Politex

Updating the Republican delegate chase

Following tonight's triumph in Florida -- a winner-take-all state with 50 delegates -- Mitt Romney has boosted his GOP-leading delegate count to 87, according to the latest count by The Associated Press. After being shut out tonight, Newt Gingrich is now a distant second with 26 delegates.

Rick Santorum is third in the delegate count with 14, while Texas Congressman Ron Paul is fourth with four.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who dropped out of the race just before last month's South Carolina primary and endorsed Gingrich, has two delegates, according to the AP tally.

-- John Gravois

Texan Ron Paul running fourth in Florida returns

Texas Congressman Ron Paul didn't figure on finishing that strongly in Florida's Republican primary returns tonight, and early results back that up. With 38 percent of the vote counted so far, Mitt Romney leads with 48 percent, a commanding lead over Newt Gingrich in second place with 31 percent. Rick Santorum is third at 13 percent and Paul, the Lake Jackson obstetrician, is fourth at 8 percent. Neither Santorum nor Paul expected to do well in Florida, and both have already moved on to other states. All major news networks and The Associated Press have now called the election for Romney.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is leading the pack of former candidates who dropped out of the GOP race too late to have their names removed from the Florida ballot.

Here's the latest count as reported by The Associated Press:

2,600 of 6,796 precincts reporting - 38 percent

----------------------- 

Mitt Romney, 491,028 - 48 percent

Newt Gingrich, 314,764 - 31 percent

Rick Santorum, 131,711 - 13 percent

Ron Paul, 70,278 - 7 percent

Rick Perry, 4,703 - 0 percent

Jon Huntsman, 4,666 - 0 percent

Michele Bachmann, 2,758 - 0 percent

Herman Cain, 2,227 - 0 percent

Gary Johnson, 845 - 0 percent

-- John Gravois

Vice President Joe Biden visits Fort Worth

FORT WORTH -- Vice President Joe Biden spoke to a crowd of more than 200 people gathered at the downtown Hilton Hotel for a fundraiser today. The gathering raised more than $150,000 for the Obama/Biden re-election bid later this year.

Biden touched on various topics, ranging from General Motors' improvement to how the middle class has been under attack, before he summed up the situation the country is in:

"The best way to sum up I think where we are today is ... Osama bin Laden is dead and General Motors is alive."

Biden, who credited someone with giving him that line, also said he's looking forward to the general election in November.

He cited the late Boston Mayor Kevin White, who once said, "Don't compare me to the Almighty -- compare me to the alternative."

Then he said President Obama "will be measured against a guy named Romney or Gingrich or whoever."

"For the first time, the Republicans are not hiding the ball. ... They are saying what they believe, God love them," Biden said. "They are not even pretending."

"This is going to be one heck of a race," he said. "I think we are doing better and better every day, ... in no small part because they are making it clear what they are for."

-- Anna M. Tinsley

FORT WORTH -- Vice President Joe Biden is in Fort Worth to attend fundraisers at the downtown Hilton Hotel. Organizers believe he will walk away with more than $100,000 for the Obama/Biden re-election effort later this year.

As the pool reporter inside the Fort Worth event, I can't report any information from the event until I have sent a report to other media.

But I'll be back with details later.

-- Anna M. Tinsley

Gov. Rick Perry's presidential campaign has filed its campaign fundraising report for the last three months of 2011 and it shows a major drop in donations following the campaign's gangbusters launch over the summer.   

Perry's campaign raised $2.9 million form October to December, less than a fifth of the $17.2 million it showed raising in its July-to-September report. That initial total was even more impressive considering that Perry's campaign had been active for about 40 days.

The stark decline in Perry's fundraising suggests high-profile stumbles during the fall debates impacted his ability to attract donors.   

The presidential campaign numbers may be somewhat misleading since some Perry backers also gave to separate Super PACs supporting Perry's bid.

Yet the latest figures provide a striking contrast to Perry's recent fundraising successes as governor.

Though he was operating on the national stage in his White House bid, Perry wasn't able to raise as much as he did in 2010 when he successfully won re-election against Republican US Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Democrat Bill White. Perry reported raising $28 million in his state account that year. From August to December of last year, his presidential campaign raised $20 million.

Here's a graph looking at Perry's fundraising history going back to 1997. Click on the graph for a closer look:

 

-Aman Batheja

The council voted down spending another $500,000 for a contract with the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History to care for a temporary avaition exhibit. The exhibit was offered as collateral after the Fort Worth Air and Space Museum Foundation for a $2.5 million loan that the foundation failed to repay to the city. Councilman Jungus Jordan brought the loan before the council last year and recommended voting down spending another $500,000 on Tuesday. Other council members also voiced support for voting the item down with Mayor Betsy Price saying the numbers simply didn't make sense. Rather than take possession of the exhibit, city staff will return to the council in 30 days with another option for the council discuss. Price said the prospects are "dim" for recovering the entire sum of the $2.5 million loan.

- Bill Hanna

 

A Fort Worth family appears to be getting help on the employment front from a new, very highly placed friend -- President Barack Obama.

Jennifer Wedel of Fort Worth was selected as one of of only a handful of Americans who sought to ask Obama a question in a "Hangout" chat on the Google Plus social networking site. Thousands had applied to participate.

Wedel told the president that her husband, a semiconductor engineer, has been out of work for three years. She asked why foreign workers are getting visas allowing them to come to the United States for high-skilled work when people like her husband are unemployed.

Obama offered to help -- literally. He said Wedel should send her husband's resume to the White House.

"I mean what I said," Obama told Wedel. "If you send me your husband's resume I'd be interested in finding out what's happening." 

UPDATE: Wedel's husband Darin has sent his resume to a Google representative who plans to get it to the White House. Check out Aman Batheja's report on the Wedel family's reaction to Obama's offer.  

-- John Gravois

As he did two years ago, Texas House Speaker Joe Straus is emerging as a campaign issue in some North Texas Republican primaries.

“I give you my promise if elected, I will not vote for any Speaker who is not a proven conservative," Republican Pat Carlson said at a candidate forum in Arlington last week. "I will not vote for a speaker that got elected by all the Democrats plus a few Republicans.”

Carlson was making a reference to Straus, who replaced Tom Craddick as House Speaker in 2009. That year, Straus was able to pull together vote pledges from 88 members out of the 150-member House, prompting Craddick to forfeit his re-election bid. Straus' original well of support was made up of the chamber's Democrats and a few Republicans. On the first day of that year's legislative session, Straus received a unanimous vote of support.  

Carlson made her comment at the end of her introduction at the Arlington Republican Club's forum for State House District 91. Others participating in the forum were state Rep. Barbara Nash of Arlington, Ken Sapp and Lady Theresa Thombs. (Depending on how redistricting lawsuits pan out,   Carlson and Nash may end up in a different race.) 

Following Carlson, Nash was next up to speak and she dived right into the issue.

"Guess we're not going to let that speaker thing die are we?" she began. "Well I voted for Speaker Straus. I guess I'll start off with that."

Nash went on to describe her first legislative session in 2011.  Days before the first day of the session, House Republicans met to settle the Speaker's race. Nash said she was told all 101 House Republicans were going to stand behind the choice of the caucus, which turned out to be Straus.

"I believed them...My thought is we’re going to go out on the floor and we’re going to show the Democrats that we are Republicans and we’re going to go by our word and we’re going to vote for the unanimous candidate, which was Speaker Straus,” Nash said.

"Now some people didn’t vote for him and some people think that makes them heroes,” Nash said. She said those people "did not live up to their word."

Later on in the forum, all four candidates were asked if their campaign depends on a "mutual pledge with Joe Straus."  Carlson, Nash, Sapp and Thombs all said, "Absolutely not."

[Photo caption: From left to right: Pat Carlson, state Rep. Barbara Nash, Ken Sapp, Lady Theresa Thombs]

-Aman Batheja

One big issue in Florida that's also a hot topic in Texas is manned space exploration -- a natural, given that both states have enjoyed economic development linked to NASA programs and installations for years.

Newt Gingrich stirred a lot of attention in Florida this week by proposing that Congress and the White House resume spending on a program to return astronauts to the moon -- an effort put on hold by President Barack Obama's administration.

Texas Congressman Ron Paul, R-Lake Jackson, took a much different view when he was asked during tonight's debate whether the U.S. needs to revive a lunar space program. Polls have shown overwhelming support among Texans -- especially in the area around Houston, where the Johnson Space Center is located -- but Paul has never let public opinion shape his views, and tonight was no different. He gave a resounding "No" on the question of renewed lunar exploration. That view is consistent with the hard line Paul, an obstetrician, has taken through the years on most government spending -- a record that earned him the nickname "Dr. No."

"I don't think we should go to the moon," Paul said in the debate. However, he added with a quip, "I think perhaps we should send some politicians up there."

Mitt Romney also questioned whether a new moon program is worth the billions it would cost.

-- John Gravois

Perhaps Texas Congressman Ron Paul would get more attention at this stage of the Republican presidential debates if he had a Swiss bank account full of earnings from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

As it is, Paul -- as well as Rick Santorum -- are continually overshadowed by the non-stop political war being waged against each other by front-runners Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney.

In tonight's debate -- which continues on CNN until 10 p.m. -- Paul did generate some attention early by touting the need to improve trade relations with Cuba. The congressman says free trade is the key to improving U.S. relations with all nations in Latin America.

-- John Gravois

 

VP Biden raises money in Fort Worth

FORT WORTH -- Vice President Joe Biden is in Fort Worth to attend fundraisers at the downtown Hilton Hotel. Organizers believe he will walk away with more than $100,000 for the Obama/Biden re-election effort later this year.

As the pool reporter inside the Fort Worth event, I can't report any information from the event until I have sent a report to other media.

But I'll be back with details later.

-- Anna M. Tinsley

Perry's fundraising plunged in fourth quarter

Gov. Rick Perry's presidential campaign has filed its campaign fundraising report for the last three months of 2011 and it shows a major drop in donations following the campaign's gangbusters launch over the summer.   

Perry's campaign raised $2.9 million form October to December, less than a fifth of the $17.2 million it showed raising in its July-to-September report. That initial total was even more impressive considering that Perry's campaign had been active for about 40 days.

The stark decline in Perry's fundraising suggests high-profile stumbles during the fall debates impacted his ability to attract donors.   

The presidential campaign numbers may be somewhat misleading since some Perry backers also gave to separate Super PACs supporting Perry's bid.

Yet the latest figures provide a striking contrast to Perry's recent fundraising successes as governor.

Though he was operating on the national stage in his White House bid, Perry wasn't able to raise as much as he did in 2010 when he successfully won re-election against Republican US Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Democrat Bill White. Perry reported raising $28 million in his state account that year. From August to December of last year, his presidential campaign raised $20 million.

Here's a graph looking at Perry's fundraising history going back to 1997. Click on the graph for a closer look:

 

-Aman Batheja

FW Council rejects spending $500,000 on aviation exhibit

The council voted down spending another $500,000 for a contract with the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History to care for a temporary avaition exhibit. The exhibit was offered as collateral after the Fort Worth Air and Space Museum Foundation for a $2.5 million loan that the foundation failed to repay to the city. Councilman Jungus Jordan brought the loan before the council last year and recommended voting down spending another $500,000 on Tuesday. Other council members also voiced support for voting the item down with Mayor Betsy Price saying the numbers simply didn't make sense. Rather than take possession of the exhibit, city staff will return to the council in 30 days with another option for the council discuss. Price said the prospects are "dim" for recovering the entire sum of the $2.5 million loan.

- Bill Hanna

 

Obama offers help to Fort Worth job-seeker in online town hall event

A Fort Worth family appears to be getting help on the employment front from a new, very highly placed friend -- President Barack Obama.

Jennifer Wedel of Fort Worth was selected as one of of only a handful of Americans who sought to ask Obama a question in a "Hangout" chat on the Google Plus social networking site. Thousands had applied to participate.

Wedel told the president that her husband, a semiconductor engineer, has been out of work for three years. She asked why foreign workers are getting visas allowing them to come to the United States for high-skilled work when people like her husband are unemployed.

Obama offered to help -- literally. He said Wedel should send her husband's resume to the White House.

"I mean what I said," Obama told Wedel. "If you send me your husband's resume I'd be interested in finding out what's happening." 

UPDATE: Wedel's husband Darin has sent his resume to a Google representative who plans to get it to the White House. Check out Aman Batheja's report on the Wedel family's reaction to Obama's offer.  

-- John Gravois

Speaker's race back as a campaign issue in Republican primaries

As he did two years ago, Texas House Speaker Joe Straus is emerging as a campaign issue in some North Texas Republican primaries.

“I give you my promise if elected, I will not vote for any Speaker who is not a proven conservative," Republican Pat Carlson said at a candidate forum in Arlington last week. "I will not vote for a speaker that got elected by all the Democrats plus a few Republicans.”

Carlson was making a reference to Straus, who replaced Tom Craddick as House Speaker in 2009. That year, Straus was able to pull together vote pledges from 88 members out of the 150-member House, prompting Craddick to forfeit his re-election bid. Straus' original well of support was made up of the chamber's Democrats and a few Republicans. On the first day of that year's legislative session, Straus received a unanimous vote of support.  

Carlson made her comment at the end of her introduction at the Arlington Republican Club's forum for State House District 91. Others participating in the forum were state Rep. Barbara Nash of Arlington, Ken Sapp and Lady Theresa Thombs. (Depending on how redistricting lawsuits pan out,   Carlson and Nash may end up in a different race.) 

Following Carlson, Nash was next up to speak and she dived right into the issue.

"Guess we're not going to let that speaker thing die are we?" she began. "Well I voted for Speaker Straus. I guess I'll start off with that."

Nash went on to describe her first legislative session in 2011.  Days before the first day of the session, House Republicans met to settle the Speaker's race. Nash said she was told all 101 House Republicans were going to stand behind the choice of the caucus, which turned out to be Straus.

"I believed them...My thought is we’re going to go out on the floor and we’re going to show the Democrats that we are Republicans and we’re going to go by our word and we’re going to vote for the unanimous candidate, which was Speaker Straus,” Nash said.

"Now some people didn’t vote for him and some people think that makes them heroes,” Nash said. She said those people "did not live up to their word."

Later on in the forum, all four candidates were asked if their campaign depends on a "mutual pledge with Joe Straus."  Carlson, Nash, Sapp and Thombs all said, "Absolutely not."

[Photo caption: From left to right: Pat Carlson, state Rep. Barbara Nash, Ken Sapp, Lady Theresa Thombs]

-Aman Batheja

To the moon! Or not ...

One big issue in Florida that's also a hot topic in Texas is manned space exploration -- a natural, given that both states have enjoyed economic development linked to NASA programs and installations for years.

Newt Gingrich stirred a lot of attention in Florida this week by proposing that Congress and the White House resume spending on a program to return astronauts to the moon -- an effort put on hold by President Barack Obama's administration.

Texas Congressman Ron Paul, R-Lake Jackson, took a much different view when he was asked during tonight's debate whether the U.S. needs to revive a lunar space program. Polls have shown overwhelming support among Texans -- especially in the area around Houston, where the Johnson Space Center is located -- but Paul has never let public opinion shape his views, and tonight was no different. He gave a resounding "No" on the question of renewed lunar exploration. That view is consistent with the hard line Paul, an obstetrician, has taken through the years on most government spending -- a record that earned him the nickname "Dr. No."

"I don't think we should go to the moon," Paul said in the debate. However, he added with a quip, "I think perhaps we should send some politicians up there."

Mitt Romney also questioned whether a new moon program is worth the billions it would cost.

-- John Gravois

Paul not getting much debate spotlight time

Perhaps Texas Congressman Ron Paul would get more attention at this stage of the Republican presidential debates if he had a Swiss bank account full of earnings from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

As it is, Paul -- as well as Rick Santorum -- are continually overshadowed by the non-stop political war being waged against each other by front-runners Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney.

In tonight's debate -- which continues on CNN until 10 p.m. -- Paul did generate some attention early by touting the need to improve trade relations with Cuba. The congressman says free trade is the key to improving U.S. relations with all nations in Latin America.

-- John Gravois