Shane Sklar -- The Most Important Congressional Race in Texas

Shane Sklar is running the most important congressional race in Texas.

I'm sure that might be surprising to some of you. I'm sure there are some that feel like I've neglected some of Texas' most well-known candidates, Nick Lampson and Chet Edwards, or that I'm neglecting one of our Netroots favorites, John Courage. The fact is that Nick Lampson has TX-22 locked up, and while Chet Edwards faces a tough protection seat, his is a campaign we can confidentally count on to deliver. I know some of you who don't know who Shane Sklar is, and think I'm nuts. I'm not. I'll say it again:

Shane Sklar is running the most important congressional race in Texas.

This November, Democrats across the country are poised to retake Congress. Here in Texas, we know that -- barring some unlikely scenario -- Nick Lampson will be the next Congressman from TX-22. And though we must never stop taking the fight to some of our worst Republican Congressmen like Lamar Smith, Randy Neugebauer, Ralph Hall, and others, we also must recognize this simple truth:

Shane Sklar is running the most important congressional race in Texas.

If we want to send another Republican packing on Election Day, our best opportunity here in Texas will be in the 14th Congressional District, and the man we need to put in office is our own Texroots candidate, Shane Sklar.

He knows the issues. He knows the people. He knows what it takes to win. Over the course of the next week, I hope to convince you that Shane Sklar is running the most important congressional race in Texas.

Democratic congressional candidate Shane Sklar's call for diversifying the nation's energy supply shows the kind of leadership his incumbent opponent cannot provide for the 14th Congressional District, for Texas or for the nation.

That editorial statement came from an article titled, quite simply, "Real Leadership" from the Victoria Advocate. The editorial goes on to give an excellent snapshot as to why Republican incumbent Ron Paul's time has come and gone, and why voters in the TX-14 need to vote for the determined leadership of Shane Sklar.

For a look at more from the editorial, as well as a more detailed and in-depth look at who Shane Sklar is, please look below the fold.

Shane Sklar knows the issues. He knows that agricultural issues are the most important to the people of ouhis extremely rural district, which is why he's the right choice for TX-14 and why his race is among the most important in Texas.

As Shane Sklar's website tells us, Shane Sklar is a fourth-generation rancher who grew up in the district. For the past four years, Shane Sklar has served as the Executive Director of the Independent Cattlemen's Association of Texas (ICA), where he's worked locally to double there membership, and nationally to ensure our beef has country-of-origin labeling.

"When I am in Congress, I will fight to make sure Texas farmers and entrepreneurs are on the cutting edge of renewable energy technology," the young Democrat pledged.

Given how longtime U.S. Rep. Ron Paul's narrow reading of the U.S. Constitution restricts what he thinks Congress can do, it is impossible to expect such leadership from "Dr. No."

Yet Sklar's words - and concrete actions to implement them - are exactly what the country needs now...This is the kind of forward-looking common sense the 14th District needs from its representative in Congress.

That, again, was from the Victoria Advocate's editorial, "Real Leadership."

Shane Sklar knows the people. After the redistricting shake-up in 2004, TX-14 became a newly drawn district that Ron Paul had largely never represented. In fact, the current district contains only 40% of what Paul has represented in the past, which is another reason why Shane Sklar is the right choice for the district, and why his race is the most important congressional race in Texas.

Shane Sklar was born on March 25, 1976 in Victoria and graduated from Edna High School. He graduated from Sam Houston State University with a BS in Agricultural Business and a minor in Political Science. Shane Sklar knows the people in his district, and has already been endorsed by such groups as the Texas Farm Bureau AGFUND, United Steelworkers, the Farm Credit Council, and Texas State Teachers Association.

Shane Sklar knows how to win. Shane Sklar was Field Director for Democratic Congressman Chet Edwards in 2000, spending a great deal of time fighting to protect one of the most prominent rural Democrats in Texas. Edwards' campaign teams are generally considered among the top in the nation, which is another reason why Shane Sklar is the right choice for your support.

Now you know who Shane Sklar is -- how his background has given him knowledge on the issues, history with the district, and experience for the campaign trail. In the coming days, we'll take a closer look at his issues, feature an interview from Shane Sklar himself, and take a harder look at his out-of-touch, soon to be out-of-work opponent, Ron Paul.

In the meantime, please donate $25, 50, $100, or whatever you can to Shane Sklar, and help make others realize why he is running -- and will win -- the most important congressional race in Texas.

Cross-posted at Burnt Orange Report.