Bastrop-area candidates show spirit in gubernatorial, house elections
Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Kathie Glass of McDade and Democratic candidate for District 17 state representative Carolyn Banks of Bastrop were each defeated Tuesday night after mounting grassroots campaigns against well-known challengers, but they didnt lose the spirit that led them to run for office.
While watching the votes trickle in on Tuesday, both women said they had wanted to give voters an alternative choice to the status quo, and had done their best to raise awareness with limited resources.
Unofficial voting totals with 54.66 percent of precincts reporting showed Glass with 44,688 votes, or 1.27 percent in an election where headlines were largely dominated by Democrat Wendy Davis and Reublican Greg Abbott, who won the governors race with 2,115,137 votes (60.46 percent).
Glass, who said she visited every county in Texas in an effort to raise awareness about her candidacy and conservative platform, said she believed the lack of media attention to Libertarian and Green candidates contributed to Abbotts landslide win.
That Texas had a Libertarian or Green candidate in nearly every race offered Glass little solace, she said. Running on a platform based on pushing back against what she called a tyrannical federal government, the attorney and business owner said she was disappointed in the returns and had hoped to present more of a challenge to Davis and Abbott.
Its good that there are more candidates here, she explained. But the media makes it look like there are only two people running. How do we break out? People need to know that they have three or four choices, not just two.
Its very frustrating. I went to 254 counties to try to get the word out. Many people who heard me speak agreed with me, but until I visited, didnt know who I was. They thought there were only two candidates.
Banks fared a little better in her bid to unseat incumbent Tim Kleinschmidt. Banks unofficially had 7,709 votes (34 percent) with 47 percent of precincts reporting, according to unofficial totals.
The 73-year-old retiree had hopes but no expectations of winning, she said. She said just wanted to make sure Kleinschmidt didnt run unopposed. She took issue with his voting record, including his support of doing away with the free breakfast program in schools, she explained.
I was hoping to be in a position to offer a different point of view in the House, said Banks, whose resume includes being an erstwhile regular contributor to the Bastrop Advertiser. I said at the outset, Im not a politician. I hope the Democratic party has already begun fielding candidates for 2016.
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Bastrop-area candidates show spirit in gubernatorial, house elections