Prospects for Democrats Regaining Congressional Seats in Texas

By Faith Chatham - CFO Texas Federal Blue Seed PAC - May 13, 2016

LINK to donate: bit.ly/5forTX

Democratic Nominees are running in 29 of Texas' 36 U.S. House Districts this year.A state where less than 8% of the Federal Delegation women but is over 51% of the population is female, Texas voters have the opportunity to add five more women to their Congressional delegation.

THE WOMEN
The Texas female Democratic Nominees who are challenging GOP incumbents for seats in Congress include:
Shirley McKellar PhD.
Dr McKellar is a retired officer in the US Army Nurse Corp A nurse clinician, McKellar led in the implementation of women's health services for the US Military in the European Theatre. Shirley is challenging GOP incumbent Louie Gohmert for the 1st Congressional Seat.

Tawana Cadien, RN.
Tawana is also a nurse clinician nursing administrator. She is one of the first graduates of the Thurgood Marshall School of Public Affairs to earn a Masters of Public Administration. Tawana is challenging GOP incumbent Mike McCaul for the10th District seat.

Jan McDowell, CPA. Jan is a community activist who understands the dollar and cents value of clean air and water. We need someone in Congress who can read a balance sheet and has understands the difference between short term cuts which cost more in the long run. Jan is challenging GOP incumbent Kenny Marchant for the 24th District Congressional seat.

Ruby Woolridge is challenging GOP incumbent Joe Barton for the 6th Congressional District Seat. Ruby is an ordained (Methodist) Minister who is currently serving at the Potter's House and is a public school teacher. She is a strong advocate for veterans. Her son Troy was injured on active duty in the middle east when he was in his twenties. He died of his injuries last year after years of rehab and disability. Ruby was his caretaker.

Kathi Thomas is a business owner and former county chair. She is challenging GOP incumbent Roger Williams for the 25th District Congressional seat.

Democratic Incumbents Congresswomen Shelia Jackson Lee (District 18) and Eddie Bernice Johnson (District 30) are running for re-election in "safe Democratic majority districts."

To donate directly with one click to the campaigns of these women congressional challengers and Hillary Clintonclinton.com"> and the federal pac which supports progressive candidates running for Federal offices on the ballot in Texas go to: www.bit.ly/5forTX. You can also choose to give more or nothing to some and less to others. You are given the option of making a one time donation or splitting you gift into monthly installments

Link to Donate: www.bit.ly/5forTX…

THE LANDSCAPE

Texas is frequently dubbed a “red state” but demographically, it is much more blue than is reflected in the election results. A combination of apathy, savvy marketing/outreach by deep-pocketed special interests, and gerrymandering with an abandonment of the fight by most progressive donors has enabled some of the most obnoxious Texas politicians to win and retain seats in the state and federal government. Being under indictment for fraud, bribery or political corruption seems to be a plus for many of the State’s GOP incumbents. Yet there is a bright ray shining through the darkness in the Lone Star State.

Democrats turn out in higher numbers during presidential election years. All of the 11 current Democratic US House members except Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson were initially elected in Presidential election year. Texas has 11 districts that are majority Democratic and one truly swing district (23). Most of the other districts have had no serious resources devoted by progressives in Congressional challenger races for many election cycles. In 2014 on average apx. 2 ½ cents per voter was all the funding received by non-incumbent Democratic nominees who were challenging GOP/TeaParty incumbents for Congressional seats in the primary and general election combined. For 2 ½ cents it is impossible to even effectively communicate with those who already know they want to vote for you, let alone convince others that you are the best candidate. Most GOP incumbents in Texas have gotten a free walk to re-election for decades. They amass large war chests and use them to help fund down-ticket candidates. The outcome of most election in Texas have little to do with “merit” or “integrity” and more to do with non engagement from the left and business “as usual” from the right.

Democratic "normal GOTV efforts" in Texas

Examination of voter rolls shows that as Democrats stop running in contested Democratic primaries for state and local offices, Democratic voters stopped voting,. Most did not become Republicans. As spending and outreach ceased by progressives, apathy won and more and more Texans appeared on the rolls as folks who used to vote but do not any more, In presidential election years more will show up than in other election years. The state Democratic Party has a long history of focusing more attention on internal party affairs than on prioritizing winning General Elections. However, there are some encouraging developments this year.

2016 is a year of opportunity for reclaiming seats from GOP incumbents in Texas. It will require funding. In 2015 Republican candidates for Congress in Texas received $4 to every $1 donated to Democratic Congressional Candidates, During the FEC financial report ending March 31, 2016 the gap had narrowed. Republican received $2.82 dollars for every dollar donated to Democratic candidates. The gap is still deplorable, but the trend is headed in the right direction. The quality of the Democratic Nominees is substantial. Their challenges can be addressed by generosity from donors — large and small. Outside money will not come gushing in to Texas Congressional races. However, Texans have the resource to fund these races. Small donors and deeper pocketed donors uniting with the unique synergy of the 2016 Presidential race and the impact of both of the top of the ticket candidates on the electorate can realistically turn additional districts blue.

Source: FEC.gov

Factors for Optimism

1. A push on increasing Democratic turnout for by mail ballots paid off in the 2016 Democratic Primary. Significant increases in Democratic voters by mail occurred in the counties which invested in the BY MAIL campaign. Historically, Republicans have had by mail margins high enough to claim numerous seats in Texas. This improvement removes the GOP/Tea Party’s advantage in several of Texas’ largest counties.

2. Texas State Law was changed allowing the State Party to hold primaries in counties without Democratic County Chairs. Glen Maxey worked tirelessly to get legislation passed which allowed every registered voter in Texas to vote in a Democratic primary this year even if there were no county chair in their county. Once the law was passed, Glen faced the monumental task of getting the paperwork filed and to recruiting workers and polling places in counties without a chair, Although the actual number of voters involved is rather small, the change is enormous. At the last SDEC meeting several new county chairs were sworn in who stepped up and volunteered to serve from counties where they previously had been unable to vote in a Democratic Primary. It is a constructive beginning. For decades Democrats have ignored most of the rural counties. Cumulatively, rural voters determine the outcome of many elections. To overcome the GOP incumbent advantage, reaching out and increasing Democratic turnout in rural counties is essential.

3. Demographic shift in population, age and income impacts the state. Texas’ white majority is dwindling. The Republican base is aging and dying off faster than the Democratic base in Texas. The percentage of Latino and Black Texans is increasing. Both Democratic and Republican parties try to enlist Hispanic voters. Republicans have skillfully used social issues to depress Hispanic voter turnout. In the 2014 Governor’s race many Hispanics were conflicted between their religious beliefs regarding abortion and the Republican hardline anti-immigrant posturing. A percentage of them simply stayed home. In 2016 Republican rhetoric repels and motivates many who stayed home to get involved. Blacks and Texans of Hispanic lineage are among Hillary Clinton’s most enthusiastic supporters. With Donald Trump at the top of the Republican ticket, it will be much easier to engage Tejano, Hispanic, Muslim and Black voters in Texas.

4. Hillary at the top of the Democratic ticket will draw more minority voters that Sanders. During the primary in Texas, despite the large number of older white women which remain a strong part of Clinton’s base, larger numbers of Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians turned out as delegates for Clinton at senatorial conventions than for Sanders. In the Tarrant (largest part) of Senate District 9, in the Clinton delegation:

60% minority; 40% whlte
60% female; 40% male
11% under age 36
14% LGBT
in the Sanders Tarrant Senate District 9:
74% white; 26% minority
59% male; 41% female
24% under age 36
18% LGBT

This is a snapshot of 3/4th of one urban Senate District (Tarrant 9). (Dallas Senate 9 did not break down their delegates demographically.)

Hillary attracts more minorities and women than Sanders. Hillary attracts young voters but Sanders attracts twice the number of younger voters. Hillary’s following among women is 1/3 larger than Sanders. Sander’s following among men is 1/3 larger than Clinton’s. Both resonate with LGBT voters. Hillary has fewer problems with minority voters than Sanders (74% for Clinton and only 26% for Sanders.)

With Clinton at the top of the ticket, the large minority population of Texas should place more races in play in the state if the “coat tail effect” carries over to down-ticket (especially Congressional) races. The party is working to enlist younger and minority voters into the Party. Older female voters remain the most loyal dependable voting block of Democratic voters. The majority of this “most loyal” voter demographic group are Clinton supporters. This is a good sign for down ticket candidates, especially for older, educated, highly qualified candidates who are challenging GOP incumbents.

Despite the spin that “Sanders is defining the issues”, there is solid evidence that Clinton delegates have more education than the majority of Sanders or Trump voters. Clinton supporters value “problem-solving” and pragmatic incrementalism. They trust her experience, the through vetting given her, and appreciate her ability to get policies and programs implemented. Many of Clinton’s supporters do not think that Bernie has changed Hillary’s positions substantially. They see her as a progressive political leader who has always worked to increase minority voter participation, fought for accessible affordable health care, denounced discrimination by championing the rights of women, minorities, LGBT and handicapped individuals throughout the world.

National Pattern


In the Primaries and Caucuses held thus far this year, more Republicans turned out in their primaries than Democrats in theirs in states where Sanders had more votes than Hillary. In the states which Clinton carried, she got more votes than the leading Republican and more Democrats turned out to vote than Republicans overall. This is a very good sign because she has carried more states than Sanders and she has carried larger states than Sanders. It is unlikely that she will carry Texas in the General Election. Having Cruz off of the ticket is beneficial. If she selects a young, Latino favorite son from Texas as her running mate, that may bring Texas into play. A Clinton/Castro ticket may not turn the state blue enough to garner the electoral votes from the Lone Star State, but the activity may be a shot-in-the-arm for some Congressional races and help Democrats gain a few additional seats in Congress in Districts the national pacs are not targetings as Red to Blue.

THE MEN

Texas has also nominated several strong, highly qualified Democratic men for Congress this year. In addition to the 8 Democratic Congressmen who are running for re-election, there are men running in 12 of Texas’ Congressional Districts. One district is a truly Democratic majority district (15). Congressman Hinojosa is retiring so that is an “open” seat in a majority Democratic District. Vicente Gongalez and Juan "Sonny" Palacios are in a run-off for the Democratic Nomination for US-TX 15 Congressional District on May 24th.

Former Democratic Congressman Pete Gallego is challenging far right-wing Tea Party incumbent Wm. Hurd for the seat in Texas’ only truly swing district.

The 23rd Congressional District has more land mass than any district in Texas. The land mass of 9 states will fit into this incredible Congressional District which runs from the outskirts of San Antonio to the outskirts of the City of El Paso. It includes National Parks and most of the Texas/Mexico border. Gallego has continued as a private citizen to work to further the interests of the people of the district.

Hurd has focused only on divisive religious positions and has ignored the economic and environmental needs of the District. Gallego, as a private citizen, is credited with bringing passenger air service back to a poorly served part of the district. Despite Gallego’s deplorable vote on the Three State Nuclear Waste pact while he was an incumbent, Gallego is much more of a champion for the District's National Park (Big Bend) than incumbent Hurd. Gallego has proven to be much more responsive to the needs of the people of the district than incumbent Hurd. This race is targeted by the DCCC as a Red to Blue District and will probably be the only non-incumbent challenger Congressional race in Texas to receive funding from the DCCC and the Democratic Majority PACs.

James Cargas qualifies as an environmental/developmental rock star. Cargas is one of our state’s leading pragmatic visionaries. An Oil and Attorney, James worked on Capitol Hill as an intern as an undergraduate and returned, after he graduated from the University of Michigan, during the Reagan administration while Jim Wright was Speaker of the House to serve as Press Secretary to a Michigan Democratic Congressman. He graduated from The American University’s Washington College of Law where he served as President of the Environmental Law Society and Article Editor of The American University Journal of International Law and Policy and The American University International Law Review) in 1992. During law school, he was law clerk to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Admitted to practice law in Texas, West Virginia, Washington D.C, and Michigan, he represented large interstate pipeline companies before leaving the private sector to join the Clinton administration on the President’s Council on Sustainable Development, promoting clean wind and solar energy, hybrid vehicles and sustainable resource development. He left to work on the Gore Presidential campaign and returned to serve under Energy Secretary Bill Richardson. He was hired in 2008 by former Houston Mayor Bill White as the City of Houston’s energy counsel, and continued as counsel to Mayor Parker. During his stint with the City of Houston, Cargas has negotiated energy contracts and helped the City of Houston become recognized as the governmental entity that has purchased the most sustainable energy in the nation, exceeding the purchases of the DOD and EPA. Cargas is married to a medical research scientist doctor and is especially cognizant of the roadblocks facing medical research in the USA. Cargas is the Democratic Nominee challenging GOP incumbent John Culberson for Texas' 7th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Bill Matta, PhD is challenging GOP incumbent Bill Flores for the 17th District US Congressional Seat. Matta is one of three Democratic Nominees in Texas who are retired military officers with doctoral degrees. A navigator in the USAF, Matta served with NATO in Bosnia, at the US Air Force Academy and at the Pentagon. A graduate of UT Austin, Matta has pursued a dual career track, blending his military service with teaching. Currently he is the chair of the Linguistics, Speech and Engilsh at McLennan County Community College.

Mark Gibson JD is a retired Colonel and Brigade Commander with the US Army. He earned is Juris Doctorate from South Texas College of Law, and his Master’s in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He earned his BBA in Management Information Systems from University of Houston, As a Senior IT Manager and small business owner, Mark Gibson, understands the challenges facing business owners. He fights for veterans and military families, is committed to fighting for equal rights for women, pledges to”push for absolute assurances of banning weapons from schools, synagogues or worship centers, shopping malls, stores, and our schools” and will fight for breaks for small businesses and term limits.

Gibson is challenging GOP incumbent Pete Olson for Texas' 22nd District Congressional seat.

Mike Cole, Democratic Nominee for Texas’ 14th US Congressional District running for U.S Congress in Texas. Cole is challenging GOP incumbent Randy Weber for the 14th US Congressional Seat. An educator, Cole’s struggle with onset juvenile diabetes gives him insight into medical challenges which reach far beyond what is normal for a young man. He is skilled at engaging others in projects that enhance and improve people’s lives.

He is running an energetic campaign against Randy Weber which involves college students and senior citizens.

The 14th is a coastal district. Challenged by natural disasters and the aftermath of BP’s Horizon Blowout/Oil Spill, the district requires diligent service by a Representative who will balance the economical developmental needs with the environmental challenges facing people of the district.

Mike Cole, Tawana Cadien, James Cargas and Pete Gallego are the Democratic Nominees who are positioned to give better service to the people of the Texas Gulf Coast and US Mexican Border. You can help them directly with one click using this link:
http://bit.ly/4TXCoastDs

To split your donation between the four coastal candidates and the federal PAC which supports progressive challengers for federal office on the ballot in Texas use this link http://bit.ly/4TXCoastDs

It is not necessary for Texans to live under the skewed worldview of the Tea Party and the state's GOP incumbents. We do not have to continue subjecting this nation and the world to the stupidity that passes between many Texas so-called public officials. It will not be easy, but it is definitely "worth it!" The key is setting aside defeatist attitudes, stepping forward and doing what we can when we can and enlisting and welcoming others to do what they can.

PUMAs want delegates to back Hillary

By Lee McGuire - 11 News - Thursday, August 7, 2008HOUSTON -- Democratic Party delegate Roger Harris has heard the cheers for presumptive presidential nominee Barack Obama. He has also heard the silent message coming in his e-mail box.

“The first round I got 99 (e-mails). The second round I got 50 and the next round I got 60. All in the same day,” said Harris, who will be an Obama delegate to the party's national convention.

The messages are from the PUMA political action committee. A PAC that is urging delegates to stick by Hillary Clinton and cast their votes for her at the party's nominating convention.

“I think it would ratchet up the intensity of people who feel passionately about their particular candidate to see that one or the other makes the final cut,” said Harris.

The PUMA PAC is an independent group and is not associated with Hillary Clinton. In fact, on Thursday she said she hopes the party will be fully unified at the convention in Denver later this month.

Still, she has yet to resolve whether she is going to put her name in for a vote during the convention.

The PUMA PAC hopes she does. The group told 11 News that it's also urging Clinton to challenge Obama to a vote at the convention.

A vote the political group said would heal the party, not divide it.

“You can't achieve unity by telling one side to shut up,” the PAC said in a statement to 11 News. “You have to let the delegates vote for their candidate on the first ballot.

“The fact is, (the party is) extremely split.”

So, despite bowing out of the race and throwing her support behind Obama, does this mean the race is not over?

“I wouldn't call it mischief. I'd call it good intentions. Hillary Clinton not only ran a good race, but also like Barack Obama, was a first,” said 11 News political expert Bob Stein.

A competition many thought was over is now being waged one delegate at a time.

“There are people who would say, ‘well it's mudslinging,'” said Harris. “But you know competition is part of what this country is all about.”
Read more on KNOU HOUSTON

Beyond a Presidential Campaign, "Rise Hillary Rise" becomes embedded in the American Culture

By Faith Chatham - DFWRCC - June 6, 2008The race wasn't about a black man and a woman running for president. Yet, in the process, people watched and noted more than just the "same old same old" campaign dance between political candidates. Now that she has written her supporters and told us that she will officially congratulate Senator Obama Saturday night in Washington, D.C., many of us realize that the real battle is truly just beginning.
It is no longer a struggle against Senator Barak Obama and those who support him. The black v.s. white thing recedes into the background where it should have remained anyway. The struggle is bigger than the Democratic Party or one race for political office, no matter how highly esteemed. As Dr. Martin Luther King led generations beyond the realities of prior generations, Hillary Clinton is leading generations beyond the boxes this nation continues to erect around girls and women.


It will be fought along side of the campaign between Senator McCain and Senator Obama for President. It will be fought in our homes, schools, and communities. It will be fought in the marketplace as women demand more from those we patronize and those who carry their advertising messages.
It was never about supporting her because she was a woman. I was a John Edwards supporter who switched to Hillary when he bit the dust. It wasn't a racial thing. I was a Jesse Jackson delegate years ago. This year, before delegates have actually signed into state conventions and elected those national delegates which have been reported as "done deals" long before they truly 'jelled', the race for nomination of this nation's Democratic candidate for President becomes a whimper.

Somewhere when I was too busy to notice, I aged and became a senior citizen. Like many of my generation, it doesn't fit the stereotype I have of myself. Yet because of that reality, I have a memory. I remember black and white water fountains and I remember words which were commonly used which with time and re-education had fallen out of this nation's vocabulary until the current generation resurrected them in rap and among themselves on the street. They use them because they know they really should not have a place in our society.

That is my point. With time, Americans came to realize that some things should not have voice in our society. Many think this presidential race was about achievements for a segment of our society who have never occupied the White House. Others of us know that it reaches much deeper than the office, the milestone, or the icon. It has drawn to the surface realities which are embedded within our culture.

When this nation was founded, neither people of color nor women were considered candidates for citizenship. Long after the emancipation of the slaves, women were restricted from owning property. In the 1800s in many parts of this nation, widows lost legal control of their minor children because only men were recognized by the courts as legal guardians! Black men got began to vote in the 1860ise. Women waited until 1926!

There have been some advances in the workplace, yet within the culture, the 2008 Presidential Race brings realities rising out of the pores of our culture like puss reaching for the air, rising from an internal, deep-seated infection. Support for Hillary wasn't about gender. In the process, problems with how many in our culture treat women, impacted the race for the White House. As the nomination process winds down, the realities behind the rhetoric and spinmasters, shifts.

If Hillary Clinton had been less competent, less articulate,less wise, the electoral math would put things to rest and this campaign would blurr in our nation's memory. Like Dr. Martin King, she ia incredibly compassionate. Running for President, for Hillary Clinton, wasn't ever about herself. In her run for President has emerged a movement which is greater than all of us.

It is not just about how women are treated in the media or by the Democratic or Republican Party. It is not about getting a woman elected president or bust! It is about everyone being allowed to rise as high and soar as surely as each of us is created to soar. I think feminism will have to be reincarnated in America for us to get to the next plateau in our national development.

Senator Obama said some things about race which needed to be said. We haven't said much in the last 3/4th of my lifetime about gender. Oh, we discuss how the number one cause of death among pregnant women is murder by her baby's father. We discuss domestic violence now. We discuss scandals, especially those involving politicans, priests and other ministers. Yet we rarely truly focus on the inherent inequities we impose on people who aren't male!

The feminist movement got hi-jacked by the gay/leisban movement. They made advances, and I do not fault them for the rest of us being left behind. This spring, for the first time in decades, I've actually regularly heard people (men and women) speak out against the distortation of facts and attempts to marginalize a woman of earned stature.

Hillary Clinton tee-shirts, especially those which read "We will not fall in line" and "Rise Hillary Rise!" are no longer about Barak Obama or the race for the White House. We'll wear them until they become rags because we know there is an infection of injustice deeply embedded within the soul of this nation which must be extracted. It has only begun to rise to the surface. It will take all of us to defeat the Republicans in November. It will take all of us to change the vernacular, to re-educate ourselves and those around us to recognize what really truly should not be given voice among us. Some of it will occur in the financial marketplace. Some in the classroom. Much at the kitchen table (and maybe even in the bedroom). The women of this nation, like Rosa Parks, are refusing to remain in the back of the bus!

Guest Opinion: Clinton strongest candidate in contest against McCain

By TOM TOWE - The Billings Gazette - Sunday, June 01, 2008

Why vote for Hillary Clinton? Because she is a stronger candidate in November.

I really like Barack Obama. I am impressed with some of his stands and his forthright talk. I think he has a great future. But, because I want the Democrats to win this November, I support Hillary. We can't take a chance that the Democrats would lose.

Let's review the facts. First, Hillary has received more of the popular vote than Obama. Since March 1, she has received over half a million more votes than Obama. Obama has won caucus states where not all the people vote. In November it is the people that vote, not the caucuses. More people have voted for Hillary than for any other Democratic primary candidate in the history of the Democratic Party. She is the people's choice.

Second, Hillary has won all the big states important to the Democrats this fall. She has won states that have 308 electoral votes, enough to win in the fall. Obama's wins are largely in Republican and small states that are simply not as important as the large swing states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Florida and Michigan. Four years ago, we lost Ohio and Florida; a change in either would have changed the presidency. Let's send our strongest candidate for the November contest.

Third, Hillary won West Virginia by 41 percentage points and Kentucky by 35 percentage points. In April she raised $22 million, her second-highest fundraising month in the campaign. She is getting stronger every day.

Fourth, Hillary has proven she can get the working-class votes from Middle America that Democrats must have to win. The Reagan Democrats will vote for Hillary. She has proven that in West Virginia and Kentucky. I doubt if the Reagan Democrats will vote for Obama. Obama may earn the respect of Democrats and intellectual independents, but the huge number of ordinary independents, the Reagan Democrats, and the Republicans simply won't vote for him.

Fifth, Obama has not yet been subject to the huge barrage of criticism that will come when he finally becomes the nominee. Criticism he has received so far in a polite Democratic primary will be nothing compared to what he will receive from the right-wing "stop Obama" people and "Swift Boat" Republicans. Hillary has been tested with all the criticism that Republicans and right-wing politicos can throw at her. And she has survived. She is a fighter. She can handle it. John Kerry couldn't. Can Obama? Why take a chance?

Finally, Hillary won states even when she was outspent. She was outspent 3-1 in Pennsylvania, 2-1 in Texas, and even in West Virginia where she won by 41 points. This is the kind of candidate we need for the fall campaign.

Hillary Clinton can win in the fall. Maybe Obama can too. But why take a chance?

In addition, I think Hillary has shown more substance. Her health care plan, her commitment to rebuild the middle class and her plans to create millions of new, good jobs are indeed impressive. As her husband before her, she can be a great president. And we can all be proud to have the first woman president.

This has been the most exciting primary ever. It has been great for the Democratic Party. It has attracted more voters than ever in the history of this country. Look how it has invigorated our party and focused attention on Democrats. Montana, the last state to vote, really has a voice this time. It matters. Vote for Hillary Clinton on June 3.

Democrat Tom Towe is a Billings attorney and former state senator.

Copyright © The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises.

Hillary Scores Decisive Victory in West Virginia; Obama and McCain rejected by voters

By Faith Chatham - May 14, 2008
Despite political pundits declaring Obama the presumptive nominee, West Virginia Democratic voters cast over three votes against Obama for every vote he received in Tuesday's West Virginia Democratic Primary. Voter turn-out was light for the Republican Primary. Of the 475,167 votes cast Tuesday (combined voters in all party primaries), Hillary Clinton was the resounding choice of West Virginia Voters.

Over four West Virginians voted against Barak Obama for every voter that selected him. John McCain trailed Barak Obama's numbers by 1,998 votes. No Democratic Presidential Candidate has won a general election since 1916 without carrying West Virginia.

West Virginia Primary May 13, 2008

U.S. President
Party Candidate Votes
DEM Hillary Rodham Clinton 239187
DEM Barack Hussein Obama 91663
DEM John Reid Edwards 26181
TOTAL VOTES CAST IN DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY 357,031

REP Willard Mitt Romney 5195
REP John Sidney McCain III 89654
REP Ronald Ernest Paul 6112
REP Rudolph William Giuliani 2839
REP Jerry Ralph Curry 728
REP Michael Dale Huckabee 12184
REP Alan L. Keyes 1424
TOTAL VOTES CAST IN REPUBLICAN PRIM 125,123

TOTAL VOTES CAST IN BOTH DEMOCRATIC AND REPUBLICAN PRIMARIES 475,167

SOURCE: West Virginia Secretary of State Election Division 100% of counties reporting

Clinton's victory inspired CNN's headline: "ANALYSIS: Clinton crushes Obama across the board".
By Alan Silverleib - CNN

(CNN) -- After enduring a week of political obituaries, Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign proved Tuesday that it still has some life.

Clinton, as expected, trounced Democratic front-runner Sen. Barack Obama in the West Virginia primary. In the process, she underscored Obama's weakness with blue-collar, working-class white voters -- a segment of the electorate that may prove pivotal in November.

Buoyed by her landslide margin, Clinton vowed to continue what has become a longshot campaign, telling supporters at a Charleston rally that she is "more determined than ever to carry on this campaign until everyone has had a chance to make their voices heard."

Clinton's victory in West Virginia was decisive. She won men and women. She carried a majority of voters in every age group. She captured liberals, moderates, and conservatives. She took a majority in every income bracket.Clinton's largest margins, as expected, were registered among voters at the lower end of the socioeconomic ladder. Among white voters without a college degree, Clinton defeated Obama by 50 points. Among white voters making less than $30,000 a year, Clinton's margin of victory was more than 60 points.

Older voters and white women -- part of Clinton's core constituency -- also rallied strongly to her beleaguered campaign. Voters age 65 and older supported her by a 38-point margin. White women backed her by 51 points.

Clinton's proposal to suspend the 18.4-cent-per-gallon federal gasoline tax for the summer -- an idea belittled by most economists and rejected by Obama as a political gimmick -- proved to be a winner in West Virginia. Voters supported the gas tax suspension by an almost 2-to-1 margin. Those voters who supported suspending the gas tax broke for Clinton, 74 to 19 percent.
Read more on line at CNN

Evaluation: Obama's Lead in Delegates May Not Be a Good Thing
Obama campaign strategist identified weaknesses in the Democratic primary caucus system which discriminates against handicapped, the elderly and workers who cannot physically attend precinct caucuses. Many caucus states, such as Iowa and Texas, prohibit absentee or proxy voting in caucuses. No allowances are made for registered voters who are homebound, or frail, and unable to participate at nightime party caucuses. Some caucus states, such as Maine, allow certified by mail voters to register their presidential preference and their preference to be includes in the math to derive the distribution of delegates between presidential preferences. Most caucus states, unlike Maine, exclude all voters who cannot physically show up to their precinct party caucus from helping to select their party's nominee for President. Texas is the only state which has both a caucus and a primary. In Texas, significant differences emerged across the state in precincts between the percentages in the popular vote (primary voters) per candidate and causus registrants per candidate. Texas awards 25% of the delegates through party caucus's and 75% by primary voters (popular vote). The Texas system favors those who are healthier, able to drive after dark, not homebound, elderly or too frail to stay until late at night when the delegates were chosen in many precinct caucues. The presidential preference of workers who cannot get off work on caucus nights but in the primary, like their more frail elderly or handicapped neighbors, only count 75% of what their younger, healthier neighbors who were able to show up at the caucus after the polls closed on primary night. Chaos and non-compliance with Democratic Party Rules and Texas and Federal Election codes further pollulated the outcome of many precinct and senatorial Democratic Conventions.

Election Process Discriminates
Although the Help Americans Vote Act stipulates how Americans with disabilities are to be accommodated at polling places, guidelines for accommodations at party precinct and senatorial conventions are vague. Disabled supporters of both leading presidential candidates will join forces this year for the first time in Austin at State Convention in a new issues caucus. Democrats with Disabilities is the first disability caucus in the Texas Democratic Party. It will meet from 11 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. Friday, June 6th at the 2008 Texas Democratic Party State Convention. Founding members are split between presidential preferences but agree that the current process discriminates against persons with disabilities and needs to be corrected.

Non ADA Compliance in Senatorial District Conventions to be Reviewed by the Credentials Committee at State Convention

In Tarrant County, Harriet Varnum Irby, former SDEC Committee Woman from Senatorial 10, objected to the choice of the antiquated Will Rogers Colesium as the Senatorial 10 Convention site when it was chosen. Irby says she went to Tarrant County Party Headquarters when she learned that Will Rogers was the proposed site and told them that it was unsuitable because it is not ADA compliant. A landmark built before ADA laws were passed by Congress, the arena is exempt from having to eliminate many of the barriers required in newer buildings. Tarrant County Democratic Party Executive Director Keith Annis announced to the members of the Senatorial 10 Nominations Committee that "we got numerous calls from people who said they were delegates but could not attend if the convention was at Will Rogers because they were handicapped." Fort Worth attorney Jason Smith filed a challenge to the distribution of delegates per presidential preference at the Senatorial 10 Convention at Will Rogers to the State Democratic Party's Credentials Committee based on non-ADA compliance at the Senatorial Convention which discriminated against the elderly, frail and handicapped.

In neighboring East Tarrant County, at the Tarrant County Community College East Campus in Arlington, the Senatorial 9 Tarrant County Democratic Convention also failed to accommodate the handicapped. Although the college meets architecture requirements for ADA, campus security blockaded the drive restricting handicapped persons from utilizing parking near the entrance of the main building where the convention was held. Instead of being allowed to drive up to the building where handitran buses usually pick-up and discharge passengers, blockades were positioned at the entrance of the main drive, about the distance of a a city block from the main building. The Main ballrooom, where over half of the delegates were seated, was on one level and provided few barriers for the mobility challenged. However, many delegates and all alternates and guests were seated in the Theatre which has at least 8 steep steps at the entrance and 18 steps inside the theatre. The college accommodates persons in wheelchairs in the front row of the theatre and allows them entrance through a side door which has not steps. On Convention day, the side entrance was closed and all delegates and alternates were forced to enter and exit using the front steps. At County Senatorial 9 Convention at TCCC.

It is ironic that some view the nomination of Barak Obama, an African-American, as rectification of some of the discrimination in America, while others say that the campaign strategy of the Obama which has given him a lead in the delegate count (acquired mainly through his lead in caucus states) exploits flaws in the Democratic process which discriminates against registered voters who are handicapped, frail, elderly, transportation restricted or forced to work on the night of their party caucus. Even if Obama strategists did not purposely set out to discriminate against the handicapped, their emphasis on caucus states which do not allow absentee or proxy voting by certified mail registered voters, has resulted in greater discrimination against elderly and handicapped voters than occurs in states where delegates are awarded by popular vote in primaries or at caucuses which allow proxy or absentee/ by mail voting to distribute delegates between presidential preferences.

Examination of the profiles of each candidates voters this year shows that the average age of Obama's voter and caucus supporter is younger than that of Senator Clinton. Although she draws voters from all age groups, her strongest segment is among women over 50 years of age. Although both have drawn out first-time voters of all ages, a significant number of Senator Obama's supporters are young people who have registered to vote for the first time. Senator Clinton consistently surpasses Senator Obama in attracting voters who have voted in more than one Democratic Primary. Some precinct chairs were concerned to note than many of their double and triple D's (persons who have voted in 2 or 3 Democratic Primaries) were not participants at their Democratic Precinct Caucuses. Although they are faithful to vote, frequently at early voting during the day or by mail, their vote only counted 1/4 of first time voters who were able to attend the precinct caucuses.

If delegates awarded in caucues properly reflected the demographics of registered voters who participated in the primaries, the distribution of delegates at caucuses between candidates would mirror the popular vote in primary states. However, in Texas, (the only state which has both primary popular votes and percinct caucuses) the distribution of delegates between presidential preferences at precinct caucuses differed significantly from the percentages of votes per candidate at the same precinct primary elections. This discrepancy further highlights the difference between the distribution of delegates between candidates and the preferences of voters on election day.

Some Question if Obama's Lead in Delegates May Result in a Democratic Losses in November

Delegate counts which do not mirror the opinions of registered voters who habitually cast votes in Presidential elections can give a false reading. In West Virginia, despite Obama outspending Clinton by 3 to 1, she beat him in every county. He was stuck in the low 20's while she whopping 67% of the votes cast. Senator John Edwards, who has withdrawn from the race, received 26,181 votes (17%); Senator Barak Obama received 91,663 votes (26%). Senator Clinton got 269,187 votes (67%). She lead Obama by by a 41 points by defeating him by drawing more support from every age group, socio-economic level and category of voter.

West Virginia is an important state for Democratic Presidential candidates. No Democratic Presidential candidate has won a general election without winning West Virginia since 1916.

Super Delegate Delimma
As Obama swept through caucus states and surged ahead in the delegate count, Super Delegates who are supposed to be a party check and balance which helps the party select the strongest candidate to win against the Republicans in the General Election, added to his delegate total. Clinton continues to add key swing state victories. Crucial to any presidential win for any party, white working class voters continue to vote more heavily for Senator Hillary Clinton than for either McCain or Obama in most presidential primaries. Many question whether Senator Obama will be able to defeat McCain in the fall. Most feel that without Hillary Clinton, the Democratic Party's surge in voter turn-out will be diminished by another Republican win.

On-line Petitions
The level of disgust expressed by thousands of citizens through on-line petitions shows that many Democratic voters will not fall in line and vote for the "other candidate" if their candidate is not the Presidential nominee or at least on the ticket as VP. Over 5000 citizens have signed and commented on a petition to the Super Delegates urging them to select Senator Clinton as the nominee. In a few days over 800 citizens signed the "Quiet Riot" petition which says that Clinton's supporters will not "fall in line" and support Barak Obama. These petitions can be read and signed at http://ipetitions.com/'petition/quietriot/ and at http:/www.ipetitions.com/petitions/supportinghillary/

Grassroots Rallies for Hillary Across the Nation
While Senator Clinton and Senator Obama campaign in Missouri, Kentucky, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Montana and South Dakota, Clinton supporters are rallying in states which have already voted to show solidarity with Hillary and to raise money for her campaign. From the grassroots rallies are being organized by supporters. In Pantego (between Arlington and Fort Worth) a rally called "STAND WTH HILLARY" Saturday, May 17th (1-4 p.m.) at Pantego Bi-Centennial Park (3200 Smith Barry Road, Pantego, TX 76013) will feature speeches by VIPs and grassroots activists such as Teresa Meza, President of the Lulac Council and Clinton Texas State Convention Delegate. There will be laptops with internet access where people can sign three on-line petitions urging superdelegates to vote for Hillary and the DNC to honor the vote of citizens in the Florida and Michigan primaries. A similar event will be hosted by grassroots Clinton supporters Saturday in Longview at Teague Park.

DELEGATE MATH
For months political reporters have reported the delegate count without clarifying for the public that until the national convention delegates are elected at state party conventions, and those electors show up at the Democratic National Convention and sign-in for their candidates, all so-called "pledged delegate counts" are speculative. Endorsements from superdelegates are even more speculative than pledged delegates. Superdelegates endorsments will not necessarily reflect the way they will actually vote at the National Democratic Convention. Superdelegates habitually switch sides as the prevailing wind blows. They are charged with deciding for the candidate who has the best chance of beating the Republican candidate for President in November. If Senator Obama continues to show that he cannot win key swing states or the vital block of white working class voters, it is probable that we will see some of his current super delegate endorsements shift to Senator Clinton before the National Convention.

Citizen outrage, expressed by registered Democratic voters from all states, expressed in petitions, against the exclusion of delegates from Florida and Michigan may result in a further erosion of Senator Obama's lead in the delegate count. If only half (142) of Obama's current Super Delegates (284) switched to Senator Clinton, she would lead him today without inclusion of Florida or Michigan delegates or delegates from the remaining primaries in Montana, Kentucky, Puerto Rico, Missouri or Oregon.

Stand With Hillary Rally in Pantego, Sat. May 17th

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