Sure everybody is pretty focused on the Presidential primary right now. But there's at least one other primary race that should matter to every patriotic American – the race to replace Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle.
Who will replace the man who brought down Tom DeLay? And why should anyone outside of Austin care?
Simple -- because legal battle over DeLay's campaign to subvert democracy with illegal corporate contributions and mid-decade redistricting schemes continues. DeLay and three accomplices are currently indicted on multiple felony counts, including money laundering. Several corporations have already entered guilty pleas for their role in the 2002 Texas election scandals.
Stealing the 2002 elections gave DeLay the leverage he and his cronies needed to force a radical and unprecedented mid-decade redistricting of Texas. That gave the GOP the margin they needed to keep control of the House after the 2004 election and still helps keep our majority smaller than it ought to be.
Travis County, home of liberal Austin, is overwhelmingly Democratic and a four-way Democratic primary will decide the race. Ronnie Earle has already made his preference known: veteran first assistant Rosemary Lehmberg. But three other Democrats have jumped into the race, and all of them also work for Earle in the DA's office. And one of them is causing growing concern among observers about the possibility that Republican allies of DeLay and Karl Rove and Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick may have planted a Trojan horse in the race.
Down With Tyranny and Capitol Annex have been following the story pretty closely. It ain't pretty.
Capitol Annex has learned that Travis County District Attorney Candidate Mindy Montford (D-Austin), daughter of AT&T lobbyist and former Texas State Senator John Montford, is putting the squeeze on corporate lobbyists–especially those with ties to the controversial Texas Association of Business–to fund her primary campaign and will.
Sources also tell Capitol Annex that corporate lobbyists contributing to Montford's campaign are doing so in the hopes that, if elected, she will drop the state's prosecution of indicted former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Sugar Land).
In addition, sources advise Capitol Annex that Montford's campaign has received a significant amount of money from AT&T lobbyists, associated PACs and 'friends' of the telecom giant. (It is, of course, also worth noting that AT&T was the leader in money given to House Speaker Tom Craddick and his PAC following the 80th Texas Legislature, which you can read about here).
The big business GOP is clearly stepping up in this race, my question is, will the netroots? Check out Rosemary Lehmberg's web site and see why she's Ronnie Earle's choice to carry the mantle of Texas' leading political law enforcer.