Posted on 12/29/2005 10:20:37 AM PST by LdSentinal
McLennan County Judge Jim Lewis announced Wednesday that he will run for re-election as a Republican, cutting a long-time bond with the Democratic Party as he seeks a fifth term.
"I've been a conservative the whole time," Lewis said after announcing his re-election bid before a crowd of more than 60 supporters at the McLennan County courthouse. "I'm a very conservative person and I just thought that was best for the county, best for me and best for my family."
His decision sends Democrats scrambling to find a candidate to win the position they have held for more than a century and pits Lewis, 59, against former Waco Mayor Linda Ethridge in a March 7 Republican primary.
Lewis' opponent said the move was a political calculation based on growing Republican strength in a county that leaned Democratic when Lewis first won in 1990.
"This is political opportunism at its worst and I expect the good Republican voters of McLennan County to see through this disingenuous conversion," said Ethridge, 63.
Lewis instead describes his decision as the result of he and his party drifting apart.
"I'm still Jim Lewis. I'm the same Jim Lewis that has been here all these years and not a thing has changed. I'm very conservative....," he said. "I've found I'm with the Republicans on more things than I'm with the Democrats."
Republicans have courted Lewis for years and he stoked rumors that he was considering leaving his party this fall by attending fundraisers for Republican candidates.
Local Republican leaders greeted Lewis with handshakes and smiles on Wednesday, praising him as a reliable conservative.
"I've been disappointed he's been (a Democrat) so long," said M.A. Taylor, chairman of the McLennan County Republican Party.
"I never thought I'd see this day come," added Christopher Decluitt, president of the McLennan County Republican Club.
The announced candidates will give Republican voters a choice between newcomers to GOP politics. Ethridge served on the Waco school board and city council, where office holders do not claim party affiliation.
Decluitt said Wednesday both are in the right party due to their conservative ideology, “even if they didn't have the ‘R' by their name” in the past.
While Ethridge described Lewis as an opportunist, he wasn't the only candidate looking at both sides, according to McLennan County Democratic Party chairman John Cullar.
During a meeting in Cullar's office two years ago, Ethridge expressed interest in running as a Democrat against state Sen. Kip Averitt, R-McGregor, Cullar said.
Ethridge described Cullar's version of the discussion as "false" and "not accurate." She said while several people encouraged her to challenge Averitt from both parties and a conversation with Cullar did take place, "I never told him I wanted to run as a Democrat against Kip Averitt."
Cullar replied, "Her memory is faulty and mine is not."
Ethridge left the mayor's office in May of 2004 because of term limits and looked for her next challenge. She launched her campaign for county judge in November, expecting to face Lewis in the 2006 general election.
Lewis said he will campaign on his experience managing the county's $86 million budget and addressing a broad spectrum of responsibilities.
"You've got to make sure all the bathrooms have toilet paper and at the same time make sure there's enough money to pay the electricity each month," Lewis said.
Touting his 10 years as a commissioner, and 15 years as judge, Lewis said, “If it ain't broke, don't fix it ... And it ain't broke.”
With one mystery revealed Wednesday, the next topic became who the Democratic party will field for its primary before the Monday deadline.
At least three people have expressed interest, Cullar said, though most discussions have been informal, out of respect to Lewis.
The only Democrat who is publicly considering the race, former state Rep. John Mabry, D-Waco, said Lewis could have won as a Democrat but made a costly mistake Wednesday.
"I think he puts himself at significant jeopardy switching parties and running in the Republican primary," Mabry said.
State Rep. Jim Dunnam, D-Waco, also argued Lewis could have won and said Democrats can still win with a strong candidate, noting, "If you look at ... how Democratic incumbents have been performing in county-wide elections, they've been pretty darn strong."
Lewis expects that after the attention over his decision fades, party affiliation should not play a major role in the race.
"I think people vote for the person," Lewis said. "There are some people who are going to vote straight-ticket no matter what, but most people vote for the person with the proven track record."
another donkey falls, welcome him into the camp.
Let Zell Miller be an inspiration to all Democrats who have seen their party drifting to oblivion.
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