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The Almost Unopposed Republican: Fred Brown
This year voters in Brazos County, voters in most of Brazos County that are in Texas House District 14, will not have much of a choice in the ballet box on who to vote for their Texas House representative. Representative Fred Brown is not facing a Democratic challenger in November. There is a Libertarian on the ballet, so Representative Brown is almost unopposed. In 2006 and 2004 Brown ran unopposed. In 2002 Brown faced a Libertarian on the ballet and won 87.86% of the vote, which was just over a point higher than in 2000 against the same candidate, Bruce W. Rose, in which Brown took 86.89% of the vote. In 1998 Brown ran unopposed, succeeding Republican Steve Ogden who that year won the State Senate seat in District Five.
Representative Brown is a well known figure in College Station. Before being a Texas House member Brown was a College Station City Councilman from 1985-1994, and was Mayor Pro Tempore of College Station from 1989-1994. Brown also a local business man who owns a local car dealership.
The Libertarian candidate that is challenging Representative Brown is Professor Ron Darby, who has a very impressive professional and educational resume. Professor Darby served on the faculty of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University for 38 years and retired as a Professor Emeritus. Darby graduated from Rice University with BA and BS degrees in Chemical Engineering and was a commissioned officer in the United States Navy, and then received his PhD from Rice. He has been active in the community and is involved in several volunteer activities.
Left of College Station asked Professor Darby why he is a better choice than Representative Brown:
“As a Libertarian candidate, I am dedicated to minimizing the influence/intrusion of the government into the lives of the citizens. As such, I would not be beholden to any special interest groups, would strive to minimize taxes by eliminating wasteful programs and those that do not serve the best interests of the citizens of the state as a whole, and encourage the forces of free enterprise and the marketplace to dictate the economics of supply and demand. I believe that the purpose of government should be to facilitate, not restrain, free enterprise, freedom of expression and individual liberties.”
Professor Darby does have differences with Representative Brown. Darby believes that state welfare programs should be eliminated while Brown supports welfare. Darby believes that most state funded programs should be greatly reduced and most state taxes should be greatly reduced, while Brown supports sustaining state funded programs and maintaining most taxes. Professor Darby could best be described as a fiscally very conservative and is moderate on social issues.
Conclusions:
Left of College Station cannot endorse either candidate because neither candidate encompasses progressives or liberals ideals. Republican and conservative voters may be in the majority in Brazos County and District 14, but there is a sizeable minority of Democrats and liberals who are obligated to voice their dissent. Therefore this blogger will be not be voting for either candidate for Texas House of Representatives Distinct 14, and I will not chose between two ideologies that I cannot embrace.
This election there is much for Democrats to be excited about, both nationally and state wide. However, Democrats in Texas House District 14 do not have much to be excited about and not much of a choice when it comes to voting for their Texas House Representative in November. This is a seat that is going to be hard for Democrats to ever win. The only way in which a Democrat will ever take this seat is if a homegrown Brazos County resident and Texas A&M University alumni moderate Democrat challenges for the seat. Even then...
Although, for fellow Democrats, progressives, and liberals in Brazos County take comfort in the knowing that we can have an effect on the race for 17, and help support our fellow Democrats in northern Bryan and the other counties in the Texas House 17th District.
Next Week…
The Race for Seventeen (Part One)
The Texas Observer:
“If the Democrats have any hope of recapturing a majority in the Texas House this year, they likely must retain this seat.” —Dave Mann