Henderson County candidates file for primaries; both parties' county chairs predict strong involvement

by David Webb

David Webb is a veteran journalist who has written for the mainstream and alternative media for three decades. He is now a freelancer who lives in the Cedar Creek Lake area. He is a regular contributor to cedarcreeklake.com. E-mail story ideas to davidwaynewebb@yahoo.com.

ATHENS - Henderson County's political parties began gearing up for the 2012 election this week as candidate filing for the Republican and Democratic Primary Elections got underway.

Republican incumbents County Attorney Clint Davis, District Attorney Scott McKee and Sheriff Ray Nutt all filed for re-election Monday, which was the start of candidate filing. One Democrat, Trinity Valley Community College police officer Bill Burton, plans to run for sheriff against Nutt.

The filing period will continue through Dec. 15.

Republican County Chair Betty Holland said that she expects 15 Republicans to be on the primary ballot March 6. The line-up will include incumbent Henderson County Tax Assessor Milburn Chaney, who has decided to switch from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party, she said.

"I think we are going to see a lot of activity by Republicans in Henderson County for this election," Holland said. "People realize that it is a critical election. I think the presidential candidate debates have made people realize that it is either going to be a turning point or a slide-down."

On the Democratic Party side four candidates so far are scheduled to be on the ballot, said Democratic Party County Chair Marsha Head. In addition to Burton, incumbent Precinct 1 Constable Daryl Graham will seek re-election, Tool policeman Rick Simmons will seek the office of Precinct 5 Constable and David McGlaun, a county road and bridge employee who wants to succeed retiring Precinct 1 County Commissioner Joe Hall, she said.

Head said that she does not expect any Democrats to file to run for county attorney or district attorney against the incumbents Davis and McKee. Those positions require the incumbent to be a lawyer so the field of potential candidates is smaller, she noted.

Payne Springs resident Joey Dauben, who is publisher of Freedom of the Press Group LLC and EllisCountyObserver.com, said he has filed as a Libertarian candidate for State Senate District 3. He had previously filed as a Republican precinct chair candidate in Henderson County, but he withdrew to file for the State Senate office, which is now held by Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, he said.

Head said the Republican presidential candidate debates have also stirred up considerable interest in the 2012 election among Democrats.

"We've had a lot of activity since Thanksgiving," Head said. "The debates have gotten a lot of people thinking about the election even though it's still a year away."

Head said she believes that Henderson County Democrats and Republicans are evenly matched in numbers of members, but the election results are usually dependent on voters who don't have a strong allegiance to either party.

"Those voters are in the middle, and they kind of go back and forth during elections," Head said.

The Department of Justice is reviewing a state redistricting plan, and that could result in the political parties being forced to split up the ballot between two election dates, Head said.

The redistricting plan, which is currently being contested, resulted in Texas picking up four new congressional seats because of population growth.

"I wrote a letter to the Department of Justice trying to impress on them that if it is not absolutely necessary to not split up the ballot," Head said. "I think that would cause a lot of confusion."

Head said she expects the Department of Justice will release its decision about how the redistricting issue will be handled in early January so the political parties will then know the effect on the ballot.

In connection with the redistricting plan, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court this week petitioning it to halt the implementation of a court-ordered state redistricting map that might help Democrats win seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

A San Antonio federal court approved the interim redistricting map last week after hearing complaints that minority voters were at risk of not being equally recognized. The interim map was ordered pending the completion of a trial in a Washington D.C. federal court that is expected to resolve the issue.

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