Jack McDonald -- Quitting Before He Has the Chance to Get Slaughterd at the Polls
Here in my current House District, TX-10 (well, my current district for the next five days, before we move), it looks like incumbent Mike McCaul is going to run virtually (if not actually) unopposed after well-funded Democrat Jack McDonald announced that he has decided NOT to run against Mike McCaul:
No word on whether the Democrats will put up another candidate in what had been considered one of the top priority districts for the DCCC, but this late in the game, don’t expect anyone serious to come forward.
McDonald had raised nearly $1 million so far — but I’m guessing he’s been doing a little polling and has realized that the best time to cut his losses is right now, before he actually loses anything.
So many Dems thought that TX-10 was going to be a fairly easy target — and it should have been. I live in TX-10 and can’t stand Rep. Mike McCaul, despite the fact that he votes consistently and reliably Conservative. I like his voting record — I can’t stand the man. I wouldn’t vote for a single Dem over him, but wouldn’t have minded seeing him primaried by a nicer Conservative.
The totally-not-Liberally-biased Austin American-Statesman must be heartbroken, as they had been an early cheerleader in Jack McDonald’s prospective campaign. The AAS called McCaul “desperate.”
I doubt that a single Republican incumbent loses in Texas in 2010. With the possible exception of the many Dems who have already jumped ship to become Republicans in Texas. They stand to be primaried by actual Conservatives.
Hey Robbie, can you explain more WHY the dislike for McCaul?
I’ve met him on several occasions. I’ve shook his hand. You can take the real measure of a man in just a few moments of meeting him by shaking his hand and seeing if he can even pretend to be interested in meeting you and actually listening while you speak to him.
McCaul doesn’t seem at all able to do this in the few times I’ve met him and shaken his hand. He was indifferent, detached…he seemed like he’d rather be anywhere else other than speaking to one of his constituents.
But it really boils down to, “I’ve shaken his hand, and took the measure of the man. And he doesn’t measure up as a man.”
I think he’s a typical power-first and power-by-all-means politician. And I have no respect for that.