Top Party Power Players Wield Clout as State Convention Gets Under Way

June 2, 2006
Top Party Power Players Wield Clout as State Convention Gets Under Way
By Mike Hailey Capitol Inside Editor
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - As the GOP's biennial State Convention gets under way, the major players in today's Texas Republican Party are a mix of veteran party stalwarts and leaders who are relatively new to the big leagues of political activism.
The Republicans with the most sway in state party politics are not necessarily the top elected officials in Texas. Republicans such as Governor Rick Perry, Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst and House Speaker Tom Craddick might wield as much or more overall power individually as the top 13 state party players do as a group. But the Republicans who hold statewide offices or legislative leadership posts have been keeping a measure of distance between themselves and a state party organization that's veered sharply to the right in a state where bipartisan cooperation is still required to make the machinery of government run.
While the state's top elected officials benefit substantially from the vast infrastructure and ever-growing grassroots base that the Republican Party of Texas has developed and nurtured over the past 20 years, the RPT's most prominent movers and shakers in Capitol Inside's view are people who run the state and local party organizations, who have the biggest grassroots followings and who put up the money that fuels the machine. The top 13 GOP players in Texas include the state party chairwoman and her executive director. Three conservative activists from the Houston area and one longtime grassroots leader from Dallas are on the list. Three Republican county chairs have made the list as well.
The most prominent players in Texas Republican politics in 2006 include a member of the Republican National Committee and a Central Texas activist who came close in two state chair's races and is now being mentioned as having national leadership potential. Five of the activists on our list have been elected to the party positions they hold by other activists while one is an elected county official. Last but certainly not least, the final two members of the 13 most influential and high-profile Republican Party players list in Texas are the two biggest contributors to GOP politics in the state over the past decade. Here's who they are:
TOP 10 TEXAS REPUBLICAN PARTY PLAYERS IN 2006
State Party Brass
Tina Benkiser - Barring a surprise challenge at the state convention this weekend, the Houston attorney and former State Republican Executive Committee member will win her third straight state chair's race and be more firmly in control of the state party organization than ever.
Jeff Fisher - Former Van Zandt County judge who's been viewed as an unofficial Jim Leininger disciple has given the state party organization a measure of stability as its executive director for more than a year after bringing a revolving door to a halt despite initial skepticism within the state GOP ranks.
Local Party Officials
Hollis Rutledge - The president of the Texas Republican County Chairmen's Association is leaving no stones unturned in an uphill battle in the trenches as the Hidalgo County Republican chairman. He's stood up to local Democratic officials in a vigorous push for election reform and raised a significant amount of money for GOP candidates at the state and local levels.
Kenn George - A former GOP state finance chairman who served as an assistant secretary of commerce in the Reagan administration, the ex-Texas House member who made a competitive bid for land commissioner is now the Dallas County Republican chairman and tailor made for the job.
Jared Woodfill - The Harris County Republican chairman brought stability to a local party organization that had been in turmoil and quickly transformed it into a voter registration and turnout machine. He's done so well at the wheel of the local organization in the state's largest county that most Houston Republicans have found it easy to forgive him for being a trial lawyer.
National Liaison
Denise McNamara - Dallas court reporter worked her way up from the ground floor of activism with stints on the SREC and Texas Federation of Republican Women board before winning one of the state's two RNC posts in 2000 and defending it successfully in the face of stiff opposition two years ago. She's still more of a grassroots activist than an establishment insider despite the high station.
Grassroots Activists
Cathie Adams - Longtime leader of the Texas Eagle Forum has provided an army of troops who are passionate, vocal and second to none in rapid response. After losing a bid for the RNC as a member of the Benkiser slate two years ago, she bounced back with a key role on the national platform committee and may run again for the national governing board.
Gina Parker - Waco attorney and entrepreneur had strong grassroots support in two fairly close races against the current state chair and has continued to shore up her base of support despite the setbacks in bids to be the state party leader. She decided against another rematch this year and now could be in line for a leadership position in one of the nation's most prominent grassroots groups.
Steve Hotze - Physician who founded the Conservative Republicans of Harris County is the most established member of a regional power triad that is revered in local GOP quarters and scorned by some party regulars in other parts of the state. He did more than anyone to give the GOP a lock on the local judiciary, helped elect a statehouse majority and put up a spirited fight against this year's special session tax plan when the odds of winning were slim at best.
Dan Patrick - Texas Senate nominee who crushed a highly competitive field of primary rivals with more than two out of every three votes has the world's biggest megaphone as a popular Houston talk show to lead cheers for conservative causes even though his magic didn't work for others in runoffs. Some Senate members expect him to have make a splash like a Malatoff cocktail when he shows up for work next year.
Paul Bettencourt - As the tax assessor-collector in the state's largest county, the third member of Houston's grassroots GOP triad has an armory of facts and figures to support the claims that rise from the conservative causes he champions such as property appraisal caps. He's a pretty good speaker when making the case.
Contributors
James Leininger - San Antonio doctor and hospital bed magnate put money behind conservative principles while helping mold the state's highest court into an all-Republican bench, paving the path to success for Governor Rick Perry and others and pouring millions of dollars into a campaign this year to oust moderate legislators who strayed from the party line on school vouchers and other hot topics. Democrats have portrayed him as a right-wing fanatic with a controlling interest in the state GOP, but he's seemed more interested lately in internal party purity than partisan warfare.
Bob Perry - Contributions in recent years to moderately conservative Democrats who've backed tort reform are proof that the Houston homebuilder is not a Republican Party purist. But when you're the number one contributor to GOP politics in the state and nation as well, who cares?
SPECIAL MENTION
Texas Republican Who Could Be on Next Power Player List
Pete Sessions - Dallas congressman has a chance to be the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee - a post that could give him clout on par with that former U.S. Rep. Martin Frost enjoyed as the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee boss and House Democratic Caucus chair before Sessions beat him in 2004.
Bill Crocker - Newest RNC member from Texas is still relatively unknown but has prized connection as the official treasurer of Jim Leininger's incumbent elimination PAC in this year's primary competition.
Blast from the Past Who Could be Part of State GOP Future
Tom Pauken - Former state GOP chairman who wasn't afraid to criticize George W. Bush when he was still popular has been back in the spotlight as a vigorous defender of the special session tax plan approved by the Republican majority at the Texas Capitol this spring. Rumors about a last-minute state chair bid aren't expected to come true but conventioneers have had fun with them nonetheless.
Texas Republicans Who Could Have Been on Recent Power Player Lists
Mike Toomey - Former Texas House member and chief of staff to Governors Bill Clements and Rick Perry had pivotal role as designer of GOP takeover strategy at Capitol before resuming career as a lobbyist.
David Barton - Key figure in religious right as Wallbuilders founder is being forced out of job as state GOP vice-chair by term limits after wielding significant clout in party operations for the past eight years.
Bill Hammond - Texas Association of Business leader who was instrumental in strategy that put Republicans in control of the state House four years ago took a beating in 2002 elections investigation but keeps on ticking while delivering coveted endorsements on campaign and policy issues.
Tim Lambert - Lubbock activist and leading home school advocate had big grassroots base of support before being knocked out of job as RNC member by term limits two years ago.