Cornyn--We need to make Washington more like Texas

Houston Chronicle:

Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, one of President Bush's strongest supporters in Washington until the two parted company over immigration reform, was re-elected Tuesday over Democratic challenger Rick Noriega.

In late returns, Cornyn was leading with 55 percent of the vote to Noriega's 43 percent. Libertarian Yvonne Schick was a distant third.

Cornyn told supporters he was grateful for his victory, although he recognized that the national election had been "tough" for other Republicans.He said Republicans needed to return to their "base values" of limited government, low taxes and strong national defense.

"If we can make Washington more like Texas, the whole country will be a winner," he said.

Although Cornyn led in the polls throughout the campaign, Democrats were hopeful that excitement generated by presidential nominee Barack Obama and voters' concerns about the economy and the Iraq war would make Noriega competitive.

But Cornyn had a fundraising advantage of at least 3-1, which he used to purchase a lot of TV time, and Noriega, a state representative from Houston and Texas Army National Guard officer who served in Afghanistan, never was able to close the gap.

"We knew it would be an uphill battle. We didn't have as much money as our opponent, but I think we forced him to work for every vote," Noriega said.

Former President Bill Clinton and U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton campaigned with Noriega in Texas late in the race. But the Democratic nominee was all but abandoned by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which chose to target its financial aid to Senate candidates in states where Democrats were considered more competitive.

Although a freshman senator, Cornyn, 56, was elected by the Senate Republican Conference as its fifth-ranking member. His re-election could put him on the way to becoming a national Republican leader.

...

Noriega, 50, a state representative since 1999, had the strong support of Democratic bloggers and raised $1.6 million through the online ActBlue PAC. He had raised $3.4 million through Sept. 30, compared with $12.6 million for Cornyn.

So much for the vaunted ability of left wing bloggers to push liberals to victory. They may have that ability in some areas, but their values are so foreign to Texas values that it is difficult for them to compete with a real conservative who has demonstrated ability like Cornyn. Sen. Cornyn has been a very smart representative of Texas values and I hope he is able to provide even more influence in the next Congress.

During what has been a down economy elsewhere, Texas has created around half the jobs in the entire country in the last year. While other states were in recession, Texas has demonstrated strong growth. One of the things we will have to do in the new Congress is resist the Democrats anti energy agenda so they don't make Texas as bad off as Michigan.

Beldar also sees the wisdom of Cornyn.