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Are Texas Republicans prejudiced against Hispanics?
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Race
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| Contributor | TX DEM |
| Last Edited | TX DEM Mar 04, 2010 05:21pm |
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| Category | Analysis |
| News Date | Thursday, March 4, 2010 11:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | The number of Texans who could identify Victor Carrillo, or describe what he does as the chairman of the three-member Railroad Commission, is no doubt far smaller than the turnout in Tuesday's Republican primary.
But Carrillo believes his name nonetheless provoked a strong reaction -- a prejudice against Hispanics that cost him his bid for reelection. By all rights, the incumbent should have crushed his even-lesser-known and ill-financed opponent David Porter, an accountant from Midland.
Carrillo -- who had been a petroleum geophysicist, attorney, Abilene City Councilman, and a Taylor County Judge -- was appointed in 2003 by Rick Perry to the Railroad Commission, which, despite its obscure name and profile, wields tremendous power: It has regulatory jurisdiction over the oil and gas industry, pipeline transporters, the natural gas and hazardous liquid pipeline industry, natural gas utilities, the LP-gas industry, and coal and uranium surface mining operations. The next year, with the governor's backing, he easily won statewide election. This cycle, he spent more than $620,000 on his losing campaign, according to state records. Porter, a political unknown, spent $33,000 on the race.
The incumbent's defeat, while in some ways shocking, was in other ways illustrative of the challenges the GOP faces in cementing a Hispanic base -- a necessity for long-term success in a state predicted to be majority Hispanic in the near future, said William Lutz, managing editor of the Lone Star Report, a conservative newsletter. Though Hispanic Republican candidates often fare well in local races, Lutz said, they still face steep obstacles running statewide, especially in Republican primaries.
Matthew Dowd, a chief strategist to the 2004 presidential campaign of George Bush, said the results speak for themselves.
"If his name had been Victor Carlton, he would have won. I don't think anybody can argue with that," he said. |
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