Janette Garza Lindner ended up 41 votes behind HISD Trustee Elizabeth Santos for HISD District 1. 2,210 votes to 2,169 votes. 50.47% to 49.53%.
Let me congratulate Trustee Santos on her victory.
Four years ago, Trustee Santos won in a runoff with close to 61% of the vote.
This one was a lot closer.
The Janette Garza Lindner campaign took on the local Democratic Party and the Party’s infrastructure. Democratic elected officials, Democratic clubs, and organizations aligned with the Democratic Party endorsed Santos.
We had the Chronicle. We also had a candidate who worked her arse off. She knocked on over 6,500 doors and had conversations with 1,500 voters during this campaign. She is one of the best campaigners I have had the opportunity to work with.
We were outspent but not outworked.
It was a fun campaign, and the outcome was determined when the last voting location reported.
In the HISD runoff races, here was an anti-incumbent factor out there that was created in part by the actions of three of the incumbents running for reelection. We heard it from voters. That’s why the Patriot Majority PAC and our opponent went all out negative on us. To get folks not to vote for Janette and stay home. It had an effect. I will spare you the grisly details of the attacked mail we endured.
Local GOPers are patting themselves on the back for winning two HISD seats Saturday evening. Channel 13’s Miya Shay tweeted yesterday that the two districts won by the GOP were positions previously held by moderate GOPers. I got news for Miya. The two GOP folks who won Saturday are not moderates.
The Harris County Democratic Party went all out for the Democratic trustees in those two districts, so they are losers. I got a card in the mail from the Harris County Democratic Party on Saturday endorsing four trustees with the message “Getting Back to Normal with Experience.” You think what has been going on at HISD with this board had been normal? In Commentary’s book, the Harris County Democratic Party lost in District 1. Their endorsed candidate Trustee Santos did win, but they pissed off Democrats like me and others for choosing one Democrat over another, and I am not going to forget it. The Harris County Democratic Party Chair is a dumbass pure and simple.
On another matter. In January, the City of H-Town is going to start a massive redo of North Shepherd and Durham between I-10 and the North Loop. It will take five years to complete. I didn’t know it needed a makeover. It will be a disrupter for sure and businesses along that stretch will take a hit and some will end up going out of business.
Not cool for a County Party to openly support one member against another. Their job is to win elections, not create intra-party conflicts. The hurt feelings and resentments this causes can linger and fester for a long time. Look at the Harris County GOP. Remember the days that they were riding high? Then they had some leaders that started a party civil war. Look at them now, weak and divided. Not saying one school board race is going to do this. But it’s not a habit to get into.
The Regressive Progressives are going to start loosing more local seats to conservatives, as the message the voters are getting is the Houston Hellhole is just getting worse under the Democrats.