Posted on 06/24/2005 5:11:17 PM PDT by SwinneySwitch
WASHINGTON – A Democratic battle in South Texas intensified this week when former Rep. Martin Frost of Dallas backed state Rep. Richard Raymond's likely challenge to Congressman Henry Cuellar in the 28th congressional district.
Frost endorsed Raymond in a letter to political loyalists, citing Cuellar's “astonishing record of betrayal” to the Democratic Party.
The charge brought an angry rebuke on Friday from Cuellar spokesmen, who accused Frost of meddling in the South Texas race out of sheer boredom, following his defeat at the polls in 2004.
“I think Martin should take up fishing, or get a hobby,” said Colin Strother, a Cuellar spokesman in Laredo.
T.J. Connolly, a Cuellar spokesman in San Antonio, said Frost's endorsement of Raymond “doesn't carry a lot of weight.”
But an analyst with The Cook Political Report, a non-partisan publication that monitor's congressional races, said Frost's involvement signifies that battle lines are being drawn in what is expected to be a competitive race.
In a memo to Democrats, Frost said the 28th congressional race is one of the most important battles in 2006, and encouraged supporters to back the challenger, Raymond, a state lawmaker from Laredo.
Raymond, and former Rep. Ciro Rodriguez, D-San Antonio, are weighing campaigns against Cuellar, who defeated Rodriguez in a controversial 2004 party primary that ended with a recounts of ballots.
Frost said Cuellar, D-Laredo, would be a heavy favorite against Rodriguez, because of Cuellar's large margin of victory in Webb County in the 2004 race.
“In a race with such significant long-term ramifications, we should set our emotions aside and support the candidate with the best chance to win,” said Frost, urging Democrats to back Raymond's challenge.
Cuellar has a long history of betraying his party, Frost said, citing the lawmaker's 2000 endorsement of Gov. George W. Bush over Vice President Al Gore, and Cuellar's appointment by Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican, to serve as secretary of state.
Since his election, Cuellar rebuffed party leaders and voted to limit jury awards on class action lawsuits, voted with the GOP for the Real ID bill, and has joined the Bush administration in its push for the Central American Free Trade Agreement, or CAFTA.
Connolly said the freshman lawmaker remains true to his pledge to represent his district before his party.
Cuellar views CAFTA as an economic boon to his U.S. border district, and wants to expand free trade, Connolly said.
Cuellar opposes Bush on Social Security reform, and he criticized the president for proposed cuts in education spending.
“Congressman Cuellar is doing a very good job representing his district in Congress,” Connolly said.
Frost is a former chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
He was a 13-term congressman from Dallas before a Republican redistricting plan led to his defeat in 2004.
“I served in Congress a long time and the only politician to which I can compare Henry Cuellar is Phil Gramm,” said Frost of the former Texas senator who was elected a Democrat and switched parties in the 1980s.
Strother said Frost's endorsement would be irrelevant to the race.
When Frost was in charge of the DCCC, Strother said, “we lost seats.”
The Cuellar camp said their candidate has been backed by the DCCC, headed by Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill.
“It's our policy to endorse incumbents,” said a DCCC spokesman.
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gmartin@express-news.net
I thought he was endorsing Raymond?
Rat Fight!
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off this South Texas/Mexico ping list.
If I lived in that district, I'd vote for him in the Rat primary because a Republican can't win it in 2006.
We all do owe former dem ultra-liberal Congressman Frost a debt of gratitude. He is the one who cancelled a fundraiser by Peter, Paul & Mary because either Peter or Paul was/is a child molester (actually, pardoned by Jimmah Carter for his crime and conviction). Frost outed this pervert and may have saved many Teaxs youngsters for harm. This, to me, will always be Frost's greatest contribution to the nation. Beyond that, Frost is just another neocommunist crapweasel anti-American who will do/say anything, no matter how treasonous, to regain the power and the glory of the Carter/Clinton sewer!
Go Cuellar. Frost is after him since he's more "R" than some of our Republicans.
Rodriguez lost that race only because of an attitude of "Ciro always wins" in southern San Antonio and south Bexar County. I hear Ciro Rodriguez has been back out in the grassroots. Word on the street is he won't be caught off guard this time.
Cuellar is popular in Webb County. In fact, Cuellar came within less than 3,000 votes of beating Henry Bonilla in '02 because he won Webb county so well. Northwest San Antonio & Bexar County countered Webb county and gave Bonilla the win. That's why Webb county was redistricted out of Bonilla's district in the '03 redistricting fight. The moving of Webb out of the 26th and into Rodriguez' district was a last minute amendment to the legislation. Most likely to set up Cuellar against Rodriguez.
Also, some say the ghost of Frank Tejeda came back and got its final revenge on Ciro Rodriguez in '04. The two were forever bitter enemies. But that would take several more paragraphs. Those followers of South Side San Antonio politics know what this is about.
This should be an interesting race to watch next year as it will be the epitomy of South Texas politics at its best/worst.
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