It's extremely rewarding to see how the tables have turned. In the old days of Texas politics, the Democrat primary was the only election that mattered - the general election was merely a formality. Now, the possibility of a Democrat winning the next gubernatorial election is so negligible that the only attention paid is in regard to the internecine struggle between Republicans Perry and Strayhorn.

Well, Mark. The conservatives used to trounce the progressives in the Democratic primary. Now, they beat us in the general election. We've only had a couple of liberal/progressive Democratic governors in Texas history. I mean there's Ann Richards.... then before her you have to go back to the 1940s with Jimmy Allred. Progressives like Ralph Yarbough (1950s) and Sissy Farenthall (1970s) lost in the Democratic primary to conservative Democrats. When John Hill became the first progressive Democrat to win the primary since Allred in 1978, he managed to lose the governorship for Democrats for the first time in a century.

So, really, not that much has changed. Conservative Texans have realligned themselves into the Republican party and Texas is simply governed by conservative Republicans as opposed to conservative Democrats.

I agree with Byron's analysis. The Texas GOP is divided into the insiders (Perry, Dewhurst, Craddick) vs the grassroots (Strayhorn). Soon the GOP will divide into the rural wing, and the exurban wing.

Jim Turner, I think, will be in a good position to win some of those old conservative Democrats that we have lost in East Texas in 2006.I think 12 years of one party control in the mansion will be enough for Texans by then. A divided GOP will definitely help.

Sharp is out of politics. John Montford's job as Texas Tech Chancellor is political enough for him.

first of all, garry mauro is also a progressive/liberal democrat. second, sharp says he is out, but i guarantee he runs in 2006

I was just throwing names out there real quick. Turner is my choice for the moment. Mauro would be a bad choice and Sharp is done for in terms of running, though I'd like to see him help run the show. We have to be moderate to even slightly conservative if we want to win in this state, but a moderate/slightly conservative Dem is better than a radically right wing Republican. If we let the GOP get bloodied and the moderate wing of the party feels like it is being screwed or the "business conservatives" rather than the "cultural conservatives" get short-changed than a moderate like Turner would be a good choice.

I think the Dems will go with fresh blood in '06. Rafael Anchia http://www.rafaelanchia.com/ will be the next Governor. Mark my words.

This talk of Demopubs makes my fur curl. Texas is surprisingly one of the most progressive states. We've just let it be high jacked. Get out the vote.

(the flashing ads on the left side of the page are annoying. Having Republicans in our state house is all I can take right now.)

I like some of the sentiments of the stray horn, but a stray horn doesn't seem to know much about economics. Gambling and cigarette tax as way to fund schools is pretty flimsy. Now the DCCCD wants to pass a bond issue that raises my tax even more. Where's all the money going. You should check out the discussion going on with the special session regarding school finance. I can't wait to hear what else stray horn says. Mh, does it make me not progressive if I see the waste and cronnism payoffs and don't think we need to hand over more money to those people? democrats don't need to hand over defense issues and fiscal conservatism to the republicans (although they aren't fiscal conservatives, they just play them on tv.. well actually everywhere else too).

It does look like she is setting herself up to run against Scary, I mean Perry.