TEXAS | 34 Electoral Votes |
Three of the 2004 presidential candidates hailed from Texas: President George W. Bush; the Libertarian, computer programmer Michael Badnarik who moved to Austin in 1997; and Green Party nominee David Cobb, who is originally from San Leon in Galveston County, graduated from the University of Houston and from University of Houston Law School in 1993, was a co-founder of the Green Party of Texas in 1999 and ran for Attorney General in Texas in 2002 before moving to Humbolt County, California.
Texas was also a significant source of money for the major candidates. It was a place for President Bush to recharge; he managed to get to his ranch in Crawford at least once a month for the final eight months of the campaign. And it was the scene of the controversial redistricting masterminded by Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Sugar Land).
Although the state was going
to go to Bush there was a Democratic campaign. Geronimo Rodriguez,
who served as Kerry-Edwards state director before being redeployed to Colorado
for the final month, described the campaign thusly after the election.
"There was an organization and effort in Texas. We focused on congressional
seats, state representative seats and getting folks that wanted to go to
other states organized to go, for example, to Colorado. All of us
were from Texas and you have to start one day at a time to become a blue
state and we hope that to be the case soon."
Bush-Cheney '04 | Kerry-Edwards 2004 |
Organization details... | details... |
BC'04 General
Chair:
Texas Republican Party
|
KE
State Director: Jorge Herrera (Oct.); Geronimo Rodriguez (July-Sept.)
Texas Democratic Party
|
Travel
BUSH-CHENEY | KERRY-EDWARDS |
November
1-2, 2004
Nov. 2 -GWB and LB vote at the fire station in Crawford, TX. Nov. 1 -GWB and LB hold a late night Victory 2004 rally at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. Overnights at the ranch in Crawford, TX. October 9 to Crawford,
TX
September
25-26 2004
August
18-25, 2005
August
10, 2004
August
3, 2004
August 2, 2004
July
24-29, 2004
June
12-13, 2004
May
21 to the ranch in Crawford, TX.
May
21, 2004
April
5 to Crawford, TX for Easter.
April
2, 2004
March
26 to Crawford TX
March
4 to Crawford, TX
March
5, 2004
|
[October
23, 2004
JK, in NM with Gov. Richardson and Lt. Gov. Denish, visits the Red Rooster Cafe in Anthony, TX]. October 10, 2004
September 29, 2004
September 12, 2004
July 25, 2004
July 15, 2004
April 22, 2004
March 6, 2004 (overnights
March 5) ...in advance of the March 9
primary
|
Note: Above listing may not include all visits to Crawford, TX. |
Newspaper Endorsements
BUSH
Houston Chronicle (10/24/04) > Austin American-Statesman (10/24/04) Dallas Morning News (10/17/04) San Antonio Express-News (10/17/04) El Paso Times (10/17/04) Fort Worth Star-Telegram (10/17/04) The Victoria Advocate (10/16/04) Amarillo Globe-News (09/12/04) |
KERRY
*Corpus Christi Caller Times (10/24/04) Waco Tribune-Herald (10/24/04) > Lufkin Daily News (10/24/04) Longview News-Journal (10/24/04) > The Baytown Sun (10/17/04) Citizen's Advocate Newspaper [Coppell] (10/13/04) ...weekly Lone Star Iconoclast [Crawford] (09/28/04) ...weekly |
Third Party and Independent
Ballot Access
Nader. To qualify
for the ballot as an Independent presidential candidate, Texas requires
collection of 64,076 signatures in 60 days from people who did not vote
in either major party primary (1% of the total votes cast for President
in the most recent election); by comparison third party candidates must
collect 45,540 signatures in 75 days (1% of the total votes cast for Governor
in the most recent election). Nader sought to qualify as an Independent,
but his team fell a bit short, gathering more than 50,000 signatures by
the May 10, 2004 deadline, at which time the campaign filed suit, Nader
et al, v. Connor, in federal court in Austin pointing to the different
standards required for Independent and third party candidates. The
Nader campaign then submitted its signatures on May 24. A hearing
before U.S. District Court Judge Lee Yeakel took place on July 22.
On September 1 Judge Yeakel ruled against Nader; on October 6 the 5th U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans upheld the ruling. Nader
qualified as a write-in candidate.
Badnarik. LP
supporters submitted a 9,398 page petition on May 24, 2004. They
needed 45,540 valid signatures; the Secretary of State reported they submitted
82,458 valid signatures. The party reported that the effort cost
about $150,000.
Coordinators
Nader - Debbie Russell
Badnarik - national campaign
headquarters was at 6633 Highway 290 East, Suite 100 in Austin, TX
More Visits
NADER
August 27-28, 2004
Aug. 27 - Evening fundraiser
at private home in Grand Prairie, TX
Aug. 28 - Speaks at Reform
Party National Convention at DFW Airport South/Irving Courtyard by Marriott
in Irving, TX.
April 22-23, 2004
April 22 (Dallas, Austin)
-Meeting with Arab-American
and Muslim Community at Haveli Restaurant in Irving, TX.
Drive to Austin (196
miles; 4 hours)
-Speech at University
of Texas Law School, then meets with volunteers and student leaders, in
Austin, TX.
-Town meeting at Asian-American
Cultural Center in Austin, TX.
April 23 (Austin, Houston)
-Press conference against
Slots for Tots in Austin, TX.
Drive to Houston (162
miles; 3 hours)
-Speech at El Faroque Mosque
in Houston, TX.
-Meeting with Palestinian
activists and youth at James Haritas' place
-Meeting with Houston area
volunteers.
-Arab-American and Muslim
event at the home of Dr. Abdel Kader Fustok.
BADNARIK
November 2004
-Election night at Legends
Sports Bar & Grill at the Holiday Inn in Austin, TX
October 7, 2004
-Debates David Cobb in the
Texas Union Ballroom of the University of Texas (sponsored by the University
of Texas student chapters of the Libertarian and Green Parties; moderator
Ben Philpot of KUT Radio).
COBB
October 7, 2004
-Debates Michael Badnarik
in the Texas Union Ballroom of the University of Texas (sponsored by the
University of Texas student chapters of the Libertarian and Green Parties;
moderator Ben Philpot of KUT Radio).
Copyright © 2005
Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action.