Texas Tribune
G.O.P. Candidates Run for Ron Paul’s Old House Seat, but Not in His Image
Randy Weber, 58, left, and Jay Old, 48, holding cup above right, are among the Republican candidates running for Ron Paul’s District 14 Congressional seat in the May 29 primary.
By JAY ROOT
Published: May 10, 2012
LEAGUE CITY — Ron Paul is a tough act to follow, and the major Republican candidates running to replace him in Congress are not even trying.
“I don’t get a sense that people are looking for the next Ron Paul,” said Jay Old, a Beaumont lawyer and the top fund-raiser in the crowded field. “I think they are looking for people who want the very best for the district.”
Partisan gerrymandering often turns political jurisdictions into zigzagging monstrosities, but the redrawn Congressional District 14 is straightforward and compact. It starts at the southeast corner of Texas, along the Louisiana border, and going west picks up two whole coastal counties, Jefferson and Galveston, and about half of another, Brazoria.
It was not what Mr. Paul, the 76-year-old physician, had in mind. The district lost much of its rural character, and he faced the daunting prospect of introducing himself to about 300,000 people who were not in the old version of the district.
Though he is running for president, Mr. Paul could have also legally sought re-election, as he did in 2008. Mr. Paul is now in his 12th term.
More: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/11/us/politics/running-for-ron-pauls-house-seat-but-not-in-his-image.html#h[]
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