Stockman not running for re-election, will challenge Cornyn [within hours Cornyn strikes back]

Houston Chronicle ^ | December 9, 2013 | Gary Martin and Will Tucker

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Rep. Steve Stockman, a conservative firebrand who has been dogged by ethical questions and campaign debt, withdrew as a candidate for re-election Monday and instead filed as a Republican challenger to U.S. Sen. John Cornyn.

The filing gives Cornyn the Tea Party challenge in the Texas Republican primary that he long sought to avoid in a state where the GOP electorate has moved increasingly to the right.

Stockman has prided himself on being one of the most conservative members of Congress. Soon after arriving, he refused to suport Rep. John Boehner for Speaker of the House, voting only “present.” He has also called for the impeachment of President Barack Obama.

But the incumbent senator has a huge financial advantage. Cornyn’s campaign committee in September reported nearly $7 million in cash on hand.

“Endorsed by Texas Right to Life and ranked as the 2nd most conservative senator in America, Sen. Cornyn looks forward to discussing his conservative record with Texans,” campaign manager Brendan Steinhauser said in a statement.

Stockman, R-Friendswood, has been the subject of controversy surrounding his personal financial disclosure in the U.S. House and his campaign finances in the 36th Congressional District of Texas.

The turn of events just minutes before the candidate filing deadline on Monday caught even party officials by surprise.

An aide for Stockman walked into GOP headquarters in Austin and “withdrew his application for 36 and submitted a new application for U.S. Senate,” said GOP spokesman Spencer Yeldell. “Until then it was a pretty laid-back day.”

Cornyn, who ranks second in the GOP Senate leadership, appeared headed toward the primary without serious opposition.....

......Hours after Stockman filed his Senate candidacy, the Cornyn campaign released a statement and included three recent Houston Chronicle stories about Stockman’s campaign debt and disclosures...........

[WilliamRobert]

The Houston Comical has endorsed John Cornrow, the fix is in the oligarchy is alive and well.

[lonestar]

Cornyn ranked as the 2nd most conservative senator in America?...

Maybe when he talks ... NOT when he votes!

[Cincinatus' Wife]

NRO: Stockman Will Primary Cornyn "...Stockman, a darling of the grassroots with a penchant for controversial Twitter statements and headline-grabbing comments, is a very, very long shot. But he’s by far the most prominent threat to the senator, who has a number of other less well-known challengers. World Net Daily reported at about 7:30 p.m. today that the congressman would challenge Cornyn. The site says Stockman said he decided to run because he believes Cornyn “undermined Sen. Ted Cruz’s fight to stop Obamacare.” More from that article:..."

[dadfly]

already wrote the check.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

The suck-up “I’m so conservative” campaign ads Cornyn’s running are teeth-jarringly awful.

[stanne]

Perhaps Cornyn will be the first to feel the enormous pushback.

Strength and virtue live and will always live as the natural order. And they abhor wimp.

Cornyn isn’t on the get him out of here list because he isn’t quite strong enough

He’s on it because he does things like not manning, not answering ANY of his phones the morning of the defund obamacare vote, the day I had to call Cruz’ offices to let them know how outrageously frustrating to have no one at cornyn’s office to talk to to let them know he needed to defund it

No answer.

No one picked up the phone for constituents who wanted to thwart a $4500 hike annual in order to sign up 150, 000 nationally

He is a horrible senator. And he opposed Cruz every step

If he is the first to feel the awful or awesome wave of voters who need to get someone in tgere who want to vote for someone who usnt owned and paid for through some corrupt entity which would be happy to trash the constitution great

But stockman is on notice

[ForGod'sSake]

Maybe when he talks ... NOT when he votes!

For most of his first term the rhetoric and the voting record ran fairly close together. His conservative "bona fides" were there for all to see for the first 4 - 5 years or so. I kept an eye on the ol' boy to see if he was for real. And he was, for a while. After his re-election, the loose wheels began to fall off. Potomac Fever??? Very contagious...

[nathanbedford]

If Senator Cornyn is the number two conservative Senator, what must the others be like?

Does anyone have knowledge concerning the allegations about Stockman's reporting of personal finances in campaign contributions? Are these apparent lapses normal or quite unusual for a representative? Are they the product of partisan complaints or is there any substance there?

Any taint of corruption is accepted as part of the territory for a Democrat whose constituency will overlook virtually any peccadillo apart from disloyalty but the slightest taint of corruption is fatal for a Republican so it is important to find out what the facts really are.

[Essie]

Cornyn is number eleven on this list.
http://www.businessinsider.com/most-conservative-members-senate-2013-2?op=1

[Cincinatus' Wife]

I find it highly amusing to read an article in the Houston Chronicle "investigating" a previous Steve Stockman campaign for what they believe to be misleading the public by supposedly pretending to distribute "newspapers."

From a link provided by Cornyn's staff and included in the Houston Chronicle article of this post.

""........Holly Takach, who worked as treasurer for her husband Stephen Takach, Stockman's runoff opponent and a Baytown financial consultant, complained to the FEC in 2012 that the Stockman campaign failed to adequately disclose the "newspapers" as campaign publications, according to records that the FEC released on its website.

In April 2013, the FEC's general counsel recommended that the commission find "reason to believe" that the Stockman campaign and Ferguson, who served as Stockman's 2012 treasurer prior to Posey, violated campaign disclosure rules by failing to properly label two "news­papers" called Southeast Texas Courier and Times Free Press as campaign advertising. The general counsel recommended the commission take further action.

However, in September, the board refused to adopt the recommendation on a party-line vote of three Republicans against and two Democrats for, and the file was closed."....

_____________________

That said, I reserve judgment for now on Steve Stockman. He must convince the voters that he is the real deal and not a loose cannon with too much baggage.

[RitaOK]

This will be nasty redux as in Dewhurst against Cruz, but with bigger money.

Cornyn has been prepared for a challenger from the Right, so game on.

We have to get cracking at raising a LOT of tiny money, nationally, to pull this off. STOCKMAN will have the best big money we could hope for in a challenger.

[gleeaikin]

I thought ranking WAS done by votes.

[Venturer]

Soon after arriving, he refused to suport Rep. John Boehner for Speaker of the House, voting only “present.” He has also called for the impeachment of President Barack Obama.
..........................................................
He sounds like a man I could like, but I am not from Texas.

...........................................................
Hours after Stockman filed his Senate candidacy, the Cornyn campaign released a statement and included three recent Houston Chronicle stories about Stockman’s campaign debt and disclosures...........
..........................................................

Didn’t take Cornyn long to get dirty.

[Sarajevo]

Cornyn is a stinking RINO.

[skinkinthegrass]

!

[RginTN]

Once again GOPe have shown they'll go after a Conservative while trying to accommodate leftists.

[hadaclueonce]

Life is simple for me.

If John McCain is for it, I’m not.

If the Houston Chronicle is for it, I’m not.

Thanks to both for making my life simple.

[LibLieSlayer]

cornhole will not be reelected... there is anger and a will and urge to purge and it is in every state and in every thinking person’s heart.

[LibLieSlayer]

Number 11 ranked gop corporatist.