January 16, 2005

Straus Enlists Consultant Frank Guerra,
Touts Key Support in Special House Bid

By Mike Hailey
Capitol Inside Editor

Joe Straus of San Antonio hit the ground running Sunday in a special election campaign for an open Texas House seat that could boil down to an internal Republican battle of Christian conservatives versus pro-gambling interests with a Democrat trying to sneak in amid the fallout.

A GOP activist whose family has been a major force behind horse racing in Texas, Straus has enlisted the services of ace consultant Frank Guerra and lined up support from a heavy-hitter list of Alamo City business and political leaders for his bid to replace Republican Elizabeth Ames Jones in House District 121. Governor Rick Perry, who plans to appoint Jones to the Texas Railroad Commission, has set a February 5 special election for the seat in a district that covers part of northeast Bexar County and dips into the affluent north central San Antonio communities of Alamo Heights, Terrell Hills and Olmos Park.

Elizabeth Jones

Guerra's firm - Guerra DeBerry Coody (GDC) - handled Hispanic advertising and public relations for President George W. Bush's re-election campaign last year and has done the same for Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, U.S. Rep. Henry Bonilla, San Antonio Mayor Ed Garza and Perry in the past few years. Guerra's company also led the Hispanic media push for the Republican National Committee, the Republican National Senatorial Committee and the White's House No Child Left Behind initiative.

GDC added another win to its record with State Rep. Roy Blake's election in East Texas in November while losing a congressional race with Republican Becky Armendariz Klein. Guerra's expertise will be crucial in the race for HD 121, where 25 percent of the voters are Hispanic.

Straus, who formally announced his campaign on Sunday, already has endorsements from Bexar County Commissioner Lyle Larson, Bexar County GOP Chairman Richard Langlois and business leaders such as Clear Channel Communications founder Lowry Mays, San Antonio Spurs owner Peter Holt and Valero Energy CEO Bill Greehey. Holt had been a co-chair of Jones' finance committee. Mays and San Antonio businessman B.J. "Red" McCombs had reportedly led the press for Jones' appointment to replace Charles Matthews on the RRC. Matthews is expected to leave the commission for a new job as chancellor of the Texas State University System later this month.

The Republican governor has not expressed a preference in the race publicly, although the general consensus in San Antonio political circles is that he also favors Straus in the HD 121 special race. Perry pushed for the legalization of video lottery terminals at Texas race tracks such as Retama Park - the San Antonio horse racing facility that Straus' family helped build. Racing interests plan to lobby heavily for VLTs during the regular session this year.

Two Democrats have been contemplating bids for the open House seat: former State Supreme Court Justice Rose Spector and community activist Melissa Kazen, who is married to a county court-at-law judge. San Antonio City Councilman Carroll Shubert has been encouraged by some local business leaders to switch from the mayor's race to the state House contest so he won't cut into Phil Hardberger's support in the battle to succeed Garza. Former State Rep. George Pierce, who represented a neighboring district for 14 years as a Democrat and a Republican, has indicated that he will run for the open seat. Potential candidates have two more days to enter the race before the short-fuse filing deadline on Tuesday.

Social conservatives who are adamantly opposed to video lottery gambling could be Straus' biggest hurdle. But first they will have to have a candidate to rally around. Exactly who that might be is a major question mark with two days left to file.

Religious conservatives elected State Rep. Frank Corte and ex-House member John Shields in nearby districts over opponents who had support from the business establishment like that touted by Straus. That base is in place if a candidate who can tap it effectively gets in the race.

Straus, 45, is an investments firm owner and former Republican precinct chair who was appointed to posts in the treasury and commerce departments under the administrations of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush respectively. Straus managed U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith's initial race for Congress in 1986.