct answer about the governor's race left us confused about White's intentions. "I see that folks are picking up your slant on 'Will Bill White run for gov?'" Katy Bacon wrote in an e-mail. "The answer is no. Bill's running for Senate, period."

At least one person has taken issue with White's flip-floppery now that he's formally filed to run in the Democratic primary for governor: Hank Gilbert, who just pulled out of the gubernatorial race and switched to run for agriculture commissioner for a second time. Gilbert told reporters that he's endorsing Farouk Shami for governor because White violated his trust by repeatedly saying he was committed to the Senate race.

One month into her tenure as state Republican Party chair, Cathie Adams has caused the party's executive director to resign and took sides in yet another GOP primary race.

​Despite the length of our cover story on the GOP gubernatorial primary, my discussion with former city council member Donna Blumer about Republican Party of Texas chair Cathie Adams didn't make the cut. Knowing Adams would become newsworthy again in short order, I tucked away my notes, and sure enough, Adams was cited as the cause of the resignation of the party's executive director on Monday and appeared in Tuesday's Corpus Christi Caller-Times because she endorsed a Republican primary candidate after claiming her job prevented her from taking sides. (Of course, she has wholeheartedly endorsed Governor Rick Perry in his primary war against U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, so any other endorsements pale in comparison.)

Eric Opiela, the former executive director of the RPT, resigned last week to return to his private law practice. He told the Austin American-Statesman that his departure stemmed from Adams' election as the new chair, claiming she ushered in unnecessary changes that he's unwilling to discuss. "She has her own direction she wants to take the party in," Opiela said. "It's just a different leadership style."

And despite a statement to the Associated Press that her job requires her to remain neutral in primary races, Adams has endorsed Texas Supreme Court candidate Eva Guzman over Corpus Christi 13th Court of Appeals Justice Rose Vela. Again, this seems like small potatoes compared to backing Perry against Hutchison, and the Caller-Times couldn't even get a damning quote from Dallas County Republican Party chair Jonathan Neerman, who told us in October that the election of Adams "set the party back five years."

​Remember when David and Shannon Croft sued the state because they didn't want their kids, then enrolled in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch school district, to recite the Texas Pledge of Allegiance? Yup. Totally forgot about that one. That was two long years ago -- back when the Crofts also sued the state separately over a law mandating that schoolchildren start their mornings with a moment of silence. U.S. District Judge Barbara M.G. Lynn upheld the moment of silence in January 2008, but that pledge lawsuit's still hanging around the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit after U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade upheld its constitutionality earlier this year.

Which is why Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott filed a brief with the court today yet again defending the Texas Pledge. You can read the whole 32-page brief if you like. But Abbott also released a statement, in which he said:

Just as it is perfectly constitutional for Texas schoolchildren to pledge their allegiance to "one nation, under God," it is also constitutional for students to pledge their allegiance to "one state, under God." Despite multiple U.S. Supreme Court decisions finding that patriotic acknowledgments of the Almighty are constitutional -- and a federal district court ruling rejecting their lawsuit -- the plaintiffs are continuing their attack on the Texas Pledge. The Office of the Attorney General remains committed to protecting young Texans' right to express their patriotism and recite the Texas Pledge of Allegiance each morning.

Patrick Michels

​I hate that I have plans for Thursday. I'd much rather be at Eddie Deen's, where the Greater Dallas Republicans have a fundraiser scheduled: "Boot Scootin' With Mayor Tom Leppert." Or, maybe, "Boot Scootin' With Mayor Tom Leppert ... Through the Holidays." Hard to say just what the event's formal title is by the looks of this info. All I know is it costs $75 to get in, it's a cash bar, there'll be a barbecue dinner, and the GDR promises, "We will be providing the instructions on how to do the Boot Scootin dance." I'm sending Jack E. Jett in my stead.