Posted on 02/18/2008 12:31:21 AM PST by anymouse
When incumbent Congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul faces Chris Peden in the Republican primary March 4, the winner likely will be the district’s next congressman. And it might not be Paul.
Early voting in the contest opens Tuesday.
Peden, 36, is challenging Paul for the seat in the 14th Congressional District, which runs down the Gulf Coast almost from Port Arthur to Port Aransas. It doesn’t include Houston or a chunk of Galveston County.
With no Democrat in the race, the winner of the Republican primary is exceedingly likely to be the district’s next congressman.
Paul, 72, is something of an institution in the 14th District.
The Lake Jackson physician was first elected to the seat in 1976. He skipped a term in 1978-79, but he’s held the office ever since.
And in the past year, Paul has climbed to national prominence as a presidential candidate representing the libertarian wing of the Republican Party. He’s developed an ardent following as the only candidate to stand on the debating stage condemning the Iraq War and much of the rest of President Bush’s foreign and domestic policy.
Dimming Hopes
But last Friday, after former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney dropped out of the race following the Super Tuesday primaries, Paul posted a note to his supporters on his Web site. It dampened hopes that a President Ron Paul would emerge from the November election, saying he was downsizing his campaign staff.
“With Romney gone, the chances of a brokered convention are nearly zero,” it said. “But that does not affect my determination to fight on, in every caucus and primary remaining, and at the convention for our ideas, with just as many delegates as I can get.”
The note also seemed to raise concerns about Paul’s chances in the congressional primary March 4.
“I also have another priority,” it said. “I have constituents in my home district that I must serve. I cannot and will not let them down. And I have another battle I must face here as well. If I were to lose the primary for my congressional seat, all our opponents would react with glee, and pretend it was a rejection of our ideas. I cannot and will not let that happen.”
Peden, Paul’s opponent, said that his campaign’s internal polls showed Peden leading the race, although Peden declined to say by how much. He said Paul might be focusing on the congressional race because Paul’s polls show him behind as well.
Preventive Entry
Peden is a certified public accountant and a member of the Friendswood City Council. He said he entered the primary after Paul announced his candidacy for president.
Peden said he wanted to help his party avoid a debacle similar to one that happened two years ago in neighboring District 22.
That’s when Tom DeLay won the Republican primary despite being indicted a year earlier on allegations that he violated campaign-finance laws. Then, after a former aide pleaded guilty to corruption charges, DeLay withdrew from the race. The result was no Republican was on the ballot in the general election, and Democrat Nick Lampson won.
Peden said he was concerned that Paul would win the congressional primary and then drop out as he pursued the presidency.
“I told him that, if he was going to run for president, I was going to run for Congress,” Peden said.
Local Presence
Local elected officials — Democrats and Republicans — praised Paul’s staff, saying it was responsive whenever they needed anything. But they said they saw or spoke to him rarely, if at all.
Indeed, in an interview last week, Paul seemed unfamiliar with federal issues unique to Galveston County. He was asked what he considered the big issues for his district.
“I think the issue is still what it’s been for a long time for me,” he said. “It’s the intrusion of government in our lives, our economic lives and our personal lives, the loss of economic freedom, the way government confiscates our wealth by excessive taxation, the way they give us inflation, how they give us economic problems, the difficulty the middle class has paying their bills, a foreign policy that extends us around the world.”
He was asked about a U.S. Department of Homeland Security mandate that the state spend millions screening cars and trucks using the Bolivar Ferry. The Daily News has written numerous articles detailing allegations that ferry screeners slept, drank and used drugs on the job and that a former contractor was in such financial straits that its paychecks bounced and employees walked off.
Paul’s staff was called repeatedly for the stories, but Paul was unfamiliar with them.
But, he said, “I’m not a bit surprised because I generally think once government gets involved providing one of those services it’s waste and abuse. First it’s abuse because they have to take money from one person and pump it into another system for political reasons and it’s a boondoggle all the time.”
U.S. District Judge Samuel B. Kent also has been a major issue in Paul’s district. The judge was reprimanded and suspended for four months starting in September after an employee in May accused him of touching her in ways she didn’t want. Kent denies the allegation. Under pressure from the National Organization for Women, the House Judiciary Committee said it wouldn’t consider impeaching Kent until a criminal investigation by the FBI was complete. That probe continues into sexual harassment and other accusations that have been leveled against the judge.
The story has gotten extensive press coverage in the Galveston-Houston area and across Texas, and members of Congress in and out of Texas have made public statements about it. Paul’s staff has been asked about the matter and the congressman has an office in the courthouse where Kent worked and the sexual misconduct was alleged to have taken place.
Even so, Paul hadn’t heard of Kent.
“This is a federal judge, you say?” he asked when told about the matter.
Paul was asked whether his ignorance of the issue indicated he hadn’t been paying enough attention to his district.
“If somebody would have been writing me or calling me or asking me to do something, I would be familiar, but we have not had that kind of concern expressed by our constituents,” he said.
For his part, Peden spoke publicly early on in the Kent affair. Last week, he said he didn’t know if the allegations against the judge were true, but he said they were serious and the matter’s handling pointed to the need for Congress to reform the way federal judges are disciplined.
Economic Development
As for his other priorities, Peden said the 14th District likely had more coastline and more ports than any other congressional district in the country. He said he would work for more federal funding for shoreline protection, beach reconstruction and to develop the ports. In addition, Peden said he wanted to aid proposed nuclear-power projects, the petrochemical industry and rice production in the district.
Those interests have gone neglected, he said.
“The 14th District drives the economy of Texas, yet its congressman is largely ignored by both sides of the aisle,” he said.
Paul said he wouldn’t run for president as an independent but would stay in Congress as long as his constituents put him there.
“If they believe in freedom, limited government, low taxes, a sensible foreign policy, sound money and somebody who truly believes in the Constitution, I expect that they would be very interested in voting for me,” he said.
Peden, Paul’s opponent, said that his campaign’s internal polls showed Peden leading the race, although Peden declined to say by how much. He said Paul might be focusing on the congressional race because Paul’s polls show him behind as well.
Paul’s staff has been asked about the matter and the congressman has an office in the courthouse where Kent worked and the sexual misconduct was alleged to have taken place.
Even so, Paul hadn’t heard of Kent.
“This is a federal judge, you say?” he asked when told about the matter.
Paul was asked whether his ignorance of the issue indicated he hadn’t been paying enough attention to his district.
As for his other priorities, Peden said the 14th District likely had more coastline and more ports than any other congressional district in the country. He said he would work for more federal funding for shoreline protection, beach reconstruction and to develop the ports. In addition, Peden said he wanted to aid proposed nuclear-power projects, the petrochemical industry and rice production in the district.
Those interests have gone neglected, he said.
“The 14th District drives the economy of Texas, yet its congressman is largely ignored by both sides of the aisle,” he said.
How funny would it be for the “Ron Paul Revolution” to not only peter out nationally, but for Paul to lose his local seat as well?
Apparently Ron Paul doesn't think it is very funny, as he is refusing to debate his Republican Primary challenger Chris Peden at all. Ironically Rep. Paul was allowed to participate in most of the Presidential debates, despite only polling in the single digits for most the campaign, yet he refuses to debate a "lowly mayor pro-temp" Primary opponent.
As viewers of the Republican Presidential Debates and painfully attest, Dr. Paul is not shy about offering his opinion, however unpopular or even disconnected from reality - so why is he afraid to be in the same room with his opponent, Chris Peden?
My guess is that many of RP's local constituents were just as repulsed by his presidential debate comments as the rest of conservative America was...
Down with Doctor Demento !
I’ll believe it when I see it. Paul’s popular in the district, has a ton of money, a 70% job approval rating in the district and is so “worried” that he’s campaigning in Denton today (which is not in TX-14).
Dimming Hopes
But last Friday, after former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney dropped out of the race following the Super Tuesday primaries, Paul posted a note to his supporters on his Web site. It dampened hopes that a President Ron Paul would emerge from the November election, saying he was downsizing his campaign staff.
The day that Ron Paul sided with Code Pink against the Iraq War was the day that his presidential bid ended. That happened long before Romney dropped out of the race. For Ron Paul to think that he has had even a remote chance to win the nomination......well, it has been one big pipe dream.....and, sadly, an indication of Ron Paul's emotional stability...........
Whether or not Ron Paul wins re-election in his district depends upon how informed his constituency is of the deterioration of his faculties.........
“I won’t even comment on the intrinsic irony of a candidate who complains about Paul’s inability to bring home the NASA bacon while simultaneously imputing earmark hypocrisy.”
"Paul became a delegate to the Texas state Republican convention in 1974 and was an unsuccessful Congressional candidate the same year when he ran against Democrat Robert R. Casey. When Casey was appointed head of the Federal Maritime Commission by President Gerald Ford, a special election was held in April 1976 to replace Casey. Paul won that election but lost six months later in the general election to Democrat Robert A. Gammage. Paul turned around and defeated Gammage in a 1978 rematch. Paul went on to be re-elected in 1980 and 1982."
Ron Paul and all the others that run for another elected position should resign any current elected position. Why should they be paid for not working!
Maybe David Duke can ride in to campaign for him.
Exactly.
Ron Paul and I part Co. on the war.
Chris and Ron will be at Galveston Co.
Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner Feb. 22nd
6:00 pm: VIP Reception, 6:00 pm: Silent Auction,
7:00 pm: Dinner and Program
At the South Shore Harbor Resort
2500 South Shore Blvd. League City, TX 77573
Come meet Chris!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.lincolndaydinner.com/
Hope 2 see you at the event!
Too bad Repugnicrats. You’re too late. The message was never Ron Paul, but Constitutional government. RP had an old new message, and it won’t be forgotten this time.
I read and you can check this that Ron Paul was one of 3 of the top Congress Critters to bring the most money back to his district.
Chris Peden May Defeat Ron Paul!?
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