Watts puts primary marker down as Noriega enters Texas Senate race

2007-07-10

Source: The Hill

Democratic Senate candidate Mikal Watts laid claim to early front-runner status in Texas with a strong first month of fundraising, just as his top competition announced it will launch a campaign this week.

Despite his pledge to spend $10 million of his own money on the campaign, Watts is showing that he isn’t content to rely on his own fortune in his bid to unseat Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas). He raised more than $1.1 million in the final 30 days of the second quarter, setting a pace generally reserved for incumbents and celebrity candidates.

Watts announced the total yesterday, soon after state Rep. Rick Noriega (D) announced he would form an exploratory committee for the race.

Noriega does not have the financial resources of Watts but has been a favorite of the blogosphere and is Hispanic. He recently was the subject of a drafting movement, but declined to enter the race until his wife finished running for Houston City Council.

In the meantime, a peripatetic Watts attended 39 events in the 30 days after he launched his exploratory campaign on June 1. He has also been working to woo Hispanics in South Texas, which observers see as an effort to take a bite out of Noriega’s base of support and avoid a primary.

Noriega has asserted that he is the candidate of the people — a mantle Watts isn’t prepared to cede. The two appear headed for a heated primary.

In a release yesterday, Watts quoted the Latino chairman of Hidalgo County’s Democratic Party, asserting his strength with the valuable demographic.

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