Latest Tale Of Republicans "Eating Their Own"

Pat Haggerty is being targeted, big time, by his own party. He was one of the 14 Republicans that did the right thing and voted for the Hochberg Amendment in July to finally stop the Republican sham of school finance/property tax reform this summer.

But the Fasc..er..I mean business leaders in El Paso are not happy with Rep. Haggerty, EP's big GOP donors back GOP challenger to unseat Haggerty. Why you ask? Here's why:

Now they're rallying behind Haggerty's primary election opponent, Lorraine O'Donnell, because they said the area needs someone who can "play well" with the state leadership.

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During the legislative sessions this year, Haggerty voted against his party's signature legislation to overhaul school finance and reduce school property taxes, despite pressure from El Paso's business leaders to go with the flow.

The business leaders think that Haggerty's no vote on party plan cost them funding for a new medical school:

The hope was that a yes vote might engender favor with the leaders, who might then approve funds for Texas Tech University's four-year medical school in El Paso.

The regular and two special legislative sessions ended this year with no education plan, no tax bill and no funding for the medical school.

And his opponent has hired a bunch of hired guns:

O'Donnell is off to a competitive start. She has hired Ted Delisi as her political consultant. The former aide to U.S. Sen. John Cornyn runs an Austin political consulting firm, is the son of Republican Rep. Dianne White Delisi, R-Temple, and the husband of Deirdre Delisi, Perry's chief of staff.

This story has a few more items in it, House Challenger Backed by Influential Republicans and Perry Supporters in Campaign to Oust Haggerty. It also tells why he's being targeted:

But Haggerty has long been one of the most independent-minded members of the Texas House - and he's done little to try to change that reputation despite threats over the years of primary foes and party cleansing with GOP establishment support. Haggerty's maverick image didn't stop Craddick from backing the El Paso lawmaker's re-election bid last year. With Craddick's support, Haggerty buried former Republican Judge Peter Pecca in the 2004
primary election with more than 70 percent of the vote. Like Perry, Craddick so far hasn't taken a public position on the GOP contest in the state's westernmost city this time around.

So El Paso has a choice, they can have someone who plays well with the Republican leadership and goes with the flow of the business community or they can have an independent minded representative who tries to do what is best for his constituents. Not much of a choice, is it?