In Texas, every Doggett has his day

0 Comments | Insight on the News, May 20, 1996 | by Lisa Leiter

"Doggett's not only a liberal but somebody who's been fighting the good fight for a long time," says David Prindle, a Professor of government at the university of Texas and a longtime Austin resident. "He's very vocal, he never backs down and you know where he stands."

Nevertheless, the male Doggett also has tried to appeal to the large bloc of high-tech voters - people he describes a "apolitical" although most might say they lean toward libertarianism - by sitting on the House Science Committee which he calls a "do-nothing operation" under the leadership of conservative Bob Walker of Pennsylvania. Obviously frustrated in the minority, he teamed with Rep.Tom Davis, a Virginia Republican whose district also is packed with government workers, to form a bipartisan information-technology group with plans to explore issues such as encryption and electronic commerce that "don't have as much pizazz on the political agenda." He also was the first Democrat to sign a discharge petition for bipartisan campaign-finance reform.

Once home to the late Lyndon Johnson, Austin has transformed itself in recent years from a slow-paced university town into a compact, urban magnet for big businesses. Its population has doubled in the last 20 years to about 1 million, and with that swell has come a change in the Political climate: Democrats always had a sure thing in Travis County until last month, when more residents voted in the Republican primary than in the Democratic one. Some say the transplanted sub-urbanites drawn to the city by high-tech industry contributed to the right-ward tilt while others attribute the sudden GOP surge to a lack of contention on the Democratic ticket. "There was no interesting race for the Democrats," agrees Prindle. "Republicans have been increasing across Texas for several decades. The trend here is no greater than it is anywhere else."

Even Tom Pauken, chairman of the state Republican Party, says the Texas delegation in the House could swing either way in November. "We could lose two or gain two to four seats," he says. Texas voters are as volatile - perhaps more - as the whole American electorate, a trait most recently displayed by the defeat of recent Democratic defector Rep. Greg Laughlin in the Republican primary despite his endorsement by a Who's Who of Republican leaders. He lost his seat to conservative Ron Paul, a former GOP congressman.

Indeed, the 10th District still is largely Democratic primarily because of the vast number of local, state and federal government workers and the number of universities in the area, admits Royal Messet, the state GOP's Political director. "Any state capital tends to believe in government and fears anyone who wants to cut taxes," he says. "This is probably one of the last places it [Republican conservatism] is going to take hold. People believe in government in Austin."

That's only one of the hurdles Teresa Doggett will have to overcome in her campaign. The abortion issue could hurt her if it heats up; Austin is decidedly pro-choice, says lifelong Austin resident and Democrat-turned-Republican Louise Epstein, a former member of the city council and a Teresa Doggett supporter. She also must corral independent voters attracted to billionaire ROSS Perot's 1992 platform. And a high turnout could work against her, according to Messet. But calling her a "darn good candidate," he adds: "This is a town that likes credentials. She's more qualified than any other Texas candidate."