Fighting Dem Vets: Spotlight on the Texas Primary

Fighting Dem Vets: Spotlight on the Texas Primary
by Veterans for a Secure America
Mon Mar 06, 2006 at 05:09:36 PM PDT

Grassroots volunteers (see Fighting-Dems.com) who have been working with WesPAC and the Eric Massa campaign staff have been coordinating live-blogging efforts for the Veterans for a Secure America (see Band of Brothers 2006) along with vet campaigns to give the netroots a chance to interact with these candidates. Texas needs to be reclaimed for the Democrats. It is the center of some of the worst corruption among Republicans and the redistricting scandal that led to more Republicans being elected has to be reversed. The Fighting Dems are the best answer Democrats have to take back the statehouse and Congress.

In the spotlight are:

Bob Gammage, a Fighting Dem vet running for Governor of Texas;
Ciro Rodriguez (TX 28th) , a former U.S. representative who, though not a vet, is a Fighting Dem with service on the Veterans Healthcare subcommittee;
Ten TX Congressional candidates: Duane Shaw, USN (TX-01), Dan Dodd, USAF (TX-03), Charlie Thompson, USN (TX-05), David Harris, USAR (TX-06), David Murff, USA (TX-07), Ted Ankrum, USN (TX-10), Paul Foreman, USN (TX-10), Roger Waun, USAR (TX-13), John Courage, USAF (TX-21), Bolaños, Rick, USA (TX-23).

Support Robert A. "Bob" Gammage for Governor, ex-state Supreme Court Justice, ex-U.S. Representative.

Read more here and you will see among other things that Judge Bob Gammage is a Lawyer, teacher, and veteran of both Army and Navy service, including a tour of duty in Korea; Captain (Ret.) in the U. S. Naval Reserve. In addition to the Texas Supreme Court and U.S. House of Representatives, Bob was elected to the Texas Court of Appeals, to the Texas Senate and the Texas House of Representatives. He is an outstanding Legislator and member of the corruption-fighting Dirty Thirty. Read about how Veterans are Standing up for Bob Gammage. One of our Fighting Dems, Rick Bolaños, is President of Veterans for Gammage. And General Clark is letting the stops out doing calls for Bob. People walk up to him and say, "I got a call from General Clark and he said I should vote for you." WesPAC grassroots volunteers have also been manning phone banks in support of Bob Gammage.


Return Ciro Rodriguez to Congress (TX-28) . Ex-U.S. Rep. Ciro D. Rodriguez was a member of the Armed Services Committee and the Ranking Member of the Veterans Affairs Committee in Congress.

Ciro D. Rodriguez was a vocal advocate to provide our troops with the equipment they need to do the job. Ciro has also been a leader in providing the resources we need to ensure the transition of returning soldiers and of providing all our veterans with health care they deserve. Help elect a true fighter who knows what it means to honor the sacrifices of our Veterans. NOTE: While Rodriguez is challenging a Dem incumbent, there is no Republican challenger. The Democrat who wins the primary will most certainly win the general election despite third party candidate. Dino Dem Cuellar's voting record sucks. The Irregular Times put it bluntly, "Henry Cuellar is a Democratic member of the House of Representatives, but that doesn't mean he votes as a Democrat ought to vote. Henry Cuellar's voting record shows that he is as often aligned with right wing special interest groups as he is with the American people.
Read how the blogosphere supports Cior's candidacy on MyDD by Chris Bowers.


Elect our Fighting Dem vets to take back the Hill!

Ted Ankrum for U.S. Congress (TX-10)

Service: Captain, U.S. Navy; Major Navy reserve. 15 years of active duty and 15 years of Reserve serve. Combat veteran of four tours in Vietnam. Bronze Star Medal for Valor, Navy Commendation Medal, Vietnamese Medal of Honor and Cross of Gallantry, Purple Heart; 20% Disabled Veteran.
Opponents: Freshman Republican Mike McCaul; for Democratic primary, writer Paul Foreman, attorney / ex-police officer Kyle Kincaid, nurse Elsie "Pat" Mynatt, retired realtor Sid Smith.
District Profile: McCaul pulled 79% in '04. A Solid Republican "red" district.
Website: TedAnkrum.com


Rick Bolaños for U.S. Congress (TX-23)

Service: Rick Bolaños is a member of the original Band of Brothers, four siblings from El Paso who all served in Viet Nam at the same time. They were recognized by LBJ for their service and again by the 79th Texas Legislature.
Opponents: 7th term Republican incumbent Henry Bonilla; no Democrat opponents.
District Profile: Bolaños acknowledges it will be an uphill battle to win, but believes he can do it.

Website: BolanosforTexas.com


John Courage for U.S. Congress (TX-21)

Rank: U.S. Air Force
Service: Enlisted in 1971 and served 4 years during the Vietnam Era.
Opponent: Incumbent 10th term Republican Lamar S. Smith. No Democrat challengers. Courage was also the '02 nominee.
District Profile: Lamar Smith won by 62.5% in '04. It is considered a solid Republican "red" distinct.

Website: CourageforCongress.org


Dan Dodd for U.S. Congress (TX-03)

Rank: Lt Colonel, U.S. Air Force (Retired)
Service: Two consecutive tours in Vietnam; Pentagon program manager for "Star Wars" program.
Opponent: 8th term Republican incumbent Sam Johnson. No other announced Dem candidates. Johnson faces a GOP challenger.
District Profile: Johnson won with 87% in 2004. It is considered solid Republican but all bets are off this year. Note: Dan was a classmate of Wes Clark at West Point (class of '66).

Website: DanDodd.us


Paul Foreman for U.S. Congress (TX-10)

Service: Yeoman, USN. Two years active duty and four years in the reserves, Paul was honorably discharged and qualified as a Vietnam veteran. In Iwakuni Japan, he became the classified yeoman for Fleet Air Wing Six.
Opponents: Freshman Republican Mike McCaul; for Democratic primary, Vet and ex-EPA official Ted Ankrum, attorney / ex-police officer Kyle Kincaid, nurse Elsie "Pat" Mynatt, retired realtor Sid Smith.
District Profile:
Website: PaulForeman.com


David Harris for U.S. Congress (TX-06)

Service: Major, U.S. Army Reserves.
Twelve years active duty, then Army reserves. Mobilized for Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom and deployed to Iraq as a Logistics Officer. Received Bronze Star.
Opponent: 11th term Republican incumbent Joe L. Barton; Harris has no Dem opponents.
District Profile: 2004 was Smoky Joe Barton's worst showing -- 66% of the total vote. While that may not be a sign of trouble, it's also not the 76% Barton picked up in 1994.

Website: FollowmetoDC.com


David Murff for U.S. Congress (TX-07)

Service: U.S. Army. Stationed at Ft. Hood, Texas.
Opponent(s): 3rd term Republican incumbent John A. Culberson. Dem primary opponent James Henley.
District Profile. Although Culberson won with 64.1% and Bush by 63.8% in '04, the recent redistricting removes the Republican advantage once held. It now has a Hispanic population of 29% and an African American population of 13%. Discontent and increased minority residents have changed the political climate.


Duane Shaw for U.S. Congress (TX-01)

Service: USN, Six years on active duty aboard the USS Dahlgren, (a guided missile destroyer) he was released to inactive reserves in December of 1987 and honorably discharged from service in 1989.
Opponents: Freshman incumbent Republican Louis B. "Louie" Gohmert, Jr. Dem challenger Roger Owen.
District Profile: Gohmert received 61.5% of the vote in '04. Another tough race in what has been a solid Republican district.
website :: bio :: issues
donate: Duane Shaw For Congress Committee, P.O. Box 155232, Lufkin, Texas 75915-5232

Charlie Thompson for U.S. Congress (TX-05)

Service: Commander, U.S. Navy. Served as Deputy Director/Surface Electronic Warfare Directorate & as Chief of Research & Development, Surface Electronic Warfare Directorate, Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C.
Opponent(s): 2nd term incumbent Republican Jeb Hensarling. Democrat primary opponent Patrick Wilson.
District Profile: Hensarling had a lead of 64.5% in '04. Solid Republican. Thompson has good credentials and ranks high among the challenges to Republican incumbents.


Roger J. Waun for Congress (TX-13)

Service: USAR. ROTC. graduate serving 16 years as a Strategic Intelligence Officer. He held a Top Secret security clearance with active duty tours at NSA, the Defense Intelligence Agency and at Headquarters of the U.S. Army's Recruiting Command.
Opponents: 6th term incumbent Republican William M. "Mac" Thornberry; no Democrat opponent.
District Profile: Thornberry got 92.3% in '04; a solid Republican "red" district.


Other races: In one race, the vet chose the wrong party: 8th term incumbent Chet Edwards (D) is facing Republicans C. Tucker Anderson and the Iraqi veteran Van Taylor (R). Chet only won with 51.2% in '04 and he needs support to hold his seat.