Election update

The numbers tell the story, but I'll tell you more than you want to know.
Kathie Tovo: 23,911
56%
Randie Shade: 18,594
46%
Turnout was higher than in the general election, but both candidates did well in that area. Tovo got 9,000 more votes than in the general, while Shade added 8,000 to her total.

Media coverage of this race merits a comment or six. Not surprisingly, the Statesman endorsed Shade, the establishment incumbent. As soon as the runoff began, and Shade worked to negatively define Tovo, the Statesman played up the negativity, without providing much balance to what were supposed to be actual news stories. Editorially, the Statesman went all out to make Shade voters believe she could come back and win. The topper (whopper) in this effort was written in their editorial on Saturday, election day:
"Usually, a runoff election draws fewer voters, and usually, a candidate trailing by 13 points, as Shade was when the ballots were counted on May 14, finds it impossible to catch up. The comments of people who monitor city elections closely range from 'Shade has more than closed the gap' to 'the race is too close too call.' For Shade, the surge represents a vindication of sorts."

Surge? Surge?? She closed a 13 point gap to a 12 point gap. That was a surge comparable only to a LeBron James fourth quarter surge against the Mavericks. Please. That editorial is what inspired this entire post.

I was also disappointed in the Chronicle's (Austin's weekly alternative paper) tepid endorsement of Kathie Tovo. Their political coverage is good, but their endorsement decisions betray their ever-closer-to-establishment status. I have a theory as to why they were not full-throated in their support for Tovo, but I don't want to get into that here.

I spent about half an hour at the victory party at Scholz Garden, and recognized a few people there, including a cab driver who had given me plenty of unsolicited advice on how to enhance the script we were using for get out the vote calls. When I ran into Chris, the volunteer coordinator, he looked exhausted and elated as I offered my congratulations. He said, "We couldn't have done it without you." Yes, my 200 or so calls made the difference in the 5,500 vote squeaker. Nice guy, needs some sleep.

I shook Kathie's hand (Yes, I'm sure we'll be on a first name basis now), and exited through the beer garden, where the Hot Rod Honeys, a local roller derby team, was having a fundraiser to finance their trip for a big roller derby event in Australia. The election celebration, and the roller girls' party were not officially related, but I love that they were at the same place, on the same night. In my Austin, it seemed like a perfectly natural pairing, like chips and queso.

Peace,
JS4