I was just reading today's Rumbo, pg 4. The piece is put inside a picture frame with Eddie Lucio, III in focus and Eddie Lucio, Jr. in the background. The article is more about other families in the Rio Grande Valley that have a tendency to run for elected offices. At first, the article leads you into thinking that if you want to run for office in the RGV, you need to seek the permission of the Flores-Salinas in western Hidalgo County; the Palacios in the Pharr area; and the Vela and Gonzalez in Cameron County. The article also mentions the Lucios and the Hinojosas who are showing the start of family public service with Eddie Lucio, III and Laura Hinojosa.
At the end of the article, however, Laura Isensee writes that getting the blessing of the prominent families in the RGV is a thing of the past due to our increasing and increasingly diverse population. Now, before running for office, candidates go to these families out of respect. The reason for doing this is that although they don't control elections, these families have a lot of clout and can turn out votes in favor of their chosen candidates by simple endorsement and support.
3 comments:
That is in fact true, we through in a candidate once and did not have any luck.
Part of it, I think, also has to do with marketing. Certain families have brand recognition with their names, which makes it easier to gain traction. Also, large families benefit from having cousins who can help with this or that. Or, somebody in the family can hook you up with a donor. If you are trying to work your way in and have no political connections and a family with no political connections, it's an uphill battle. You're going to have to start out with a lot of your own money.
It was an uphill battle. The actual money came from the candidate himself and the family members. However, it was a good learning exprience.
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