By Gary Martin, San Antonio Express-News, November 2, 2007
2 Nov 2007 // Things are heating up in Texas with political primaries just four months away.
Two congressional Democrats are expected to face stiff Republican opposition, and GOP hopefuls are jockeying for position to face off with the incumbents.
That was evident when Republican Pete Olson tried to tie a criminal investigation involving a Corpus Christi businessman to Rep. Nick Lampson, a Democrat from Stafford.
Olsen is one of several candidates seeking the GOP nomination and the chance to take on Lampson, whose Republican-leaning district was once represented by Tom DeLay.
In an attempt to break out of the pack, Olsen called on Lampson to return $4,600 in donations to Mauricio Celis.
"That's a nonstory," said Trevor Kincaid, a Lampson spokesman. "We gave that money back a week ago."
Celis is under investigation by the state attorney general and a grand jury over allegations of fraud and other felonies involving a law practice and a sheriff deputy's badge.
None of the allegations involves Lampson or other Democrats who received campaign contributions from Celis.
Several state legislators have returned contributions from Celis, who also backed lawyer Mikal Watts' nascent Democratic bid for the U.S. Senate before he bowed out last month citing family concerns.
Meanwhile, Olson, a former aide to U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, could be one of the least-known candidates in a claustrophobic race for the GOP nomination that includes former Pasadena Mayor John Manlove.
Also seeking the GOP nod are Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, a former Houston councilwoman; state Rep. Robert Talton of Pasadena; Harris County Judge James Squier; and Dean Hrbacek, a former Sugar Land mayor.
The Texas GOP primary is March 4. If a candidate does not receive more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff is scheduled for April 8.
Lampson faces no primary opposition.
McGrody is gone
In the race for the GOP nomination in the 23rd Congressional District, retired businessman Jim McGrody dropped out a second time.
The decision leaves San Antonio lawyer Francisco "Quico" Canseco as the only Republican candidate. Bexar County Commissioner Lyle Larsen is considering the race.
Rep. Ciro Rodriguez, D-San Antonio, is unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Canseco said that now that he is the only Republican in the race, he can concentrate on Rodriguez.
But he also loaned his campaign $350,000, triggering what is known as the "millionaire's amendment," which allows contributors to triple their donations, from $2,300 to $6,900 each, to another GOP candidate.
That could be a boon for Larson if he decides to challenge Canseco.
Canseco has pledged to loan his campaign $1 million, and the millionaire's amendment is designed to dilute the wealth of self-funded candidates.
Canseco, meanwhile, has had a difficult time with Federal Election Commission rules and reports.
Sloppy bookwork prompted the FEC to look for clarification on several of Canseco's reports found to have mathematical errors, missing forms, missing information on donors and a lack of details about his loans.
Bob Biersack, a press officer with the FEC, said, "It is not unusual for us to send out requests for additional information.
"It is, however, true that you are supposed to get this right the first time," he added.
Poe and the FEC
In other FEC woes, Rep. Ted Poe, R-Humble, replaced his brother, Virgil, as campaign treasurer after record-keeping problems prompted an audit and a complaint by the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
Kindra Hefner is now listed as treasurer of the campaign.
CREW filed a complaint this year based on the FEC audit, which showed that the Poe campaign failed to disclose information on 40 individuals who contributed $450,000.
The audit also showed that that Poe campaign failed to provide information on contributors of $200,000 from fundraising groups that included Team Texas Committee.
CREW said the campaign failed to comply with disclosure provisions and received at least five written warnings by the FEC that the campaign had failed to identify campaign contributors.
The watchdog group is seeking action by the FEC's Enforcement Division.