WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT JOE
Hammerin’ in Harris
When Texas Democratic Party chair Boyd Richie yelled out “Harris County? You’re next!” to this weekend’s convention, he was looking at candidates like Joe “Thundersticks” Jaworski. Running in Senate District 11 against Sen. Mike Jackson, R-La Porte, Jaworski is another part of the Democrats’ plan to do in the greater Houston area what they did in Dallas County in 2006, and produce a near-clean sweep in a supposedly Republican enclave. “We have a zeal that we have not seen in our adult life,” Jaworski said, “and it is bringing out people that have felt oppressed and just decided ‘why bother voting?’. Well, not anymore!”
But why Thundersticks? Jaworski (as in “grandson of Watergate Special Prosecutor Leon Jaworski”) is a pretty mean drummer. Good enough for The Bad Precedents, the House (and Senate) band of Rep. Jim Dunnam, D-Waco? As he proved at his post-convention party Saturday night at the Austin Club with a rousing rendition of Honky-Tonk Woman, maybe so. But would this mean forcing Sen. Bob Deuell, R-Greenville, out from behind the drums? “Maybe they could become a two-drum line-up,” said Jaworski, “Like the Grateful Dead.” OK, but you can argue amongst yourselves who gets to be Mickey Hart.
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Houston Chronicle recommends…
Texas Senate, District 11, Democrat Joe Jaworski — A practicing attorney for 18 years, Jaworski served three terms on Galveston’s City Council. He believes legislators should craft tax laws that broaden the revenue base to offer fairness to all taxpayers and relief for property owners. Jaworski’s priorities in Austin would be transportation, environmental management that would spur job growth and integrity in office.
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When the Eighties attack, and other stories
By Charles Kuffner
Speaking of which, Joe Jaworski reports a total of $450,000 raised last year:
Proving that he will have the resources to make his case for independent leadership and positive change, Joe Jaworski today filed his latest campaign finance report, showing more than $450,000 raised to date in his Texas Senate race against a 20-year incumbent legislator known for his multiple votes in favor of term limits — except for himself.
“I’m gratified by the overwhelming support coming from ordinary Texans who want change, not more of the same,” Jaworski said. “Their willingness to invest in the new direction will pay off when they elect a new state senator who puts their concerns first and Austin politics last.”
Jaworski’s report for the period ending December 31 shows that he raised $204,660.51 during the second half of 2007. His total raised in the race to date is $454,922.74 from 795 donors, with an average contribution of $555.88 and including a $13,000 loan from the candidate. His fundraising has continued on pace during the first two weeks of the current year.
Not too shabby. More…
Joe Jaworski on fire in Senate District 11
By John Coby
Texas State Senator Mike “Missing in Action” Jackson will have some serious competition next year from Joe Jaworski, former Galveston City Council Member. Not only can Joe raise money, he also has a sea of support on the ground waiting to campaign for him.
Make no mistake about Joe. He is young, exciting, and you can feel his desire to meet voters, listen to their concerns, campaign, and work for the people of the state. Joe is running hard and running to win. If you want to “hang” with Joe, bring your running shoes or risk being left behind.
Senator Mike “Missing in Action” Jackson on the other hand has been named “furniture” by Texas Monthly, an honor for those who tend to be “just there” taking up space in the capitol. And his own party has found a challenger for him in the primary. Jackson may claim to be representing the people of the district as he stated in the Galveston Daily News:
For example, he said he was still pushing a proposal for windstorm insurance that didn’t involve raising rates for coastal residents — especially in years without serious storms.
But in reality under his leadership, insurance rates have soared for homeowners, and for condo owners in the area, rates have risen from $500 to $2000, a huge burden for those on a fixed income. He has done absolutely nothing to help consumers. And as with insurance, Jackson continues to make excuses for the failure of deregulation.
Some experts have said that the wholesale electricity market isn’t competitive enough and that some big generators are gouging ratepayers. But Jackson said he thought the problem was that consumers weren’t shopping diligently enough in the retail market.
Jackson’s excuses are getting old. He needs to retire and enjoy his tax funded pension. More…
Jaworski’s Campaign Officially Begins
By Josh Berthume
He’s been running hard already for quite some time, but today Joe Jaworski officially kicks off his Texas State Senate Campaign down in Galveston.
Jaworski’s been busy lately. Last Friday he sent a letter to Governor Perry, calling on him to get something going on help for Texas families affected by Hurricane Rita, which you can read here, in PDF format, and some reporting on it by Matt Glazer here.
Earlier in the week, some information about an in-district poll done by Hamilton Campaigns came out and the 400 registered, likely voters had some responses that can only be described as encouraging. For instance, incumbent Senator Mike Jackson’s re-elect is at 48%. 49% had no opinion about Senator Jackson. I think my favorite stat was this: “Jackson’s name identification is lower with self-identifying Republicans (43%) than with self-identifying Democrats (57%).”
I asked Jaworski for some rumination on his campaign’s official launch, and he had this to say:
The Jaworski Campaign for Texas Senate is focused on bringing positive and honest change to our Legislature in Austin so Texas can remain the great State we all want her to be. Over the past year, voters all over the District and State have shared with me their concerns and best ideas, and with less than a month to go before I officially file for this seat, I am holding a kickoff party tonight in Galveston to celebrate what this campaign is about: service to the District in which my family lives. The good times party in Austin has gone on way too long, and the voters in Senate District 11 deserve a Senator who will never forget why he was sent to Austin – to serve the people in his District.
When you take the realities of the district, Jackson’s vulnerability, Jaworski’s campaign finance success, and you combine it with the kind of candidate he’s shaping up to be, it is easy to get excited about Jaworski’s campaign. He’s pulling news coverage, he’s picking up earned media, and he’s got the attention of the TexRoots as well. We all know that real, legitimate campaigns begin long before the “official kickoff” but it is a moment worth marking — now the race begins in earnest. More…
Joe Jaworski Poll Shows SD-11 is Competitive
By Matt Glazer
Rumors have been circulating that Joe Jaworski had some good poll numbers to report.
Friday, we reported Jaworski had a 10 point lead among informed voters, and now we have seen the top page on the full poll (sorry it’s a pdf) and it looks much better than we first thought.
Here are some of the highlights:
- Mike Jackson has an abysmal 28% approval rating.
- Less than half of the voters (48%) say they would re-elect Jackson if the election were today.
- Mike Jackson leads in the initial vote preference. However, after being read a short paragraphs about each candidate, the race for State Senate is stastically tied (44% for Jaworski- 48% Jackson, and 8% undecided.
The other telling fact is how the people in Senate District 11 feel about the current Republican leadership.
- 57% have a negative perception of the Texas Legislature.
- Republicans have a negative view of the legislature with 44% of Republican voters giving the Republican controlled legislature positive marks and 49% have a negative perception of the lege.
- 52% have an unfavorable perception of Rick Perry.
- A plurality of voters in the district favor an outside who would lead the state in a new direction.
SD-11 continues to look more and more like a possible pick up. Jaworski is running a hard race and is raising tons of cash through out the state. Jaworski and Wendy Davis in SD-10 could bring our Democratic numbers in the Texas Senate up to 13 from 11 in seats specifically drawn to give Republicans an advantage. 2008 is a change election nationally, it appears there could be a wave in Texas too.More…
Poll Numbers Show Sen. Mike Jackson In Serious Trouble
By Vince Leibowitz
Capitol Annex has learned this morning from political insiders that a new poll taken in the Senate District 11 race shows State Senator Mike Jackson (R-LaPorte) all but assured of losing a 2008 general election match-up against Joe Jaworski (D-Galveston), a longtime Galveston City Councilman.
One campaign insider called the results of the poll, which have not yet been disclosed to the public, the worst re-elect numbers seen for a Republican Senator in nearly two decades–basically the worst ever.
Now would be a great time to toss some support to Jaworski via his Act Blue page. Jaworski is the grandson of famed Watergate Special Prosecutor Leon Jaworski. He served three terms on the Galveston City Council, including a stint as Mayor Pro-Tem, stepping down in May 2006 under the city’s term limits law. In 2005, Joe helped lead the city of Galveston’s team that faced Hurricane Rita.More…
Jaworski catching up
By Clay Robison
One of the most active Democratic hopefuls for a state Senate seat is former City Councilman Joe Jaworski of Galveston, who is running for the nomination against Sen. Mike Jackson, R-Pasadena.
Jackson began the political season with almost $900,000 in the bank, but Jaworski has been all over the state, trying to at least partially close the gap. By July, he had raised more than $200,000 and is still at it.
Plaintiffs’ attorney Fred Baron co-hosted a fundraiser in Dallas recently, and former Texas Democratic Chairman Charles Soechting held an event for Jaworski in San Marcos a few weeks ago. A group of writers, including Gary Cartwright, Alan Cheuse and Jaworski’s cousin, Robert Draper, will host a fundraiser in Austin on Nov. 3.
Jaworski and Draper, author of the recently released, Dead Certain: The Presidency of George W. Bush, are grandsons of the late Leon Jaworski, the Watergate prosecutor and partner in the law firm Fulbright & Jaworski, which still bears his name.More…
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