Democratic candidates stump in city
By Jamaal E. O’Neal
Longview News Journal
R.L. Davis, 14, knows he’s too young to vote in this presidential election, but that didn’t stop him from meeting state Democratic candidates facing opposition in the Nov. 4 election.
“I want to know what’s going on across the state,” said Davis, a Longview High School freshman. “I hope to be a judge one day, and I want to know what the problems are now.”
Dozens of area Democrats gathered Tuesday evening at the Longview Community Center to meet with state and local Democratic candidates. The event was sponsored by the Texas Democratic Women of Gregg County.
With blue business cards in hand, Democratic candidate for Railroad Commissioner Mark Thompson circled the room, shaking hands and greeting people.
Thompson faces Republican incumbent Michael L. Williams and Libertarian candidate David Floyd in the November election.
He said if he is elected he would establish better provisions to limit drilling near homes in rural and urban areas of the state.
“We need more defined standards,” Thompson said. “We need logical guidelines that can be used to determine well location in rural and urban areas.”
Jim Jordan, Democratic candidate for chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court, said reforming the way judges are appointed to the bench is something he would change.
Jordan faces Republican incumbent Wallace B. Jefferson and Libertarian candidate Tom Oxford.
“It’s astonishing that we still have a system of electing justices,” Jordan said. “We need to reform the system.”
Sam Houston, the Democratic candidate for Texas Supreme Court Place 7, said expediting court cases through the system is an important issue that he would address if elected.
Houston is running against Republican incumbent Dale Wainwright and Libertarian candidate David G. Smith.
“The Supreme Court had a back log of 47 cases, and they thought that was better than last year,” Houston said.
“We need a new docket system that will move cases along, that way we can clear cases faster.”
Early voting begins Monday. Look in Sunday’s newspaper for a list of polling places in counties throughout East Texas.
