Democrat gubernatorial candidates spar in TV debate

BY ANNA TINSLEY AND MIKE LEE

Star-Telegram

FORT WORTH -- The two front-running Democratic candidates for governor sparred in their first and only televised debate Monday, providing different solutions for problems -- from education to abortion -- that they say plague Texas.

Houston Mayor Bill White and Houston hair-care magnate Farouk Shami both agreed on issues early on, such as the need to improve education and not support school vouchers.

“I believe we need to invest more within our schools,” said White, the son of two schoolteachers. “We need to have Texas workers have the skills they need to compete. ... We’re not doing that under Gov. Perry.” Shami said that as a teacher himself, he values education.

“School vouchers are not on my agenda, absolutely not,” he said. “I would like to see school reform.” An audience of about 40 people attended the hour-long KERA-produced debate, broadcast from the CBS-11/TXA-21 studios in Fort Worth. The Star-Telegram was a co-sponsor of the debate.

Although there are seven candidates in the Democratic gubernatorial race, only White and Shami were invited to participate in the debate. The other five candidates are educator Felix Alvarado, doctor Alma Aguado, private investigator Bill Dear, professor Clement Glenn and home builder Star Locke.

Mary Scott, one of the hand-picked audience members, said she was interested to see the debate, especially with growing frustration about health care and other issues.

“I think there are a lot of AARP members who can’t make up their mind how they want change to happen,” she said. “The average person doesn’t know how to break these logjams any more than we do.”

Before the debate, Shami’s campaign announced that he has picked up the endorsement of Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway. “He speaks with experience and from the heart,” Caraway said. “He speaks about issues – jobs, economic development – that affect the average citizen and those who have not had a voice for some time. He is real and he is committed.”

White has drawn endorsements from more than 75 state lawmakers, including Sen. Wendy Davis and Reps. Lon Burnam and Marc Veasey, all Democrats from Fort Worth, as well as Reps. Chris Turner, D-Burleson, and Paula Pierson, D-Arlington.

Davis and Veasey were among those attending the debate to support White Monday night. “I think it’s good for him, as he travels the state, to have local voices talk about why they are supporting him,” she said. “In my short experience in the Senate, what I’ve seen is that we have politicized so many issues where we really need leadership instead of politics. I believe Bill is that thoughtful kind of leader that we need.”

Tonight, the candidates were being asked questions from the live audience and by a panel of journalists, which includes Star-Telegram Austin Bureau Chief Dave Montgomery.

White, a 55-year-old wealthy attorney, is considered the leading candidate by political insiders because of his political past, which includes three terms as Houston’s mayor, years as deputy secretary of energy in the Clinton administration and former head of the state’s Democratic Party. He has raised about $7 million for this campaign and while recent polls show that all three GOP candidates – U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, Gov. Rick Perry and tea party activist Debra Medina – would likely beat White in a head-to-head matchup in November, strategists say White is well positioned.

Shami, also of Houston, is a 67-year-old Palestinian-American immigrant known for developing BioSilk products and the popular CHI flat iron. He has never before sought statewide office, but he has put $5 million of his own money into this race and committed to spend $10 million on this race if needed. Shami, who has no speech writers, said he’s the change Texas needs and if he can’t bring 100,000 jobs to Texas in his first two years as governor then he will resign and pay the state $10 million.

The Democratic primary winner will face the winner of the Republican primary – either Perry, Hutchison or Medina – in November. No Democrat has served as governor since Ann Richards lost her re-election bid in 1994 to George W. Bush.

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