Gary Pollard, Chair of the Republican Party of Harris County says that the Mayor race was won by Mayor Brown due to " dirty campaign tactics of Lee P. Brown and his apologists in the media". Gary goes on to state that the Brown team "carried campaigning to a new low in this election"
Others, including the media have said, "this was the most negative campaign in the history of Houston". That is just plain not true. I have been involved or observed up close most of the Mayor's races for almost thirty years and all most all of them have been negative when it came to the run-offs.
Look at the 1991 runoff between Bob Lanier and Sylvester Turner. That was not negative! Or Kathy Whitmire against Sheriff Jack Heard. "Come on out and fight like a man" was one of the milder things that Kathy said. Or Fred Hofheinz against Dick Gottlieb in 1973. Gottlieb said "watch out for the block vote" and everyone knew what he meant. What about Louie Welch and the shoot the q-----s" remark when he was running against Kathy and with the "straight slate" during the AIDs scare in 1985.
This was a spirited race and each candidate used what he could to get his voters to go vote. But did it leave lasting splits in the community? I doubt it. Pollard lost and that is why he now whines about campaign tactics. Would each candidate like to take back some of their remarks and signs and wanted posters? Sure. But politics is a contact sport and in this election hardly anyone got a bloody nose.
George
gstrong@political.com
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