Congratulations to My Clients!
Five of my campaign clients had elections yesterday. Four won; one (Joe Alioto, San Francisco supervisorial candidate) is awaiting a final vote count.
Here are the winners:
LAUSD — It was interesting to see many press stories over the past couple months suggesting that Measure Q, a $7 billion school bond, was in trouble because voters would be unwilling to raise their own taxes in the current economic climate. My polls suggested that support for the school bond was really a values statement. Voters understood that despite all the new schools LAUSD has built, many old schools are rundown and making children attend those schools sends the message that we don’t care. Measure Q passed with 69 percent of the vote.
Lupe Valdez — I had no professional involvement with Proposition 8 — the gay marriage ban in California — but I am so disappointed that it passed. I derive what consolation that I can from the reelection of my Texas lesbian Latina law enforcement official client, Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez. She was outspent and unfairly trashed by her opponent, but her record and her integrity carried the day.
Veronica Gonzales — Texas Republicans, heirs to the Tom DeLay school of gerrymander, redrew the lines in Hidalgo County in an attempt to take out rising Democratic star and two-term state rep Veronica Gonzales. But they couldn’t take away her impressive accomplishments on education and health care. Gonzales won with 65 percent of the vote.
Barack Obama — In September, the Obama campaign asked me to do all their Hispanic polls. The findings were both fascinating and promising, especially the potential Obama was showing to gain tremendous ground with traditionally Republican Cuban voters in South Florida. Despite the vocal objection of local experts, the Obama campaign decided to deploy significant Spanish-language resources in that GOP redoubt. James Aldrete and Freddy Balsera did an excellent job of making sure Latino voters in Miami and elsewhere got to know who Barack Obama is and what he stands for.
