Chet Edwards For Congress - On the Campaign Trail

Chet Edwards safe in 2008, watchers say

Kat — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 11:47:31 -0700

April 20, 2008

Chet Edwards safe in 2008, watchers say

Waco Tribune Herald
By David Doerr | Tribune-Herald staff writer

Four years ago, Republicans appeared to have the wind at their backs in their efforts to oust long-term Democratic target U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards.

Republicans were successful in 2003’s bitterly fought mid-decade redistricting battle, which forced the Waco Democrat to run in a mostly new district with a large number of voters who weren’t familiar with him. Edwards was also paired against a well-funded and competitive Republican for whom the district had been designed.

But political winds have shifted over the last four years, causing national and local political handicappers to forecast that the race for Edwards’ district — Texas’ 17th Congressional District, official residence of President Bush — won’t even be competitive.

“They have thrown everything, including the kitchen sink, at Chet Edwards and he has beat them,” said Thomas Myers, a Baylor University political science professor. “There are very few named Republicans that will take the Republican nomination because they figure, as most objective people do, they will be soundly defeated.”

Rob Curnock, Edwards’ latest Republican challenger, discounts such evaluations. Among the things he counts in his own favor: avoiding a bruising contested primary election, something previous Republican challengers had to weather.

If political observers are correct, it would be a remarkable rise to political security for Edwards, who represents a district where 64.6 percent of the vote went to statewide Republican candidates in the 2006 general election.

The nine-term congressman has been perceived as vulnerable for years because of the strong Republican voting history in the districts he represented. But political observers say his work on behalf of military bases and veterans as well as his ability to bring home federal funds for projects have helped inoculate him when he has voted more in line with the Democratic Party.

The hotly controversial redistricting of 2003 split Bell and Coryell counties from McLennan County, eliminating a key base of Edwards’ support in the communities around Fort Hood. But Edwards squeaked by with a 4-percentage-point win in 2004, then increased his margin of victory in 2006 to 18 points over a candidate who had served in the Iraq war.

This year isn’t shaping up to be a good one to defeat Edwards either, according to several political observers.

Soon after Curnock signed up in January as the only Republican candidate to run against Edwards, Charlie Cook, a much-respected Washington, D.C.-based political handicapper, rated Edwards’ district “Solid D.” It was the first time since 1998 that Edwards’ district was not rated competitive by The Cook Political Report.

Congressional Quarterly followed suit last month, labeling District 17 “Safe Democratic,” claiming that Curnock was not a “top-tier candidate.” Another article from the Washington-insider publication said Curnock was “little-known and underfunded.”

Several other Texas political observers agreed that Edwards doesn’t appear to be in danger of losing his seat in Congress this year.

“The Edwards district was drawn to make it tougher for Edwards, but they just couldn’t really make it impossible,” said Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University. “With (his opponent) not being able to close this thing out in 2004, he survived and is increasingly comfortable in his new district.”

Steve Bickerstaff, a University of Texas at Austin professor who wrote a book about the divisive, Republican-pushed redistricting effort, said Edwards is a difficult Democratic incumbent to defeat for two reasons: his strong bipartisan support and the fact that McLennan County was not divided between two districts.

“McLennan County has a third of a congressional district (worth of population),” he said. “Unless you were willing to divide McLennan County up, then Edwards was going to have a pretty solid base.”

Besides McLennan County, Edwards’ long, winding district includes all of Bosque, Brazos, Grimes, Hill, Hood, Johnson, Madison and Somervell counties and parts of Burleson, Limestone and Robertson counties.

After Edwards won in 2004, he was able to shore up his support in the new areas he didn’t represent before Republicans split off Bell and Coryell counties and folded them into another district. Edwards’ new district stretched from the Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs in Hood and Johnson counties down to the Brazos Valley region, home to Texas A&M University — and, coincidentally, Edwards’ alma mater.

Edwards has also won support in new areas of the revamped district by securing federal funds through the earmark process, an ability that is strengthened through his seniority and seat on the powerful U.S. House Appropriations Committee. The fact his party has been in ascendancy in recent years hasn’t hurt, either.

In 2005, Edwards secured more than $100 million in projects for District 17. He followed it up with a similar performance last year with $91.5 million worth of earmarks for projects scattered across the district.

Brazos County Judge Randy Sims, a Republican, said Edwards’ ability to bring federal dollars to his county is one reason he voted for him in 2006.

“He was very conscientious about meeting everybody down here and getting to know them,” he said. “We can’t ask for anything and get everything in the world. We accepted that, but where he could plug in, he did. He has been very helpful.”

Sims is just the kind of voter that Curnock says he’s targeting in his uphill campaign. After coming out of the GOP primary election unopposed and unbruised, Curnock said he believes he’s in a better position than other Republican candidates who have challenged Edwards in recent years.

He acknowledges his underdog status, including his current lack of financial support from the National Republican Congressional Committee. But he says it could work in his favor if Edwards ignores his campaign.

However, Curnock says he understands the importance of proving to fellow Republicans he’s a viable candidate.

“We are a 64-percent Republican district,” he said. “If we can get 4 to 6 percent of our Republican voters that have been voting with Chet in the past, if we can keep them in our column this time, we win.”

Edwards says that while he appreciates political observers calling his seat safe, he doesn’t plan to take it for granted.

“I think this district still leans Republican, but I am finding more and more people are more independent-minded and share my sense that neither party has a monopoly on truth, values or wisdom,” Edwards said. “I think most voters in our district will vote based on who they think is qualified, and they are looking beyond party labels.”

Curnock says he plans to focus his campaign on highlighting votes Edwards has made that he believes show he is out of line with the conservative values of Central Texas.

“We are going to offer a clear choice alternative. Then it will be up to the voters to decide if they want to continue with more of the same, which basically is having someone who agrees with (U.S. House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi on the issues or someone who is going to have a more conservative value system,” Curnock said.

Edwards says that’s a line of attack that has failed in nine previous elections.

“I respect the judgment of voters and if I didn’t reflect the values of Central Texas families, I would have not been elected to Congress and then re-elected eight additional times,” he said.

Myers, the Baylor professor, said there are three things that can lead to an incumbent congressman’s defeat: a scandal directly involving that congressman, a congressman losing touch with his or her district, or a tidal wave election that changes the majority-minority status of the political parties. He said he doesn’t believe any of that will happen in this year’s battle for the 17th District.

“(Edwards) seems to stay attuned to his district,” he said. “The next election is probably going to go heavily Democratic in terms of Congress. I think it is a totally safe election for Chet Edwards. He’s smart enough not to treat it like that.”

Edwards' campaign war chest swamps challenger's

econnor — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 12:11:31 -0700

February 3, 2008

Waco Trib: Edwards' campaign war chest swamps challenger's

Waco Tribune
By David Doerr

U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, reported last week having more than $1 million to spend on his re-election campaign as of the end of 2007, while his opponent acknowledged having less than $5,000.

Edwards, a nine-term congressman, had $1,016,900 in the bank, according to federal campaign reports filed Thursday. Rob Curnock, who signed up to run for office as a Republican on the last day of filing, Jan. 2, did not file a campaign finance report because he had not raised the $5,000 that would require him to complete a report.

Edwards, whose war chest totaled $101,900 more than at the same point during his 2006 campaign, is off to a strong start, said Elizabeth Connor, his campaign manager.

"With a proven record of effectiveness for our district, broad-based bipartisan support and over $1 million in the bank, Chet is strongly positioned for the 2008 election," Connor said in a statement.

Despite the overwhelming disparity in campaign cash between the two, Curnock said he is a serious candidate. He said he will likely lose the money race but is going after "voters, not dollars."

"Yeah, that is a lot of money. I guess I should just concede now and quit the race," Curnock quipped. "He's an incumbent that has access to a lot of money that he has built up over the years. When you are a Democrat voting like a Democrat in a conservative district, you need to have a lot of money to sell your voting record or to cover it over."

Edwards said in a statement, "My first priority this year is to continue fighting for jobs, economic growth and improved quality of life for the hardworking families of our district, but we intend to run a solid grass-roots campaign."

Curnock, a Waco-based video production company owner and former local television reporter, said he is going to focus on raising enough money to get out his message about the need for "a consistent, conservative Central Texas mind-set" representing Texas' 17th Congressional District.

However, dollars are often what it takes to get candidates' messages to voters in the advertising battles leading up to Election Day. In Edwards' 2006 battle against Iraq war veteran Van Taylor, total fundraising for both candidates topped $5 million, more than $1 million of which was spent on TV advertising.

Prominent political handicapper Charlie Cook rated the 17th Congressional a "Solid D" (Democratic) in January after Curnock entered the race. Edwards' campaign staff said it was the first time the 17th District has received that rating in its current form.

Curnock also lacks support from the National Republican Congressional Committee, which has thrown its resources into races it deems more competitive. Despite the financial challenges ahead, Curnock said he was undeterred.

"I'm not going to disappear in this race," he said. "I'm in it to win it. ... I think a lot of people are going to be surprised."

Edwards 2006 Campaign named best in Texas...

Kat — Sat, 25 Nov 2006 22:40:43 -0700

The experts agree, Edwards' 2006 Campaign named best in Texas, one of top 10 in country.

Mike Hailey: "U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards of Waco will be the most powerful member of the Texas delegation to Congress when the new term gets under way in January."

Chet says "This would not have been possible without the tireless support of thousands of supporters and volunteers across the 17th District. Thank you!"

washingtonpost.com's Politics Blog< | November 1, 2006

The Ten Best Incumbent Campaigns

Rep. Chet Edwards (D-Texas): Even in a cycle where the national landscape heavily favors Democrats, Edwards should be in more trouble than he currently finds himself. He has President Bush as a constituent and his central Texas district went for the president with 70 percent in 2004. Republicans were initially high on GOP nominee Van Taylor thanks to his wealth and military credentials, but the party watched as Edwards quickly discredited the Republican as a carpet-bagger. This isn't Edwards's first rodeo. His campaign skills were also on display in 2004 when he was the lone Democratic incumbent targeted by the Texas "re-redistricting" plan to survive.

Best Congressional Campaign | Chet Edwards

U.S. House (D)

The National Republican Congressional Committee has been a model of perserverance and put a lot of people to work on both sides of the aisle with its perennial campaign to unseat U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards in a Central Texas district that's tailor-made for the GOP. The GOP has poured vast sums of money into its quest to oust the Waco Democrat from Congress. It's attacked him repeatedly as a liberal, recycled candidates, put Texas A&M in his district and sent a powerful state lawmaker into battle against him on a map whose design had been personally overseen by Tom DeLay to ensure Edwards' extinction.

Republicans thought they'd found the answer this year with Van Taylor, a Marine who'd led missions in Iraq behind enemy lines before returning home to a substantial pool of personal money that he could use for the race if needed. The A Team swooped into Congressional District 17 to toast Taylor at fundraisers headlined by Vice President Dick Cheney, House Speaker Dennis Hastert, ex-New York Mayor Rudy Guiliani and other celebrities. Republicans resurrected the "Fact Check Chet" that Ramsey Farley had tried in two losing races against Edwards - and Taylor attacked the incumbent as weak on illegal immigration, bad for Social Security and all for using taxpayer funds to pay for abortions. Taylor tried but failed to put Edwards on the defensive - and the cumulative effect of all the hits couldn't mitigate the damage that the Democrat's campaign had done by portraying the Republican as a carpetbagger who owned millions of dollars worth of stock in Exxon Mobile and pharmaceutical companies that are selling a product that many CD 17 voters need but can't afford.

After 14 years of high-dollar targeting, the NRCC finally saw the light and pulled the plug on a massive television advertising campaign it had planned for Taylor a month before the vote. Edwards captured two out of every three votes in McLennan County, his home base. He won 58 percent of the vote in Brazos County where students at Aggieland and others were giving Republican statewide candidates way more than 60 percent of their votes. He came within eight votes of beating Taylor in Johnson County, a Republican stronghold where only 39 percent had backed him two years ago.

Three years after the GOP carved up his district and stood ready to pronounce him dead, Edwards won re-election by the biggest margin of victory he's enjoyed in a dozen years. Taylor never had a chance because Edwards is simply the best politician in America - or one of the best if he has any rivials - and what didn't kill him in the wake of DeLay's redistricting made him as close to invincible as a Democrat can be in a 65 percent Republican district.

The prize now is big - Edwards will be the most powerful member of the Texas delegation to Congress after the new year begins.

TX-17 County by County Returns

County	Van Taylor	Van Taylor %	Chet Edwards	Chet Edwards %	Guillermo Acosta	Guillermo Acosta %	TOTAL VOTES
Bosque	2,603	37.58%	4,216	60.86%	108	1.56%	6,927
Brazos	12,289	40.92%	17,063	56.81%	683	2.27%	30,035
Burleson	378	36.70%	634	61.55%	18	1.75%	1,030
Grimes	1,994	37.79%	3,155	59.79%	128	2.43%	5,277
Hill	3,433	37.65%	5,529	60.64%	155	1.70%	9,117
Hood	7,301	52.68%	6,324	45.63%	234	1.69%	13,859
Johnson	14,550	48.98%	14,542	48.95%	617	2.08%	29,709
Limestone	842	33.01%	1,681	65.90%	28	1.10%	2,551
Madison	1,132	39.85%	1,662	58.50%	47	1.65%	2,841
McLennan	18,253	34.49%	34,263	64.73%	414	0.78%	52,930
Robertson	825	23.07%	2,717	75.98%	34	0.95%	3,576
Somervell	1,017	40.99%	1,412	56.91%	52	2.10%	2,481
TOTALS	64,617	40.30%	93,198	58.13%	2518	1.57%	160,333

	Chet Edwards Margin:			28,581

TX-17 County by County Returns

Kat — Sat, 25 Nov 2006 21:47:42 -0700

TX-17 County by County Returns
County	Van Taylor	V. Taylor %	Chet Edwards	C. Edwards %	G. Acosta	G. Acosta %	TOTAL VOTES
Bosque	2,603	37.58%	4,216	60.86%	108	1.56%	6,927
Brazos	12,289	40.92%	17,063	56.81%	683	2.27%	30,035
Burleson	378	36.70%	634	61.55%	18	1.75%	1,030
Grimes	1,994	37.79%	3,155	59.79%	128	2.43%	5,277
Hill	3,433	37.65%	5,529	60.64%	155	1.70%	9,117
Hood	7,301	52.68%	6,324	45.63%	234	1.69%	13,859
Johnson	14,550	48.98%	14,542	48.95%	617	2.08%	29,709
Limestone	842	33.01%	1,681	65.90%	28	1.10%	2,551
Madison	1,132	39.85%	1,662	58.50%	47	1.65%	2,841
McLennan	18,253	34.49%	34,263	64.73%	414	0.78%	52,930
Robertson	825	23.07%	2,717	75.98%	34	0.95%	3,576
Somervell	1,017	40.99%	1,412	56.91%	52	2.10%	2,481
TOTALS	64,617	40.30%	93,198	58.13%	2518	1.57%	160,333

	Chet Edwards Margin:			28,581

Download the County by county final results for TX Distrct 17

Chet and his family at the Westfest Parade.

Kat — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 21:11:52 -0700

This was Chet’s 25th Westfest parade!

September 2, 2006

Click on an image to enlarge


Chet, Lea Ann and their two sons riding in the annual Westfest Parade on Saturday, Sept. 2nd	Chet meeting with local residents.	Onlookers waved Chet fans all along the parade route.

Photo Gallery: Boot Scootin' & BBQ II

Kat — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 10:45:30 -0700

1,000 people joined Chet and Lea Ann at the Waco Convention Center on Saturday, August 26th for great BBQ, great live music from Gary P. Nunn and a great time!

Click on an image to enlarge

The crowd included Republicans and Democratic elected officials from across the 17th District. Chet and Lea Ann both spoke and thanked everyone for their show of support, before making way for Gary P. Nunn to take the stage.

U.S Chamber of Commerce and NFIB endorse Chet Edwards

Kat — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 22:09:03 -0700

Thursday and Friday, August 24-25, 2006 – Chet held press events in Waco, College Station, Cleburne and Granbury announcing U.S Chamber of Commerce and NFIB’s endorsement of his campaign.

Click on an image to enlarge

Clifton Fair & Rodeo Parade

Kat — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 12:31:38 -0700

Friday, July 21, 2006 – Clifton Fair & Rodeo Parade in downtown Clifton

Click on an image to enlarge

Texas Farm Bureau AGFUND Endorses Edwards

jessica — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 09:43:03 -0700

September 7, 2006
Texas Farm Bureau AGFUND Endorses Edwards

WACO - Congressman Chet Edwards received the official endorsement of the Texas Farm Bureau Friends of Agriculture Fund (AGFUND) during a meeting of county agricultural leaders last week. The group’s endorsement is a reflection of Edwards’ consistent support of Texas farmers and ranchers and their priorities such as a balanced budget, private property rights and ending the Death Tax.

“Chet Edwards is a proven, effective friend of family farmers and ranchers and rural communities throughout his district and he has earned the respect of his rural voters. Chet is a strong supporter of private property rights, fiscal responsibility and a fair Farm Bill that ensures a dependable, low-cost food supply for American families,” said Texas Farm Bureau and AGFUND president Kenneth Dierschke.

The Texas Farm Bureau is the largest organization of farmers and ranchers in Texas and boasts a membership of over 23,000 farmers, ranchers and rural families in the 17th District alone. Considered a conservative organization, the TFB AGFUND endorsement is highly sought after and is another sign of the momentum and strong local support behind Edwards’ campaign.

“I am honored to have again earned the endorsement of this proud grassroots organization of Texas farmers and ranchers. Family farmers are an important part of America’s economy and I plan to continue working hard in Congress to protect the values and interests of our hard-working Texas farm families,” said Edwards.

Will Van Taylor Tell Voters How Much Exxon Stock He Owns?

jessica — Mon, 31 Jul 2006 09:13:31 -0700

July 27, 2006
91 Days and Counting: Will Van Taylor Tell Voters How Much ExxonMobil Stock He Owns?

Company Posts Near-Record Profit While Gas Prices Soar

WACO - Today Congressman Chet Edwards again called on his opponent, Van Taylor, to tell the people of the 17th District how much stock he owns in the ExxonMobil Corporation, in light of this morning’s announcement that the oil giant posted its second highest quarterly profit ever, $10.4 billion.

“Since Mr. Taylor has already spent $475,000 of his personal funds in this race and may spend much more, voters have the right to know how much of his inherited wealth is in ExxonMobil stock. If Mr. Taylor trusts the voters and has nothing to hide, why has he repeatedly refused to disclose how many millions of dollars he owns in ExxonMobil stock?” asked Edwards.

Taylor has reported owning between $5 million and $25 million in ExxonMobil stock, but has repeatedly refused to tell voters exactly how much stock he owns in the company. Edwards first asked Taylor to disclose this information on April 27th and again on June 21st.

Soaring gas prices have boosted Exxon’s profits. According to CNNMoney.com, “Surging oil prices undoubtedly helped Exxon with its second quarter results, which were 32 percent higher than the same period a year prior. During the same time, the price of crude has jumped 31 percent.” In April, ExxonMobil reported $8.4 billion in quarterly profits and in January the company posted the highest quarterly profits of any public company in history: $10.7 billion for the fourth quarter of 2005.

Taylor’s personal contributions or loans to his congressional campaign represent about a third of his total campaign receipts. He has not ruled out dipping into his personal funds again.

“Voters deserve to have all the facts, and since Mr. Taylor is using his own money to fund his campaign for a seat in Congress, they have a right to know where those funds are coming from. I have disclosed my assets in details for the voters to see. Why won’t Mr. Taylor do the same and level with the voters?” asked Edwards.

Edwards has disclosed his personal assets in detail and has fully disclosed the $4000 he has received from ExxonMobil’s PAC, which accounts for just one fifth of one percent of all his contributions.

“My record on energy issues is clear: I have been a leader in pushing legislation to drill on the Outer Continental Shelf, supported policies that encourage more production of America’s energy resources, worked to bring down gas prices, and have not hesitated to criticize extravagant ExxonMobil CEO retirement packages and sweetheart royalty deals for offshore drilling,” Edwards said.

“With millions of dollars of ExxonMobil holdings, Mr. Taylor has a huge conflict of interest on energy issues. Voters paying nearly $3 a gallon for gasoline have a right to decide whether Mr. Taylor really means it when he says, ‘Every time I fill up my gas tank, it makes me mad.’” (Waco Tribune-Herald, April 28, 2006)

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