September 21, 2007

Noriega Wins Ex-State Chairs' Support
in Fight for Nomination in Senate Race

By Mike Hailey
Capitol Inside Editor

State Rep. Rick Noriega - already the favorite among party activists and liberal bloggers for the Democratic nomination in the U.S. Senate race - picked up a couple of key endorsements Friday when two former state party chairs pitched their support behind his exploratory campaign.

The Houston lawmaker and war on terror veteran added former Texas Democratic Party leaders Charles Soechting and Molly Beth Malcolm to the list of supporters he's compiling for an expected showdown with San Antonio attorney Mikal Watts in next year's Democratic primary in the U.S. Senate race.

But Soechting still had good things to say about Watts - a fellow trial lawyer - despite going on record with his official support for Noriega's bid for the nomination and a shot at taking on Republican U.S. Senator John Cornyn in the general election in 2008.

Soechting, who led the state party organization for more than two years before stepping down in 2006, described both Noriega and Watts as "good and decent men" who would be an improvement over Cornyn as one of the state's two U.S. senators. But Soechting, who lives in San Marcos, said he's backing Noriega as a leader with "first-hand experience with not just the process, but with the problems this country is facing right now."

Soechting cited Noriega's experience as a state lawmaker and his service in Afghanistan for more than a year as an officer in he Texas National Guard along with the role he played heading up relief efforts in Houston in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina two years ago.

"Rick has always answered the call, whether as a state representative, a military officer who has traveled to the farthest and most dangerous corners of this world to defend our country, or while heading up the Katrina response at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston," Soechting said. "Rick is the guy who could stand up and actually say, `mission accomplished'."

Malcolm, the state party chair for more four years before Soechting took over, used the Noriega endorsement as an opportunity to criticize the war in Iraq - saying that Texans respect Noriega for "speaking out against a misguided war" as a candidate with the ability to speak from experience. Malcolm said Noriega is proof that Republicans don't have a monopoly on patriotism.

Noriega "has been there in the trenches with us, worked at the grassroots level, and made the tough votes," said Malcolm, a Texarkana resident. "Texans are always skeptical of politicians who say what they hope to do, but trust a leader who has shown true character by his actions."

Soechting, however, acknowledged that the decision to endorse Noriega didn't come easy. Soechting commended Watts, who's been a major contributor to Democratic politics in recent years, for continuing to support the state party financially at a time when other big donors had quit giving. Soechting said he's certain that Watts would be a "very capable" U.S. senator.

Current State Democratic Chairman Boyd Richie has stayed on the sidelines so far in the competition between Watts and Noriega for a shot at the U.S. Senate seat that Cornyn won in 2002 after serving four years as Texas attorney general.