Campaign All About Nothing
Harris County Republican primary voters decided to give Paul Simpson and his “All About Nothing” 2016 campaign another chance and kept Simpson in the Harris County Party Chair seat – even after losing every countywide race in 2016. This bit of good news [sarcasm] was accompanied by the decision of HD 134 voters to keep Joe Straus superstar Sarah Davis [more sarcasm].
In the primary, Simpson and Sarah campaigned heavily together in HD 134 to turn out the liberal Republican vote. Sarah, of course, did this because it is her district. Simpson campaigned heavily in HD134 because he relies on liberal Republicans for success – they are his base. Now that the election is over, Paul should have presented a message of unity to the conservatives. Instead, his strategy appears to be the opposite.
The day after the 2018 primary, Simpson appeared on the Michael Berry show [beginning at 27:30]
and attacked Terry Lowry and Gary Polland. Steve Hotze, Lowry, and Polland [HL&P] have very important slates that specifically market to conservatives. Simpson’s friends put together a “trash the slates” campaign that was strictly focused on dissuading voters on following HL&P.
Throughout Simpson’s appearance on Berry’s show, the name “Hotze” was never mentioned. I listened through several commercial breaks and could not help but not notice the commercials for the Hotze Health & Wellness Clinic, which ran on both sides of the Simpson interview.
During the interview, Simpson also failed to mention the money that his campaign spent in HD 134 helping to defeat Berry’s longtime friend, Susanna Dokupil. Berry supported both Simpson and Dokupil.
Most campaigns are heavily influenced by the political consultants and strategists. I have written before about Simpson’s strategy to get rid of HL&P. Simpson’s strategy is to replace HL&P with Simpson’s friends and supporters like Mary Jane Smith and her Texas Conservative View [versus Gary Polland’s Texas Conservative Review]. Simpson views the slates of his friends as the pure slates while HL&P are “pay to play” even though they are no different in concept and execution.
I always ask candidates about their consultants/strategists. This is important because consultants often have other clients running in non-countywide races. Take Sarah Davis circa 2016, for example. Political consultant Kevin Shuvalov was involved in both the “Harris County Works” campaign and the Davis campaign. Shuvalov’s game in 2016 was to run against Trump and keep silent about issues important to the Texas Republican Party platform: sanctuary cities, illegal immigration, abortion, and gun rights. Then, Simpson’s 2017 explanation tour blamed Trump for the 2016 disaster in Harris County. What type of leadership is this?
Simpson’s “leadership” concerns me as we move into the 2018 general election. Remember Devon Anderson? Instead of denouncing Anderson and working to save the ticket, Simpson embraced Anderson. The same thing is happening now. Have you heard about the recent statements of Harris County District Judge Michael McSpadden? Have you heard about the bail bond lawsuit and the smackdown put on the Republican judiciary by Lee Rosenthal, a George H.W. Bush appointee? Do you think that Harris County Democrats will use these words against Republicans in the 2018 general election? What has Simpson done on these important issues?
Polls show that voters in the 2018 Texas Republican primary election care about illegal immigration and property taxes. What will Simpson do to address these issues?
While Simpson has been able to raise money for the local party, where is this money coming from? And what are these donors expecting in return? And, will Simpson, once again, base the entire campaign on Sarah Davis and HD 134?
Sarah Davis, the darling of the Houston media, is a Republican vote killer. Hanging our countywide campaign on Davis is a losing proposition. Davis is preparing for November by participating in an anti-Second Amendment town hall meeting with the two remaining democrats vying to challenge Congressman John Culbertson in November. Interestingly, Culbertson and Davis share a consultant/fundraiser – Jennifer Naedler. Again, the left’s attempt to turn your children against you is the bridge too far. It is not about guns.
If Sarah’s anti-Republican antics continue, I believe that she deserves the Devon Anderson treatment – a general election defeat. Is she really different than a democrat?
Simpson and friends better come up with a winning strategy. For sure, a winning strategy does not include Sarah Davis. A winning strategy does include party unity, which I do not see on the horizon.
