Gerry makes it clear that elected officials, organizations, clubs and precinct chairs can endorse one Democrat over another in the Democratic Primary, but that the Harris County Democratic Party does not. From the Texas Democratic Party rules, there is some clarity about who is not allowed to endorse a Republican candidate (or any other opposing Party):
1. A Party Officer shall be removed from office if during the current term of office such officer publicly supports or endorses an opposing party or nominee of an opposing party, a person seeking the nomination of an opposing party, or a non-Democratic candidate seeking an office in an election in which candidates may file by party affiliation and a Democrat is seeking the office in question.
2.The terms “publicly supports” and “endorses” shall include, but not be limited to: serving on a campaign committee; giving financial support, including contributing money or its equivalent such as equipment loans, services or supplies; willingly and knowingly allowing the officer’s name to be used in any kind of letter, public endorsement, news release, or advertisement; or actively soliciting votes by making a public appearance or a door-to-door solicitation of votes.
Party officers are: precinct chairs, county chairs, SDEC representatives, State Chair, convention Delegates and Alternates, and any other officer elected by a Party committee or convention.
From HCDP Chair Gerry Birnberg:
A WORD ABOUT ENDORSEMENTS
Now that the filing deadline has passed and we have a record number of Democrats seeking elective office - many of them in contested primary races - various clubs, organizations, groups, and individuals (or groups of individuals), including precinct chairs, will be making recommendations or endorsements concerning who they think voters should select in the primary election, many after interviewing the candidates or obtaining questionnaire answers from them.
I just want to remind everyone that the Harris County Democratic Party does not endorse candidates in contested primaries. If you hear of an endorsement by some Democratic club or some Democratic elected official or group of elected officials or some Democratic organization or some precinct chair, please do not be confused: that endorsement does not constitute the endorsement of the Harris County Democratic Party or of the 2010 Harris County Democratic Party Coordinated Campaign and it is not made on behalf of, or at the behest of, HCDP, nor does it indicate HCDP agreement or approval. The folks at the Harris County Project, which plays a substantial role in electing Democrats countywide in the fall, have asked me to inform Democrats that that group also does not endorse candidates in the primaries, and it has not participated in any process to favor or disfavor or endorse any candidates in the primary election. The role of the Harris County Project (and that of the Harris County Democratic Party) is to win elections in the fall, not to promote contested candidates in the spring.
Organizations and individuals (including precinct chairs) are entirely free to endorse candidates of their choosing (so long as they do not publically support or endorse a candidate seeking the Republican Party's nomination for office). In fact, the fact that certain groups or individuals have endorsed particular candidates may be very helpful to some voters in deciding which candidates they wish to support with their votes, dollars, or efforts. But the Harris County Democratic Party does not engage in those activities, and wants to be sure there is no confusion over that fact.
Gerry Birnberg
Chair, Harris County Democratic Party
January 7, 2010
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