Texas State Senate District 22
(from Texas Legislative Council)
Will Texas State Senate District 22 end up sending a Libertarian to Austin?
The Waco Tribune-Herald reported Thursday that incumbent Kip Averitt, R-Waco, was withdrawing his bid for reelection do to "health problems."
That leaves the field wide open for Averitt's primary challenger, Darren Yancy of Burleson.
And since the Democrats have no horse in the race Yancy's only challenger will be a libertarian, either fellow Johnson County resident Tim Ballard of Cleburne or Ben Faulkner of Red oak in neighboring Ellis County.
But there's another wrinkle to consider.
It's too late for Averitt's name to be removed from the ballot, which means that voters can still vote for him in the primary.
If Averitt, as the incumbent, wins the primary over Yancy and then resigns, the Republicans would have to choose a replacement for him. But that opens the door for the Democrats, who could then enter their own candidate.
So the way it all shakes out is this: If Yancy wins the GOP primary the upcoming general election will be a contest between a Republican and a Libertarian. If Yancy loses it could be a three-way race between the two old parties and the LP.
Libertarians won't miss Averitt if this November opinion headline from the Ellis County Observer is any indication: "Kip Averitt’s ‘Free Enterprise’ Award is a Joke. He’s a Socialist Republican In Name Only."
But Yancy may be a tougher political nut to crack for the Libertarians.
According to the Waco Tribune-Herald, Yancy is "popular in Tea Party circles" while the Texas Tribune reports "He has described himself at local forums as "a family man, a Christian conservative, a fiscal conservative..."
There is also a geopolitical wrinkle. The district has been centered in Waco "for years and years" according to the Texas Tribune, and a Yancy or a Libertarian win would move the seat of power to either Johnson or Ellis County in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex.
The Libertarian Party will choose between their two candidates at its March 13 Convention.
Reports and retorts from the Liberterrian:
It's not clear how serious the Libertarian Party candidates are about their campaigns. Many Libertarians run as "paper only" candidates, filing for an office but making no concerted effort to win it. Neither Ballard nor Faulkner appear to have websites at this point, a minimum requirement for candidates these days, although both may be waiting until after the LP convention to pick a winner before gearing up for a run. This one might be fun to watch.
(Bloggers occupy the blogosphere; libertarians inhabit the Liberterrain.)
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