Sunday, March 15, 1998

This may not be Garry Mauro's year

By Steve Ray

It was kind of a one-two punch. On Thursday, the Scripps Howard Texas Poll showed Land Commissioner Garry Mauro was still 46 points behind in his quixotic campaign against incumbent Republican Gov. George W. Bush.

Later that day, Bush flew to San Angelo to pick up the endorsement of one of the most powerful Democrats in the Texas Legislature: state Rep. Rob Junell, the head of the House Appropriations Committee.

He was the second top Democrat to endorse Bush's bipartisan bid for re-election. Retiring Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock, the state's most powerful politician, endorsed Bush last year.

Response from the Mauro team seemed somehow desperate.

The poll is irrelevant, they said, because 485,678 Texans cast a vote for Mauro on Tuesday in the Democratic primary.

Never mind Republicans and independents weren't voting in that primary. Forget Mauro was unchallenged and that Bush's name wasn't on the Democratic ballot. Don't remember that comparing primaries to general elections is like comparing apples and oranges. Mauro's folks said he was running close to the governor.

As for Junell, it wasn't apples and oranges; it was sour grapes.

Junell wanted a federal judgeship, they said. He hadn't gotten it from Democrats, so now he was trying to befriend Republicans.

Poppycock. Junell could make a lot more money if he left public service than he does in it. Whether you agree with him, Junell is one of the state's most honest politicians, and he doesn't base his actions on partisan political considerations.

In all the hubbub, it's easy to forget that endorsements by Bullock or Junell are unlikely to change anybody's mind when it comes to voting for governor.

It could change how contributors look at the race, but Bush is so far ahead of Mauro in fund-raising, that's not much of a consideration.

But the endorsements were important for one reason: They give the perception that Bush has bipartisan support. And they serve as evidence that Bush's first term was based more on what was good for Texas than on what was good for the Republican party.

That speaks as well for Bullock and Junell as it does for Bush.

Both Democrats have repeatedly said they didn't want Texas to face the same kind of partisan gridlock experienced in Washington, D.C.

And Junell said he was just doing what Democrats often ask Republicans to do -- vote for "the best person" instead of voting along party lines.

The endorsements also put Bush in an interesting position.

While he can say he supports other candidates on the statewide GOP ballot, any effort by the governor to influence the election on their behalf could be seen as a move away from being the bipartisan governor he has claimed.

It won't, however, keep Republican candidates from putting Bush's pictures in their TV advertisements, and that will have the same effect.

On the other hand, Bullock and Junell have said they intend to be very active in supporting some moderate Democrats -- especially Comptroller John Sharp, who is running for lieutenant governor, and Houston businessman Paul Hobby, who is running for comptroller.

Since they have already endorsed Bush, they can't be accused of being strictly partisan in their choices.

And both men have said they think Mauro has done an excellent job as land commissioner and would be supporting him if he were doing anything but running against Bush.

Of course, that is no comfort to Mauro.

Early on, many Democrats tried to get him to change his mind and seek another office instead of trying to beat a popular incumbent.

Mauro says he is no sacrificial lamb and that he will win on the issues.

But no issues seem to be catching fire with the Texas electorate, and there are questions whether they will because most Texans are pretty well satisfied with the way things are.

Mauro isn't one of those Texans. And politically savvy Bush realizes the attitudes and votes of Texans can change in the wink of an eye.

Plus, there is one other thing to remember: Mauro was an outstanding land commissioner -- probably the best in the state's history. He is one of the brightest and most street-smart politicians Texas has ever seen.

And someday he probably deserves to be governor, or U.S. senator or hold some other high office where he can use his ideas to improve the lives of Texans.

It just may not be this year.

Steve Ray is chief of the Scripps Howard Austin Bureau.