Dems hope nominee can unseat Cornyn in Senate

2007-07-25

Source: El Paso Times

A soldier and a lawyer will be fighting for the hearts, minds and, most important, the votes of Texas Democrats next year, as they try to become the party's nominee for the U.S. Senate.

"The U.S. Senate is a very important race for us," said El Paso County Democratic Party Chairman Danny Anchondo.

San Antonio lawyer Mikal Watts already has a nearly $5 million war chest, most of it his own money, and has started traveling the state seeking support for his bid to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn. Last month, he visited El Paso, and he said he had plans for more trips to the Sun City.

Houston state Rep. Rick Noriega, a lieutenant in the Texas Army National Guard, announced this week that he would start exploring a bid for the party's nomination. With just $23,000 in his campaign account, though, Noriega could be at a huge disadvantage in the statewide race expected to cost millions.

But Noriega said he thought average Texans would support an "average Texas family" like his.

"I think this campaign is about what we bring in terms of pulling Texans together," Noriega said when asked how he would deal with the fundraising gap between himself and Watts.

Noriega was first elected to the Texas House in 1998.

During the 2005 legislative session, Noriega was deployed to Afghanistan, and his wife, Melissa Noriega, who was elected this year to the Houston City Council, served for him.

Last year, Noriega spent time in Laredo helping patrol the border during President Bush's Operation Jump Start.

Watts, who grew up in Corpus Christi, started a personal-injury law firm in 1997 and has become one of the state's top trial lawyers.

He represented many plaintiffs who sued Ford and Bridgestone/Firestone after their vehicles rolled over when tread separated from their tires as they were driving.

"I've spent the last 18 years of my life fighting for the interests of average Texans," Watts said.

Watts has long been a generous donor to Texas Democrats, and last year he supported Democrat Chris Bell's failed gubernatorial bid.

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