Early Voting Starts, I Endorse...

The Texas 2014 primary races are in the home-stretch. Early voting has started. The official polling date is March 4th.

Some have already asked me who I back. I've gone through some effort in attempting to keep people's minds open. After all, who am I do endorse anybody? I'm not a famous actor. I'm not a huge political mover and shaker like Erick Erickson. I'm not even a wealthy campaign donor. To nail it squarely, I'm not a low-level politician who is seeking somebody's coat-tails or a quid pro quo. I am one man with a ballot and a voice.

I won't tell anybody who to vote for. I will say that if you vote without first taking the time to do your own research, you are an idiot (or worse, lazy). If I lost your readership with that statement, it's a shame. You just closed your mind and proved my statement correct.

As far as my primary endorsements, I don't have a great track record. In 2012, very few of those I backed went to the main race. Of those who did, even fewer won. I will say, of  those very few, one stands out.

I was living in Arizona, but a Texas lawyer caught my attention. This guy was pro-Second Amendment. He had good fiscal and economic platforms. He was grassroots. I backed him. I did some limited campaign work for him when I visited Texas. Since I moved to Texas, I am glad I did back that guy.

That guy not only won his primary against David Dewhurst, he went on to become a US Senator. As a Senator, he has yet to disappoint me. He also has yet to disappoint the majority of his constituents. He has stood up against collectivism, socialism, tyranny and "Big Government". He stood against Democrats as well as the "establishment" invertebrate "RINOs" in his own party. Of course, I am talking about Senator Ted Cruz.

So, he's the feather in my cap.

My wife was busy and had little time to study the candidates and issues. When she asked me about that race, I told her what each candidate's platform and record was. I then told her I preferred Cruz and why. I think I convinced her when I cited the Heller v DC US Supreme Court case. Mind you, my recommendation is not always a selling point to my wife. In fact, many times it loses a vote. Why? My wife is more conservative than I am on many issues. With that in mind, my wife is pleased with Cruz as well.

That brings us to another US Senate race. Sen. John Cornyn faces re-election. As a "conservative" incumbent, you'd think his primary would be in the bag. It's not.

Cornyn faces US Rep. Steve Stockman. He also faces dark-horse Dwayne Stovall. Stovall is as much a "dark horse" as Ted Cruz was two years ago. I highly suggest you consider casting your vote his way.

Cornyn has done some good. He has also caved on some key issues. He's pushing for a national concealed carry reciprocation law. That's nice. If Conrnyn were a true conservative, he'd push for a federal reinstatement of constitutional carry. Any eye-rolls about a constitutional carry bill not having a chance of passage, neither does his reciprocation bill.

Stockman spoke a good game, especially on recent budget and immigration issues. However, despite all his blustering, he failed to even show up for key votes on those issues. I won't back him for a promotion when he can't even do the job he currently has.

That leaves Stovall. Stovall is a businessman. He understands fiscal responsibility and spending within means. He understands the national threat of a porous border including the identity theft, tax fraud, property damage, and loss of US civilian lives involved. He understands the need for visa reforms for seasonal migrant workers. Texas has agriculture jobs it cannot fill. The icing on the cake is that Stovall is not a political insider.

Now the reality is any of  these three is better than any Battleground backed candidate. But if Texas wants the best representation it can get, Stovall would be my choice.

For Attorney General, my choice is clear:  Ken Paxton. Of  the three republican candidates, he is the only one who is not a RINO in establishment Republican clothing. He is not a "big 'R'" insider. If you want somebody who will fight against federal infringements against state and individual rights, he's the guy.

Looking at his record, Greg Abbott has done an outstanding job. Has he been perfect? No. But he's done his job and done it well. So far, he has filed 27 lawsuits against the federal government in defense of the rights of Texans. Paxton would do the same. Icing on the cake, Sen.Ted Cruz likes Paxton as well.

That leaves Abbott for Governor. Sorry kids, but I have to look at electability here. While others may be able to do the job adequately, Abbott is the only one who stands a chance to beat Battleground and Wendy Davis.

People are fickle. In these days of sound bytes and social media, people have shorter attention spans than a Syrian hamster with ADHD. We cannot count of people to remember the royal flush of lies and half-truths that make up most of Davis's recent word vomit. Her "official bio" turned out to be a "manufactured composite" and not her real story. She said she is pro-Second Amendment  and "open carry". Then she turns her head and says municipalities should not have to recognize constitutionally protected natural human rights, particularly in regards to self-defense. In other words, she thinks that politicians such as Mayor Julian Castro have the power of office to unilaterally ban firearms because, well, he was elected  and must know what's best for each individual. People will forget all of this. The single-issue voters will back her at the polls regardless of her stance on important issues like the state and US constitutions, economy and taxes.

In the Lt. Governor's race, the GOP candidate must be the one who can beat Van de Putte.

Dewhurst was a powerhouse with hefty establishment backing. He lost, thankfully, to Ted Cruz. He's been in office for too long. He's done an adequate job. Without Rick Perry at the helm, though, he may not do as well.

I have met the other three candidates. Bottom line, I back Todd Staples. His economic platform is sound. He is pro-business. He is pro-Second Amendment. He has a sound and logical approach towards immigration, border security, and law enforcement.

Dan Patrick is a good guy and a good choice. However, Dan didn't deliver on second amendment related bills during the 83rd Legislative Session. He failed to stop CSCOPE. Despite laws banning Common Core in Texas, somehow the State Board of Education and Texas Education Agency managed to buy automated common core assessment tools that Texas public schools are forced to use. Those tools are against Texas law.

So, Staples has my vote in the primary. Any of them, including Patterson, can do the job, though.

For Texas's 28th Congressional District, Will Aikens (Libertarian Party) is the clear choice. This is mostly because no clear Republican or other conservative-leaning candidate seems to be available.

Cuellar claims to be a "blue dog" or "moderate" democrat. He isn't. He has responded in a condescending manner to every letter I've written to him. He ignored evidence I presented and attempted to tell me what is good for me. He has backed wasting taxpayer money on special interests. he has backed stealing private property to increase the size of the San Antonio Missions National Park. He has backed increasing the taxpayer burden in paying for criminals who illegally invaded our county, committed fraud, and stolen identification. He has not supported liberty for all people. He promotes special favors and extra monies for select groups. It's time for him to go.

The US Congress could use a libertarian. This one will serve TX-28 well. He'd serve all constituents and not just the "special collectives". He'd also be a great counter-balance to elected officials such as Van de Putte, the Castro twins, etc.

So if you were wondering, or even if you weren't, those are my recommendations.

However, kids, my biggest recommendation is to sit down and research. The days are numbered. It is time to do the diligence and your responsibility. Research, question, read, look at voting records and inform yourself. Only after doing so should you vote. But, if you are a law-abiding citizen, you should vote. Voting isn't free. You have to work for it to make it worthwhile.