The Optimist
  • Home
  • About
    • Advertise
    • Policies
    • Staff Contacts
    • Jobs
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Multimedia
    • Photo Galleries
    • Videos
  • Features
  • Print Edition
    • The Pessimist
    • Special Projects
  • Police Log
  • Classifieds
You are here: Home / Opinion / Editorials / Kirk campaign strategy not wise

Kirk campaign strategy not wise

October 23, 2002 by Optimist Editorial Board

Ron Kirk doesn’t care about West Texas. He doesn’t care about your vote. He doesn’t care about what you care about. But he wants you to vote for him as if he’s the logical choice.

Kirk, Democratic mayor of Dallas, claims he’ll represent the entire state of Texas if we give him the chance to live inside the Beltway. Really?

“I’m not running as mayor of Texas,” Kirk told the Associated Press earlier this month. “I’m running for U.S. Senator from Dallas.”

That’s a telling statement from Kirk, who has spent all of one day in Abilene, campaigning with Tony Sanchez as they did a quick run-through of West Texas in September. Aside from that, he hasn’t been here. He hasn’t addressed a single West Texas concern. But he has been busy making sure every East and North Texas resident votes for him.

Kirk could make no graver mistake in his bid to take back a Republican seat held for years by retiring Sen. Phil Gramm. Millions of West Texas voters from Abilene to Amarillo to El Paso are watching this campaign.

They are watching Kirk claim he is not running on his race while ignoring white-dominated portions of the state. They are watching Kirk claim he will represent Texas if he’s elected to the Senate while he’s campaigning as if the state ends in the German Hill Country.

Either Kirk is monumentally stupid or badly misinformed about the nature of West Texas. Abilene is stereotyped as conservative, but it’s only a third Republican.

Rep. Charles Stenholm is a Democratic mainstay here, representing one of the largest districts in the state. Democrats can win here, if they try.

But right now, Kirk is content to let Cornyn walk all over him in the West so he can focus his attention on Dallas, Houston, Austin and all points in between.

This, combined with Kirk’s incessant race mongering and his less-than-stellar record in the Dallas school system, will give John Cornyn and the GOP one less seat to worry about on Nov. 5.

Filed Under: Editorials

Other Opinion:

  • Tariffs are the last thing struggling students need

  • Gen Z won the election for Donald Trump

  • A Swift rebuke: When it comes to politics, celebrities just do not get it

About Optimist Editorial Board

You are here: Home / Opinion / Editorials / Kirk campaign strategy not wise

Other Opinion:

  • Tariffs are the last thing struggling students need

  • Gen Z won the election for Donald Trump

  • A Swift rebuke: When it comes to politics, celebrities just do not get it

Follow us online

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Optimist on Twitter

Retweet on Twitter The Optimist Retweeted
ashleyh1607 Ashley Henderson @ashleyh1607 ·
3 Jun

My second year at ACU was full of opportunities that grew me as an individual and a journalist.

In my first year as editor in chief of @acuoptimist, we published six print issues, filmed a 3-hour live election show, and revamped our newscast, all while producing news weekly.

Reply on Twitter 1929734328445178254 Retweet on Twitter 1929734328445178254 1 Like on Twitter 1929734328445178254 1 Twitter 1929734328445178254
Retweet on Twitter The Optimist Retweeted
optimistsports Optimist Sports @optimistsports ·
2 Jun

The Optimist reached out to ACU Athletics, who provided the following statement.

Reply on Twitter 1929676060947632336 Retweet on Twitter 1929676060947632336 1 Like on Twitter 1929676060947632336 1 Twitter 1929676060947632336

Optimist on Facebook

The Optimist

11 months ago

The Optimist

Video

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

The Optimist

2 years ago

The Optimist
"Ending my college education early was always the plan for me, but the things that I have been able to see, experience and examine about ACU’s community were not. I have found immense growth in ACU over the past three and a half years, but ACU still has a long road to climb if it wants to keep catering to students as the world changes around them." To read more of this article visit acuoptimist.com or click the link in our bio. #acu #abilenechristianuniversity #privatechristianuniversity #collegestudentopinion #acuopinion ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Videos

Optimist Newscast Feb. 28, 2024

Our top stories today include a recap of The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, the ... [Read More…]

  • Optimist Newscast Feb. 21, 2024
  • Optimist Newscast Feb. 14, 2024
  • Optimist Newscast Jan. 24, 2024

Latest Photos

  • Home
  • About
    • Contact
    • Subscribe
    • Policies
    • Advertising Policy
    • Letters to the Editor and Reader Comments
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Multimedia
    • Videos
    • Photo Galleries
  • Features
  • Advertise
    • Paid Advertisement
  • Police Log

© 2025 ACU Optimist · All Rights Reserved