Bob Gammage Is Running For Governor

Former judge, State Representative, State Senator and Dirty Thirty member Bob Gammage is running for Governor in the Democratic primary. I don't know much about him but after reading his statement I'll keep investigating. Here's a couple excerpts from the statement:

“Today there is a corrupt political machine which stretches from Washington, D.C. all the way to Austin. Tom DeLay and his cronies are at one end, and Rick Perry and his pals are at the other. The money flows both ways. It has corrupted our politics, corrupted our government and, more importantly, corrupted public policy and betrayed the public trust.

“Public office is a public trust. I am running against today's corrupt political machine. I am standing up for reform. I am determined to do everything in my power to restore the public trust and the integrity of the political system. Sometimes good citizenship requires you to put your personal interests aside and just do what's right.

“In an ideal world, the governor of Texas should denounce the shenanigans of Tom DeLay and his twisted, unethical schemes. But Rick Perry is too weak and too dependent on the wealthy, powerful and ruthless special interests that both he and DeLay work for.

“The sad truth is that bad values and weak character at the top produce bad policies for the rest of us. We've seen it time and again -- a leadership that preaches character and commonly held values while practicing neither. On virtually every important issue - funding our public schools, the tax burden on middle-income families, health care for our children, preserving our environment, funding for our public colleges and universities, and how we choose our elected officials -- the men at the top do not fight for the common good, but for the privileged power elite who bankroll their campaigns and keep their machine rolling.

[...]

“Finally. There are many fine, decent and, yes, compassionate and idealistic Texans out there who call themselves Republicans; people with conscience and heart. Many of them are also fed up with the corruption of their leadership and embarrassed by the scandals at the top of their party. Their party elite are more con artists than conservatives, and they have betrayed the trust and the values of the Republican grassroots.

“This campaign is about change. We are reaching out to every citizen who believes we need change at the top. Some of the early contributors to this campaign identify themselves as Republicans. I welcome them, and I welcome all like-minded Texans who will dedicate themselves to restoring the integrity of our political processes. We cannot change Texas without their help. Just as Republicans and Democrats joined hands many years ago to throw the rascals out and reform an out-of-control corrupt political machine and restore the public trust, together we can do it again.

“As I said, in a few weeks, at our formal announcement, we will roll out an agenda for change in Texas. I can promise you it will be interesting. You ain't heard nothing yet.”

Also there is a Statesman article on his statement already, Gammage, gunning for governor, blasts Perry:

Bob Gammage, 67, stood next to a blown-up photograph of a yacht on shimmering waters — though not the boat enjoyed by Perry, supporters and advisers.

After the trip, Perry outlined a school tax plan that floundered during a special legislative session on education finance.

Gammage, noting that Perry's security detail on the trip was funded by taxpayers, said: "We don't need a state government run from yachts."

As governor, he said, "I will make policy in the state Capitol; I'll be consulting with the taxpayers, I'll be consulting with the consumers of Texas. I won't be making it in the Bahamas."

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Charles Soechting, chairman of the Texas Democratic Party, said Gammage's entry will bring excitement to the primary — perhaps for everyone except Bell, who has been building a campaign for months.

"Chris would have loved to have an uncontested primary," Soechting said. But "I love a contested primary. It does Democrats good."

I'm with Soechting, it's good for the party. It can only help whoever the eventual winner is.