Sunday, November 26, 2000
Redistricting could test old
alliance
By Bill Whitaker
They say politics makes for strange bedfellows.
They also say politics can pretty much split the sheets.
That could be the case in our sprawling
17th congressional district, especially after another round of
redistricting erupts in the Texas Legislature next year.
What has long been a generally fruitful
alliance between conservative, Republican-leaning Abilene and
U.S. Rep. Charles Stenholm, a conservative Democrat, could be
put asunder, depending on what happens in the redistricting mess
that follows the U.S. Census Bureau count.
Even before the count, city fathers throughout
sparsely populated West Texas had a good idea of what to expect.
As folks used to joke about Baird: “Every time a baby is
born, somebody has to leave town.”
Which likely reflects what census analysts
are finding in West Texas as a whole. With little in the way of
significant growth, redistricting may see boundaries for the 17th
Congressional District stretched to include other cities or parts
of cities that are heavily Republican.
To hear Taylor County GOP chairman Paul
Washburn, who declined to endorse the last Republican to run against
Stenholm, expansion of 17th Congressional District boundaries
to include Midland or part of Fort Worth would almost certainly
add more Republican voters.
And that, in turn, could mean more viable
Republican candidates from afar not only toppling Stenholm, but
subsequently displaying little understanding of Abilene, its diverse
economy and the importance of Dyess Air Force Base.
Because of this, Republicans in Abilene
— a city once dismissed by Texas Monthly as “sitting
on its wallet” when it came to politics — may feel compelled
to field a strong candidate of their own, if only to keep Midland
or Fort Worth from winning the pivotal seat outright.
“Midland in particular is very aggressive
politically,” Washburn noted. “So there’s a real
danger we won’t just lose Charlie, but we may lose our representation
as well.”
Thus, Taylor County Republicans may look
within to find a truly solid contender, either for the 2002 or
2004 election.
For his part, Stenholm suggests logical
minds would extend district boundaries to the southwest, rather
than west or east, taking in more or all of San Angelo.
“I think Abilenians would be much better
served to have San Angelo included than Fort Worth or Midland,”
he told me. “There’s a big difference between the priorities
of Abilene, such as rural agriculture and Dyess, and those of
Midland, and certainly Fort Worth.”
The congressman is right, of course. But
when has state redistricting ever been dictated by sheer logic?
Considering that this month’s congressional
elections again ruined the 62-year-old Democrat’s cherished
dream of chairing the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, Stenholm
may find it prudent to pin his hopes on the secretary of agriculture
cabinet job — no matter who offers it.
Contact associate editor Bill Whitaker
at 676-6732 or whitakerb@abinews.com.
His column runs Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.
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Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications
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