CIRO RODRIGUEZ IS BACK IN THE PICTURE-- CHALLENGING BONILLA IN THE NEW TX-23

Speculation is ending about who the Democrat will be to challenge corrupt rubber stamp wingnut Henry Bonilla, now that that boundaries of his gerrymandered district have been redrawn so as not to violate the Voting Rights Act. The new 23rd congressional district just gained thousands of Hispanic Americans, most of whom will probably be Democrats.

Ciro Rodriguez will formally announce his challenge on Tuesday-- but he's in. The Texas Supreme Court invalidated the March primary results and November 7 will see an all-candidate primary (possibly followed by a December run-off). "The remedial map invoked by a three-judge federal panel increased the Hispanic voting-age population in the 23rd to 61 percent from 51 percent, mainly by appending heavily Hispanic areas in southern Bexar County (San Antonio) that also lean Democratic. That area includes the home base of Rodriguez, which was incorporated in the 28th District that he previously represented."

Bonilla has been a complete whore for corporate America, taking gigantic bribes legal bribes from Big Oil, Big Pharma and Big-Anyone-Else-Who-Wanted-His-Vote. The neo-Nazi Club For Growth has already started their smear campaign against Ciro to try to protect one of their favorite Beltway prostitutes. Bonilla, who was rated an F (a perfect zero) by DMI after analyzing how his voting record impacted the lives of his middle class constituents, has a breathtakingly abysmal voting record, one of the most reactionary in the whole GOP House caucus (and believe me, that is plenty reactionary!)


UPDATE: TX-21 IMPACTED TOO

Another district impacted by the Court ruling, this one adversely, is the already heavily Republican 21st. Under the new boundaries this will become an even bigger dumping ground for dyed-in-the-wool Republican dead-enders-- tailor-made for beyond-rubber stamp nutcase Lamar Smith (who has an even worse voting record than Bonilla). Many Beltway type Democrats think TX-21 is a lost cause but the primary winner, John Courage, has been such an extraordinary candidate... and even Texas Republicans are beginning to scratch their skulls and think Adam and Steve wanting to get married might not actually be at the root of all the problems facing them after all.

But in invalidating the primary, the judges have given Courage a pain in the ass. The Burnt Orange Report explains: "Gene Kelley is a perennial candidate. Basically, he's a retiree who just pays to get on the ballot in Democratic races, trades on his "famous" name, and doesn't do a goddamn thing to campaign. This is the same Gene Kelley that forced Barbara Ann into a runoff for the senate seat." If you know anyone in TX-21 be sure and remind them that the dancer is dead and John Courage is the only real candidate against Lamar Smith.