Candidate filing for 2004 elections begins

06:01 PM CST on Wednesday, December 3, 2003

Associated Press

AUSTIN – Candidates for president, Congress, the Texas Legislature and other offices began filing papers for the 2004 primary election Wednesday, even as a dispute simmered over which congressional districts will be used.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Martin Frost of Arlington filed to run in the district he has represented for 25 years. Frost said he was confident a federal court will uphold existing congressional boundaries and toss out a GOP redistricting plan approved this fall.

The Republican map, which Democrats claim violates minority voting rights, decimated Frost's heavily minority district.

"I will run for re-election even if the proposed plan is upheld and would make a decision at that time as to where I would be a candidate," Frost said.

A federal trial begins next week over a Democratic challenge to the Republican redistricting plan. Texas Republicans, seeking to overcome the Democrats' 17-15 advantage in the state's congressional delegation, pushed for new districts that could give the GOP as many as seven additional seats.

Democratic state lawmakers tried to thwart the GOP plan and staged two out-of-state boycotts to block it, but Republicans dominate the Legislature and ultimately prevailed.

All candidates running in the March 9 primary have until Jan. 2 to file their election paperwork with their respective parties. Those running for Congress will have an additional period, from Jan. 11-16, to file under the new congressional map if it gets federal court approval and is used for the election.

Wednesday's start of the filing period brought campaign announcements from members of both major political parties. In addition to Frost, U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, filed for re-election.

In the Legislature, Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas; Rep. Richard Raymond, D-Laredo; Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands; Sen. Craig Estes, R-Wichita Falls; and Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, were among those who filed for re-election.

State Rep. Steve Wolens, D-Dallas, announced he won't seek re-election after his current 12th term, which will have spanned 23 years. State Sen. Teel Bivins, R-Amarillo, nominated by President Bush to be ambassador to Sweden, submitted his resignation letter to Gov. Rick Perry on Wednesday. Bivins has served in the Senate since 1989 and is stepping down effective Jan. 12.

Officials of both political parties said they were experiencing the steady stream of filings they expected the first day.

"No surprises, but I guess we've got a few more weeks to go," said Ted Royer, spokesman for the Republican Party of Texas. "We are excited about giving Texans the opportunity to select the very best candidates in our primary to represent them in the November elections."

Sean Byrne, spokesman for the Texas Democratic Party, said candidate filings were keeping the usual pace for a presidential election cycle, when Texas does not have a full slate of statewide candidates on the ballot.

"Democrats around the state are excited about taking on the Republicans this year and refocusing our state on the real priorities, like education and health care, and not on partisan power grabs," he said.

The Democrats claim U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, has led a Republican "power grab" by pressing for new congressional districts in Texas.

DeLay and other Republicans have said they want fair districts that represent the state's conservative voting trends.