[FDRfollower]

Yahoo!! A Democrat with no campaign money beats an entrenched Bush league Republican with millions in his campaign chest. In TEXAS no less, and in a gerrymandered district that had been DESIGNED by crook scumbag Tom Delay.

Bonilla loses House seat after 7 terms

By ELIZABETH WHITE, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 54 minutes ago

SAN ANTONIO - Former Congressman Ciro Rodriguez defeated seven-term Republican Henry Bonilla in a runoff election Tuesday, adding another Democrat to Congress.
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With nearly all precincts reporting in the state's largest district, Rodriguez had 54 percent to Bonilla's 45 percent.

Bonilla has called Rodriguez to concede, the incumbent's spokesman Phil Ricks said.

They were the top vote-getters in a special election held Nov. 7, but neither got 50 percent, prompting the runoff.

"I thought it would be, in all honesty, would be a lot closer than it was in the end," Rodriguez said at his campaign party. "I can assure you I'm going to be reaching out and working with everyone. When you get elected, you represent everyone in the district."

Bonilla was seeking an eighth term in Washington, while Rodriguez was hoping to return after a two-year absence. He served from 1997-2005 in another district but was ousted in the March 2004 Democratic primary by Henry Cuellar, a Laredo Democrat. Rodriguez lost again to Cuellar in this year's primary.

The Supreme Court ruled in June that a 2003 reconfiguration of Bonilla's district was unconstitutional because it diluted minority votes, and a three-judge panel redrew the district in August to restore Hispanics that had been shunted into another district.

Bonilla blamed his loss on the Supreme Court ruling, telling supporters, "We just couldn't score again and again."

"But that's OK. This is a different time now," he said. "I can tell you I've had 14 years as a member of the House of Representatives, and I count my blessings."

The new district stretches from San Antonio south to the Mexican border and almost to El Paso in the west.

Rodriguez, Bonilla and six others ran in a free-for-all special election Nov. 7. The goal of the six Democrats was to keep Bonilla below 50 percent and force him into a runoff. It worked, with Rodriguez in second place.

[haus]

In the last year or so, there have been four weird, important special elections featuring real Progressives:


Ciro Rodriguez lost the first one 47%-20% (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciro_Rodriguez#2006_election)
Then Francine Busby (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francine_Busby) lost twice this year in Randy "Duke" Cunningham's district.
Then Karen Carter lost in New Orleans a few days ago (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Carter).
Now, after a 9-month uphill battle, and shocking everybody (http://www.mydd.com/story/2006/12/12/214723/39) Ciro wins!


I'm pretty sure Ciro will be the 65th member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus in the 110th, and Chris Bowers points out that the Republicans haven't had 233 members in the House since 1953 -- back when we had, what, 48 states?

(After additional coffee, I guess I'd add Nick Lampson's win in the neighboring TX-22 district and Catherine Cegelis's strange primary loss to Tammy Duckworth in IL-12(?)).

[FDRfollower]

A friend of mine, who went into Ciro Rodriguez district to campaign, reported that when he started, people didn't even know that there was a special election, no thanks to lazy-ass Dean. But, by mobilizing the youth vote, a sufficient turnout was initiated.

[FDRfollower]

What Bill said in Texas. The wires and newspaper reports did a sh*t job on reporting what our former Prez said at the Rodriguez rally. This is pretty strong stuff.


"You have to decide whether this House seat is going to be with the 29 or the 10," referencing the 10 congressional races which were won by Republicans by less than 1%. He then challenged the audience to continue the national trend seen on Nov. 7th, "Even in Tom DeLay's former district the population voted for a change and I know you guys are as forward thinking as they are."

He then launched an attack on the Bush Administration, and identified a "narrow right-wing ideological extreme," comparing their mentality to his childhood, when he was raised in an alcoholic family. He referenced their commitment for world empire and their unwillingness to change. "When I was a boy," he continued, "and I found myself in a hole, I stopped digging. When they find themselves in a hole, they ask for a bigger shovel." He said that this administration rejects a "reality-based world," wanting to impose their own views on the world around them, where two plus two no longer equals four. He said that this administration views the book {State of Denial} as a compliment, because they view denial as the strength to ignore facts that are inconsistent with their ideology. He continued to condemn the Bush Administration, saying, "They think we're lesser mortals because we're trapped in a reality-based world," quoting the book {One Percent Doctrine}, and went on to relate their drive for empire to this denial of reality. "You can have dreams," he said, "just don't ignore reality."

Clinton also addressed the waning economic prosperity, counterpointing the growth in corporate profits and the ratio of CEO's salaries to worker's wages, with the stagnant federal minimum wage, the exploding household credit card debt, and the dependence on second mortgages, all of which are funding the tax breaks to the super rich.

"Whether people understand what I have gone through or not, will be what determines who wins this election"