Baxter is a good man...a better man than you will ever be.

That's not what your momma said.

I will miss him and his hair.

A good man? Erm, maybe. A good legislator? Not so much.

He's leaving to help HM thru confirmation...and this definitely means Andy won't win...he just ain't got the resume

I've been away. What's the scoop on the real reason for the resig? Can't stand the heat of another campaign with baby on the way? Can't stand the salary? Gonna get indicted?

There's more than one democrat vying for that seat. Don't forget about Donna Howard: www.votedonna.com.

Democrat chances have taken a nosedive. They needed Baxter and his lousy voting record to have any chance at the seat. Now that's gone.

Adios Baxter. We won't miss you. Unfortunately, there is truth in what Toby says. I don't think Baxter's departure spells Democratic doom, though. I am still of the opinion that Brown is the best candidate the Dems have for 48. If Howard and Rider were the only players, Baxter probably would have stayed in.

Sorry, Toby. You're wrong. Republicans are in free-fall, from Washington to West Lake Hills. No one is interested in Ben Bentzin and his pro-voucher, anti-choice carpetbagger bucks. Harroet Miers Law Partner is right, though. Andy Brown now has as much chance of winning as I do -- and I'm not even a citizen.

Will somebody please tell me what a "carb face" is?

Rumor is that he got caught with his pants down in his state office

Carb Face is that round swollen face look...you know kind of like Tom Sizemore. Incorporate this phrase into your every day vocabulary. If you have a 'carb face' stop eating bread immediately and switch to an all tic-tac diet.

Godmother,

The real reason he's resigning is because he knows any (smart) person who runs against him is going to harp on the fact that he took TRMPAC money in '03... Something about taking donations from people who are under indictment just won't put a warm fuzzy feeling in the constituency's collective belly.

"f Howard and Rider were the only players, Baxter probably would have stayed in," says Rip. Rip is wrong. The word on the street is that a poll was in the field within the last 30 days, and it came back with two interesting points: Baxter's school voucher vote hurt as much as TRMPAC and that he lost to anybody in a matchup. That latter point is why Andy was in the race...he didn't have to have anything other than the fact he wasn't Todd. That goes away now. At least Donna and Kathy have credibility on education issues. Andy doesn't (unless you count his Daddy's stint as higher education commissioner). Donna and Kathy have run for and won office. Andy hasn't. Donna and Kathy can tell you why they are running for state representative without using the words "Todd Baxter took tainted money." Andy can't. Donna and Kathy have families and ties to the district. Whether you think this is important or not , many voters in the district do. Andy doesn't -- he just moved into an apartment in the district for Pete's sake. And even though Donna's lost elections, I think anyone whoever has lost an election can tell you it makes you a better candidate. So, Rip and PinkDome yourself, you might want to rethink jumping on the Andy Brown bandwagon....it just might be headed off a bluff into the Colorado River.

Andy for Gov.

Anybody but Andy Brown for Austin. He couldn't even hold on to his first job out of school - with Baker Botts, one of the most prestigious law firms in Texas. They had a little discussion with him about all of his "political" (see: dirty) activities and asked him to leave. What kind of precedent is that for how he'll do in public office?

Andy Brown is the weakest D, I agree. Unless of course they try to resurrect Kelly White, the absolute worst candidate in the recent history of electoral politics. Kathy Rider won't run, just like she didn;t run last time after talking about it for months. Donna Howard's the one to back. She can raise the money, talk circles around Ben Bentzin on the issues, and tap into the Kelly White network without all the negative baggage.

Tell us more about the "dirty"politics ma'am. And how do you know about the "little Talk" with Baker Botts ? Has Andy stated any of his campaign ideas ever?