Rep. Steve Stockman’s (R-TX) decision to challenge Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) in the Republican primary shows how far to the right the Republican party is, the chairman of the Texas Democratic Party told TPM.
“I think this race with Cornyn and Stockman tells you everything,” Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa told TPM on Tuesday. “That even when you moved to the right, like John Cornyn has moved to the right, it is never far enough to the right for the Republican Party. I mean this guy voted against the Violence Against Women’s Act. He voted against Sonya Sotomayor.”
TPM also asked Hinojosa why Democrats had not coalesced around one strong candidate for Cornyn’s seat.
“I will tell you it’s not like we didn’t try,” Hinojosa said. “We have some good candidates running today and I believe that these candidates will be able to, once the smoke clears in this primary election, will be able to go toe to toe with either Mr. Cornyn or Mr. Stockman on the issues that are important to Texans.”
Hinojosa didn’t name any of the candidates running in the Democratic primary for eiher Cornyn’s seat or Stockman’s now-vacant seat. Stockman took over a newly fashioned district that came out of 2010 redistricting vacated by then-Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX).
In the Democratic primary for Cornyn’s seat, Dallas businessman David Alameel is running against El Paso attorney Maxey Scherr and former Republican House candidate Michael Fjetland in the Democratic primary, according to the Texas Tribune. Fjetland switched parties in 2006.
