Texas Focus: Bill White for US Senate

As Texas Senator Kay Baily Hutcheson is ready to retire, Texans are gearing up for a special election for her replacement. Bill White, the HUGELY popular mayor of Houston has thrown his hat into the ring:




Bill White has won re-election as mayor of Houston by overwhelming margins: 90% and 86% of the vote in 2005 and 2007, respectively, showing that he must be attracting not just Democratic voters, but a substantial number of independents and even Republicans. From Daily Kos is this rundown of Bill White's record:

# Responsible for re-locating tens of thousands of Hurricane Katrina survivors to Houston
# Led light rail efforts in Houston
# Former Chair of the Democratic Party in Texas
# Served as Deputy Secretary of Energy in the Clinton administration
# Presented with the JFK Profile in Courage Award in 2007

Additionally (from Bill White's website):

[Bill White] was also recently honored by the Houston Military Affairs Council for his work in spearheading a regional Returning Veterans Initiative designed to give returning veterans the welcome they deserve with coordinated social services, reductions in red tape, and employment opportunities. The Department of the Army has recognized this initiative as one of the finest in the country and Houston has been named one of the most military friendly cities to live and work.

He is also one of the strongest advocates for alternative energy from Texas. Admittedly he also advocates using domestic fossil fuel resources, which is not something I agree with given the pollution and global warming problems we face, but he also recognizes the value of energy efficiency, which most politicians ignore when considering energy solutions.

Sounds like a promising candidate for Senate. Too conservative for where I'm from, but suits Texas.