I just received the following e-mail from the campaign of retired General Ricardo Sanchez, who was running as a Democrat for the open Senate seat of Texas Republican Kay Bailey Hutchinson. General Sanchez lost his home to a fire about a month ago; that, together with anemic fundraising numbers, has caused him to announce his withdrawal from the Senate race.
Sanchez, a former senior commander of US troops in Iraq would have likely won the nomination had he stayed in, and his exit leaves a gaping hole in our 2012 candidate lineup for the US Senate. While admittedly Sanchez would have been a decided underdog, he would at least have provided a credible alternative to whomever the Texas GOP will nominate (there's a lot of candidates, but Lt. Governor David Dewhurst is the nominal frontrunner).
As Texas' filing deadline has been pushed back due to the Republican legal fight against the proposed redistricting map, Democrats still have time to find a credible challenger.
Sanchez's e-mail is below the fold.
LT. GEN. SANCHEZ ENDS CAMPAIGN FOR U.S. SENATE
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (December 16, 2011)
Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez (U.S. Army, Ret.) today announced that he will not file for the 2012 Democratic Party nomination for the United States Senate from Texas. His statement is below:
“I am very grateful for the strong support and encouragement I have received from supporters across the country and the wonderful Texans I have met in every part of our great state. However, pressing personal challenges, coupled with the recent loss of our home due to fire and lagging fundraising numbers make a statewide election campaign impractical for me at this time.
“After extensive consultation with my family, Maria Elena and I have decided to put family first and I will therefore end my campaign for the 2012 U.S. Senate seat as of today.
“I am blessed to have made friends with so many great Texans on this journey. Their personal stories and their love for our homeland will continue to inspire me as I look ahead and consider future opportunities for public service. I remain steadfast in the desire to serve both my country and the State of Texas to help bring new, responsible, and fair-minded leadership to our government.
May God Bless Texas and May God Bless America. ”