 "Photo: Daniel Grajeda")
With voting more than a year away, Texas Rep. Rick Noriega, D-Houston, continued working to gain support for his U.S. Senate campaign at the Scholz Bier Garten Wednesday.
Noriega hopes to unseat Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002 after serving on the Texas Supreme Court and as Texas Attorney General. San Antonio attorney Mikal Watts has also launched a campaign for the seat.
Noriega's audience was mainly members of Democracy for Texas, a local group founded in 2004 to support Howard Dean's goals to aid "socially progressive, fiscally responsible candidates" and to promote "grassroots political organizing," according to the group's Web site.
Democracy for Texas Executive Director Fran Vincent said the organization invited Noriega to speak because he exemplified the group's origins.
"He's gaining a lot of grassroots support," Vincent said. "We're a grassroots organization, so it just makes sense."
Noriega announced his candidacy last year and has since been touring Texas cities to "listen and understand the problems" in Texas, he said.
Earlier Wednesday afternoon, Noriega said he wanted to speak about civic engagement to the group at Scholz's, but by Wednesday evening, his topic of discussion had changed.
As the sun began to set, Noriega jumped on the stage at Scholz's and opened his speech by criticizing Bush's positive outlook on progress in Iraq. He then segued into the idea that politicians in Washington are merely for show and "don't get anything done," he said.
"We need work horses in D.C., not show horses," he said.
For the first time, Democracy for Texas will endorse candidates this election, Vincent said. The organization's support will be based on who its members vote for in an online poll, she said.
After his speech at Scholz's, Noriega addressed the University Democrats, who are supporting his campaign, said President Benjamin Trotter, a government sophomore.
"He really needs to capture the youth because we are a working force," Trotter said. "We're powerful in the Austin community and when we give our endorsement, it means something."
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