A slate endorsement arriving in the mailbox of tens of thousands of unsuspecting Harris County, Texas-area GOP primary voters is suggesting Republican primary voters vote YES for a certain Republican judge who wants get back on the bench.
That judge is James Lombardino, the former judge of the 308th District Court. You see, Lombardino was booted off the bench in 2018; more on that in a moment.
That judge is James Lombardino, the former judge of the 308th District Court. You see, Lombardino was booted off the bench in 2018; more on that in a moment.
The two Texas "Conservative" Republicans running the pay-to-play endorsement slate and their recommendation of Lombardino are shown in the two photos below:
What does Pay-to-Play mean in the context of a political endorsement in Texas?
Well, Dictionary. com refers to "pay-to-play" as situations where one must exchange money to engage in an activity or to earn favors or influence, meaning money is exchanged for the purpose of extending the reach of the candidate.
How? By influencing the voter to take the "sample ballot" into the voting booth or complete their mail-in ballot using the above as a guide.
Well, Dictionary. com refers to "pay-to-play" as situations where one must exchange money to engage in an activity or to earn favors or influence, meaning money is exchanged for the purpose of extending the reach of the candidate.
How? By influencing the voter to take the "sample ballot" into the voting booth or complete their mail-in ballot using the above as a guide.
Why is their "sample ballot" suggesting a YES vote for Lombardino so problematic?
We'll let the eagle-eyed former Houston TV investigative reporter Wayne Dolcefino explain it to you:
Do you agree? Should judges avoid real or perceived impropriety and disclose potential conflicts of interest to everyone appearing in their courtroom?
Should Lombardino win the March GOP primary and go on to the November general election, I expect Texas Democrats will hammer Texas Republicans over their choice of Lombardino on the appearance of impropriety that caused him to lose his reelection bid back in 2018--meaning Texas Republicans could conceivably LOSE the race for the 1st Court of Appeals, District Place 5 in the November general to either Democrat Amparo Monique Guerra or Tim Hootman.
So is this endorsement designed for the Republican to win in this race or for the Republican to lose in this race?
