The Race for River Oaks: Jim Dougherty for State Rep...or: District 134: A Tale of Three Campaigns
It's once again Texas Tuesday, and it's time for another desperate lunge into Texas Democratic politics. Today it's Jim Dougherty, who is attempting to run against the legacy of Tom DeLay, who succeeded into redrawing this district into one more favorable to electing a Republican.
Harris County's District 134 is, for ease of definition, the River Oaks district. For those less familiar with Houston, River Oaks is the most upscale part of town in the relative tonier inner-loop area. It includes several other areas that are similarly upscale: the "inner city suburbs" of Bellaire, West University, and Southside Place; Memorial Park, and parts of Braeswood and Meyerland. There are a few strong Democratic areas along the eastern side of the district: Rice University and Houston's Medical Center region among them. The district, along with the rest of the county's State Rep districts, were drawn to favor the GOP. In this case, it was drawn primarily to edge out one of Harris County's longest-serving liberal Democrats: Debra Danburg.
If there is any justice in politics, Dougherty deserves a shot. It's not like the Republicans have much to offer. Then again, Old Money in Houston is almost reflexively hard-core Republican. If you live in River Oaks and happen to be a Democrat, be sure to get off your @$$ so that you can vote early and often.
