The redistricting effort in Texas had a singular goal: to increase the Republican majority in Texas' Congressional delegation. That goal was very nearly met perfectly, with all but one of the Anglo-Democrats targeted by redistricting losing their seats in November. The only survivor was Chet Edwards, who pulled out a narrow victory in the Texas 17th district. His bipartisan record in Congress, combined with his moderate social and fiscal views and cash advantage during the general election helped him overcome a game Republican challenger to win his eighth term in the U.S. House of Representatives.
After a hard-won redistricting battle, Texas Democrats were overrun by Republicans determined to take over their seats in Congress.
[...] ultra-liberal setup seems to be the norm in many of the Texas races, and often you'll see the Democrat running away from the charges of liberalism, or being careful not to link themselves with John Kerry. In Edwards' case this wasn't necessary—he didn't need to run from a liberal appearance because very little of his record could be called liberal. He's a pro-gun, anti-gay marriage Democrat who yes, is pro- choice, but is also one of the tightest fiscal conservatives you'll come across. [...]
[...] Fundraising From day one of the general election, Edwards enjoyed a significant cash advantage. Though Wohlgemuth outperformed him in fundraising during the month of June, it was not nearly enough to overcome Edwards' one big advantage: he ran unopposed in the primary. The first significant expenditure he made was for a television ad that ran on the day of the Republican primary. In the meantime, Wohlgemuth was on a spending rampage. She went through over $850,000 during the primary, $650,000 of which she used to defeat Dot Snyder during the runoff election. [...]
[...] County Majority Carried Bosque Undetermined Brazos Edwards Burleson Edwards Grimes Wohlgemuth Hill Undetermined Hood Wohlgemuth Johnson Wohlgemuth Limestone Edwards Madison Edwards McClennan Undetermined Robertson Edwards Somervell Wohlgemuth Thanks to a strong campaign, a financial advantage, and his prowess at preaching local issues (and therefore benefiting from an electorate who often splits their ticket and crosses party lines for local officials)[17], Edwards was able to overcome a redistricting nightmare and earn the opportunity to serve an eighth term in the U.S. [...]
[...] Chet Edwards' Top Campaign Expenditures Recipient Amount Date Description Worth, TX Phones Washington, DC Washington, DC Washington, DC Washington, DC Washington, DC Washington, DC Washington, DC Washington, DC Express Expenses VA Express Washington, DC Expenses Expenses Express Washington, DC Express TX Liabilities NJ ce Worth, TX Liabilities VA VA Express Media buys are typically the most costly items on a campaign budget, and Edwards' expenditures list demonstrates this quite clearly: eight of his top (most expensive) expenditures were media buys. [...]
[...] Endorsements Chet Edwards received the endorsements of every single endorsing newspaper in the district. These included The Dallas Morning Star, the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, the Waco Tribune-Herald, the Texas A&M Battalion, the Bryan/College Station Eagle, the Clifton Record, the Austin American Statesman, and the Hood County News. He also picked up the endorsement of Bush's hometown newspaper in Crawford. Candidate Strengths/Weaknesses/Advantages/Disadvantages Edwards had the ultimate advantage in that he was the incumbent (albeit for a slightly different version of the district). [...]
APA Style reference
For your bibliographyOnline reading
with our online readerContent validated
by our reading committee
