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Kotin
03-06-2008, 02:24 PM
http://haysfreepress.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=475


Ron Paul supporters make play for party positions
Kyle man captures GOP county chair spot

Jen Biundo
Staff Writer

In the months of ado about Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, John McCain and Mike Huckabee, it was easy for many voters to overlook races all the way down the ballot.

But 2008 wasn't just about presidential nominees. The Hays County GOP ballot featured no less than 10 contested races for county and precinct chairman, compared with just one contested precinct chair race on the democratic ticket.

Several of those GOP candidates support presidential hopeful and US Congressman Ron Paul.

When the votes were counted Tuesday night, one of the challengers, attorney Craig Young of Kyle, much to the surprise and chagrin of the established Republican party leadership, walked away with the top prize.

The descendent of one of Kyle's founding families, Young defeated incumbent county party chairman Linda Kinney of the Dripping Springs area by a narrow 82 vote margin. A staunch Ron Paul backer in his presidential race, Young has also been active in the anti-toll road campaign in Central Texas.

Kyle contested Republican chair results included Joseph Burton downing Rod Limely 61-38 for the leadership roll in the Plum Creek precinct. In Old Kyle Laura Hall bested Merle Demo by a 79-25 margin.

Young beat out Kinney by a margin of 50.7 percent to 49.3 percent.

But Paul Velte, who also campaigned for Paul and won his bid for the Pct. 227 chairmanship Tuesday night against Kyle resident Karaky Kovaly, said there wasn't a concerted effort by Ron Paul supporters to take over precinct leadership.

"I think they're just people that came out of the woodwork," Velte said of the 23 candidates seeking the ten chairman positions. "I think it's healthy for a party to have that kind of activity."

Three of the races, in precincts 330, 441 and 444, were contested in a three-way split; and the Pct. 444 race has the distinction of being the only Hays County election that may be headed to a run-off.

Precinct chairman is often considered a public service position more likely to require drafting of an unwilling candidate rather than campaigning by a hopeful one.

But campaigning is precisely what Kovaly was doing outside the Pct. 227 polls Tuesday afternoon.

Her opponent, Velte, is also an incumbent precinct chairman. Former allies, the two found themselves squaring off for the job after the lines of their precincts were redrawn.

Kovaly said she wanted to serve another term as precinct chairman to mobilize other members of her party.

"I'm just glad there are so many people excited about the Republican candidates," Kovaly said.

Velte ended up winning the contest by a 99-49 margin.

The GOP pct. chairman races stood in stark contrast to their Democrat counterparts, Velte noted.

"I think it's rather interesting," Velte said. "On the Democrat side there's only one contested race [for precinct chairman], which tells me a lot about what's going on in that party. That's amazing that there's so little interest in it."

jacmicwag
03-06-2008, 03:57 PM
Great work guys. That's how we eventually win this thing.

Cleaner44
03-06-2008, 04:20 PM
This is the Ron Paul Revolution.