Hrbacek Touts Support From Precinct Chairmen

As reported here earlier, of all the GOP candidates seeking to unseat Lampson, three have so far emerged at the top of the heap: Hrbacek, Olson and Sekula-Gibbs. Of those three, Olson and Sekula-Gibbs raised more money initially, but Hrbacek is picking up the grassroots support. In terms of vote getting in the GOP primary, those are coveted endorsements -- mainly because the precinct chairs will go out and "work" their precinct for you.

The NRCC is reporting:

Former Sugar Land Mayor Dean Hrbacek (R), running for Congress in the solidly Republican 22nd district, last week claimed the endorsements of more than 40 GOP precinct chairmen in Fort Bend County.

Rumors are that some recent polling shows Olson not getting much traction in the district despite some high-profile endorsements including one from former Senator (and boss) Phil Gramm. The fact that Olson only moved to the district a few months ago and almost all his money is coming from K Street may be turning the party faithful off. We'll have to see.

Shelley leads the crowded GOP slate at this point (most pundits put her in a runoff paired with a yet-to-be-determined #2) because of her relatively high name i.d. We're not so sure. Her campaign staff is secretely worried about her high negatives (over 50%) in her own polls. Don't count Shelley out, however. She's a smart woman and may be underestimated by her competition.

In the meantime, Robert Talton still has time to get organized. He has good conservative credentials but... can he raise the money to compete?

In addition, it's not too late for another horse to join the race. A late entry or two in December could change the dynamics yet again. It's still way to early to say how this will look come March.