Free Republic

Clear Lake, TX – The Clear Lake Tea Party (CLTP) in conjunction with the Alliance of Constitutional Patriots, and several other area Tea Party groups held the first ever job interview for the U.S. Senate. The venue for the event was the Bayou Theater on the University of Houston’s Clear Lake Campus. The event was also streamed online so people could watch from the comfort of their home or office. There are sixteen potential Republican or Libertarian candidates seeking to replace the retiring Kay Bailey Hutchison in the U.S. Senate. Event organizers said that invitations were extended to all candidates...

Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones (R) will officially kick off her bid for retiring Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's (R-Texas) Senate seat Tuesday at an event in Dallas. It's the first stop on what will be a statewide tour to hit 14 cities over the next four days. "I am running for Senate because our federal government is out of control," Jones said in a statement. "We have to rein in out of control spending and debt, ban wasteful pork and earmarks, secure our borders and get government off the backs of businesses so they can grow and create desperately-needed jobs."...

Former President George H.W. Bush will endorse Republican Roger Williams this afternoon for the U.S. Senate seat that Kay Bailey Hutchison now holds. The race to succeed Hutchison, who is not seeking re-election, has drawn interest from a number of Republicans, including railroad commissioners Elizabeth Ames Jones and Michael Williams. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst is also considering a run. Roger Williams is a Weatherford car dealer and former Texas secretary of state who was a major Republican donor before he was a candidate. The Bush endorsement could give his campaign a nice boost, particularly since the field is crowded and...

Republican businessman Joe Straus III handily won the Texas House District 121 race Saturday over his closest challenger, Democrat Rose Spector. "It was a very strong signal that the voters in District 121 want consistent and conservative leadership," he said from his victory party at the Barn Door restaurant. Spector, a former Texas Supreme Court justice, said she had hoped to appeal to a broad swath of voters, but was unable to break through party politics in the conservative district. "He's a Republican, and that's a regret I have, that people just vote by label," she said. "I hate to...

Democrats question GOP fund-raising Perry says soliciting for Railroad Commission nominee is proper. By Mike Ward AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Saturday, January 22, 2005 Democrats on Friday criticized Gov. Rick Perry and Republicans for raising money for Railroad Commission nominee Elizabeth Ames Jones while the legislative session is under way. They also questioned whether a Perry aide is benefiting from the efforts through the actions of her husband. Republicans disputed the criticism, insisting that fund-raisers for Jones, who was elected to the House but didn't take office, do not violate a state law prohibiting campaign fund raising by officeholders during the session...

AUSTIN — Elizabeth Ames Jones, the former state representative from San Antonio, was formally nominated by Gov. Perry on Tuesday to the 3-member Texas Railroad Commission. Jones, a Republican, still needs to go before the Senate for confirmation. She declined to be sworn in to her House seat last month, after Perry announced she was his pick to replace Charles Matthews. Vying to fill Jones' 121st District seat in Saturday's special election are former Texas Supreme Court Judge Rose Spector, a Democrat; businessman Joe Straus III, a Republican; and former state Rep. Paul Silber, who is running as an independent....

Gov. Rick Perry this morning announced state Rep. Elizabeth Ames Jones of San Antonio as his pick to replace Charles Matthews on the Texas Railroad Commission. Matthews last week was named chancellor of the Texas State University System, and Jones' appointment will be pending his resignation from the Railroad Commission. Jones, a Republican, was elected to the House in 2000. She has served on the Energy Resources and the Appropriations committees and is vice chairwoman of the Texas House Republican Caucus. The three-member Railroad Commission's primary job is overseeing Texas' oil and gas industry. The process for replacing Jones in...