Dist. 40: AFL-CIO Endorses Rep. Peña

Rep. Aaron Peña received the endorsement of the state AFL-CIO as well as the Rio Grande Valley Labor Council. These endorsements by organized labor are a boost to the Peña campaign and provide a deep contrast on the image created by his opponent. Peña is a board certified labor attorney and spent twenty years protecting the rights of working men and women. His familiarity with the issues that affect labor make him a natural choice for their endorsement.

Rep. Peña Labor Endorsement

Rep. Aaron Pena received word yesterday of his endorsement by the Texas State Employees Union. The news came after he addressed an audience composed of members of the Union at the University of Texas Pan American in Edinburg. http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

The endorsement from this organized labor group directly contradicts the accusations made by Pena's opponent regarding his efforts in Austin during the last legislative session. Despite efforts by the Eddie Saenz camp to distort Pena's record, those who have worked with Pena seem to be ignoring the smears. Whereas Saenz has sought endorsements from local political insiders, Pena seems to be garnering the favor of his community.

Dist. 40 Candidate Eddie Saenz DWI Court Date

District 40 candidate for state representative Eddie Saenz has a date with the judge on January 31st to try to do what he promised and failed to do for citizens of that district - explain the questionable circumstances surrounding his DWI in Mission Texas.



Let's see if he comes clean this time or if he continues the cover up to keep the public away from how he and his political buddies got him the special treatment that allowed him to go home without arrest even after failed sobriety tests and refused to take the breathalyzer.

Dist. 40: State Party Chairman Endorses Rep. Aaron Peña

Edinburg – Former Texas Democratic Party Chairman Charles Soechting has once again endorsed State Representative Aaron Peña to be re-elected in the March 2008 Democratic Primary. The Democratic Party leader, who served as the Texas Democratic Party chairman from 2003 to 2006, first issued an endorsement in 2004 when Peña was first challenged by Eddie Saenz. Representative Peña went on to a landslide victory, beating back his challenger with nearly 65% of the vote.

“I have known Aaron and his family for over 30 years and it is a pleasure to endorse him,” said Soechting. “Aaron is a good Democrat and I encourage every Democrat to come out and vote for him.”

Although it is uncommon for state party chairmen to endorse in the Democratic Primary, Soechting made the extraordinary gesture in their first race. Peña welcomed the support of another good Democrat.

“I thank Charles for his friendship and support,” said Representative Peña. “Good Democrats like Charles have spent years laboring in advancing the cause of working Texans. I am proud to have spent many years working with good people like Chairman Soechting. These are years of experience money cannot buy.”

Representative Peña first started his career in Democratic Party politics at the age of 9 when he worked as a volunteer for the 1968 Democratic Party nominee for President Hubert Humphrey. In college he served as president of the Hidalgo County Young Democrats. Peña later went on to the state capitol where he worked for two Democratic state representatives. The state Texas Democratic Party thereafter put him to work in Austin. This continued until he was hired to work with Democratic United States Senator Bob Krueger. The National Democratic Party called on Peña to help draft the National Platform at the Los Angeles Democratic National Convention. Peña also served as the State Chairman of the Texas New Democrats and the State Tejano Democrats. At the 2004 Democratic National Convention held in Boston he served as a national delegate.

Rep. Pena is currently serving his fifth year in the Texas Legislature.

Capitol Annex: Where is Eddie Saenz?

Capitol Annex asks a question many of us have been asking - Where is Eddie Saenz? On top of the several days he went missing from the proper procedures in the legal processing of his DWI, to his strange absence from the annual gathering of Democrats in Hidalgo County, to the real location of his residence, people are asking questions. People may want to know what's up but the reclusive candidate for Texas House, District 40 has remained silent. Although he claimed to be taking care of a sick relative, Capitol Annex caught him enjoying a basketball game with his buds. I'm sure this wasn't Kelly Fero's idea. So far his wife has done all the talking while Eddie has gone missing. This year it's the strangest campaign in Texas.