Mario Gallegos To Be Governor Of Texas

On Saturday, he'll be the Governor for the day, which is an honor bestowed on the president pro tempore of the Senate each year - the position which Senator Gallegos holds. It will be a busy day with ceremonial stuff going on plus events, like the dinner dance on Saturday night.

Today is also a big day for Senator Gallegos and the people of Texas. He'll be in Austin today to hold fast with ten other Democrats to block the absolutely horrid voter ID bill. To state the obvious, we are all fortunate that Gallegos' health has improved enough for him to save us from the Republicans who run our state - on this issue and others.

Kristen Mack reports on lobbyists as gossips (who knew?!) and passes this on about Senator Gallegos:

An integral part of the word of mouth is lawmaker reaction to gossip. They can either dispel it, downplay it or keep it going.

Take Sen. Mario Gallegos, D-Houston, who has been at the center of recurring speculation about his political future.

Gallegos has missed most of the session recuperating from a liver transplant.

Word spread this week that he, too, would resign at the end of the session. His term runs through 2008.

A key player

"You can tell whoever said that that I plan to run again, unless I die," said Gallegos, who on Saturday will serve as governor for a day.

Gallegos was sworn in as president pro tem on the first day of the session, a rotating role among senators that puts them third in line of succession to the governorship.

Gallegos has become a critical player in the Senate this session. His touch-and-go status has put him at the center of a controversial, partisan-charged voter identification bill.

Democrats have promised to fight it, but their success depends on whether Gallegos is here to maintain their 11-member bloc and keep the bill from coming to the floor for debate.

Gallegos doesn't have to do or say anything once he's in Austin.

Democrats just need him to be here.