Hard at work in the press room

I am the media. No, really. I'm right next to Wayne Slater and Gromer Jeffers and RG Ratcliffe. They don't give a shit who I am, and I don't care that they don't care. However I did overhear a gracious compliment --not from any of those I just named -- paid to Rick Noriega about having his press avail being early enough to make the evening news and early editions of the papers.

There's that damned liberal media again.


Your intrepid double-chinned reporter and a delegate from my precinct by the name of Cris Feldman. Yes, that Cris Feldman.

Hispanic Caucus goes Pohlman for Vice Chair

Lenora Sorola-Pohlman of Houston, former secretary of the Harris County Democratic Party and an SDEC member from SD-15, defeated Bexar County Chair Carla Vela for the position of vice chair of the Texas Democratic Party earlier today in a relatively close vote of the members of the Hispanic Caucus, 511-383.

The significance here is that the HC, probably the state's largest and predominantly comprised of Clinton supporters, believes that a white male -- either Boyd Richie or David Van Os -- is going to be elected state party chair, and they want to dictate the choice of vice chair (this position is one of those "legacy" slots; it is currently held by A-A female Roy Laverne Brooks, who is also challenging Richie).

Charlie Urbina-Jones, the chairman of the Progressive Populist Caucus, is a contender for vice chair on a unity ticket with Brooks. The vote for state party chair between Richie, Van Os, and Brooks -- all Obama supporters or declared superdelegates -- will go to the full convention floor tomorrow afternoon. So the key to that election rests in the hands of the Clinton bloc -- again, predominantly Hispanic, but with a strong contingent of Caucasian female delegates as well.

David Mauro has some of the play-by-play.

Houston-area SDEC races update *updated*

SD-4: Phillip McNutt, Mark Carter, Ruel Parker, and Jeff Darby are all contending for retiring incumbent John Baker's slot in the SD that stretches from Montgomery to Orange County. McNutt barely lost to Baker two years ago and returns with the Campaign for Change endorsement. Carter is the Orange County Democratic Party chairman, and Parker and Darby represent the union contingent which has long had dibs on the seat. The female incumbent, Sylvia McDuffie, is being challenged by "Yogi" Jzavela-Arethea, a relatively new activist and Obama supporter.

SD-6: Allan Jamail and Rose Salas are by legend halfway through their 4-year terms, so no challengers and no election here.

SD-7: Long-time incumbent Joy Demark faces a challenge from Karen Wheaton in this west Houston senate district. Bill Scruggs, the incumbent defeated by Farrukh Shamsi two years ago, returns for a rematch.

*Demark and Shamsi return to the SDEC.

SD-11: Lloyd Criss, father of the judge and chair of the Galveston Co. DP, is stepping down and Loretta Davis, secretary of the GCDP is the only person running to replace him. Janet Mayeaux's term will expire in two years and will be filled at that time by a male, according to the gentleman's agreement there.

*Davis is the winner, replacing Mayeaux and Joe Parra of Brazoria County is elected to replace Criss, correcting the above.

SD-13: In this metro Houston SD, incumbent Rodney Griffin draws a challenge from Progressive Populist vice chair John Robert Behrman. Jennifer Sanders, ailing for some time now, also gets a challenger, Shondra Wygal.

*Behrman is the victor, and Mary Seymore returns to the SDEC after a four-year absence to replace the retiring Sanders.

SD-15: Lenora Sorola-Pohlman is running for state vice chair, so her vacating SDEC seat got a pair of contenders, Latifah Ring and Carol Lazar, both A-A Obama delegates (Pohlman is a Clinton supporter). The demographic composition in this district is evenly split, 30% Anglo, 30% A-A, 30 Hispanic with the remaining 10% mostly Asian, including Indian/Pakistani.

* Monica E. Flores, a Clinton supporter, got the slot. Carl Whitmarsh supplies her bio:

Monica is a young Latina confined to a wheelchair who communicates by voice recognition computer and worked and organized supporters during this past primary, second to no one. Monica is the daughter of a Vice President of the local CWA and her belief in the political system is strengthened by the help and encouragement she has received from various elected officials since her debilitating accident five years ago. She is truly an inspiration to all with her determination, her dedication and her excitement.

SD-17: Arif Gafur gets a challenge from Campaign for Change candidate Lawrence Edwards, while Ella Tyler appears to have no opposition.

To Carl W. again for the news:

A clean sweep took place in the district which includes portions of West and Southwest Harris County, portions of Ft. Bend, Brazoria, Galveston, and Jefferson Counties. The district currently has no elected Senator but will soon be represented by Chris Bell. Both incumbent SDEC members from the district, Ella Tyler and Arif Gafur were turned out of office with their defeat by CAROL WRIGHT of Harris County and ALAN BLAKELY of Brazoria County.

In the convention's media room as I post this, Rick Noriega is conducting a press conference before about a hundred corporate media and bloggers. More on that later.

Bloggers' Caucus pics

Sweaty Charlie, Josh, and Vince.

Photos from today's SDEC

More here.

Off to Austin

for the state convention today. Will keep things up to date here, and also here.

If you're in town you should join us at the Bloggers' Caucus.

Let's expect an announcement today about who will be keynoting the convention. I'm counting on both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to do so, and anything less will be somewhat disappointing.

There's a race for state party chair that's worth following also. And you can follow the candidates for other state party offices, SDEC and DNC who are all about changing the ways things are done here.