The Sleeper Race That May Surprise You

What would you say if there was a statewide race in Texas that was winnable, had a great Democratic candidate, and it would shake up the entire political scene in Texas, and have the pundits eat their cowboy hats?

Well, we have such a race where Keith Hampton is running against Sharon “Killer” Keller for the Presiding Judge of the Court of Criminal Appeals. Why is this statewide race so important?

Let’s review how Sharon Keller killed an Texan by refusing to allow him to present papers after 5PM, and he was executed hours later after being refused to present his  case for further review. That callous inaction caused her to be called “unfit for office” by the New York Times.

Here is the backstory to what caused an immediate backlash against her in the legal community in Texas and nationwide:

On September 25, Keller refused to keep her clerk's office open an extra 20 minutes to receive a last-gasp pleading from the attorneys for condemned inmate Michael Richard. Richard's lawyers were having computer problems that prevented them from turning in their motion on time. The 49-year-old murderer was executed just hours after Keller locked the door.

Richard's pleading was a complicated procedural move that followed a U.S. Supreme Court decision earlier that morning that raised doubts about the constitutionality of lethal injection. That gave Richard's lawyers an opening to stay their client's execution until the Supreme Court revisited the issue.

But Keller's decision to close her court at 5 p.m.—a move that has since been blasted by even her Republican colleagues—violated the court's unwritten policies for handling executions.

Whether we all agree on the death penalty or not, what is clear is that Judge Sharon Keller violated standing tradition on the Court of Criminal Appeals, and it got her massive backlash from lawyers that knew her, judges, and legal analysts across the nation. She was an embarassment to the Court of Criminal Appeals, and to the rule of law in Texas.
And the troubles caused by her didn’t stop there. She was publicly warned by the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct. Here is one of the conclusions as stated by the commission:

“Judge Keller’s failure to follow Texas Court of Criminal Appeals’ Execution-day Procedures on September 25, 2007, and failure to require or assure compliance by the Court of Criminal Appeals General Counsel and clerk staff with Richard’s right to be heard, constitutes willful or persistent conduct that casts public discredit on the judiciary or the administration of justice, in violation of the standards set forth in (i) Article 5, sec. 1-a(6)A of the Texas Constitution, (ii) section 33.001(b) of the Texas Government Code, and (iii) Canon 3B(8) of the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct.”

Judge Sharon Keller also was fined $100,000, the largest fine for campaign disclosure violations by the Texas Ethics Commission, because she did not disclose sources of income such as stocks, money market accounts, honoramiums and real estate interest approaised at $2.4 million on her personal financial statements from 2004 to 2008. Doesn’t that sound like the current Republican candidate who’s running for President that refuses to follow in his father’s footsteps and release his tax returns?

Guess Sharon Keller and Mitt Romney have something in common then in thinking that they’re better than the voters, and that people shouldn’t have the right to know what’s in their financial records. The arrogance is strong with this one.

And now who’s the guy, Keith Hampton, that’s running against Sharon Keller? He’s a Democrat, and just outraised Sharon Keller $30,601.00 to $500 this quarter.He’s got the support of 22 former Presidents of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.

Keith Hampton has broad bipartisan support from Independents, Democrats, and Republicans who all support the rule of law. He also gave a hell of a speech at the Texas Democratic State Convention:

“Democrats, are you tired of hearing “we can’t do this” and “we can’t win”? So am I.

I’m tired of our courts and our system of justice being held hostage by antiquated ideologies.

I am Keith Hampton and I am your candidate for presiding judge on the Court of Criminal Appeals.

I am running against Sharon Keller. For those who don’t know, this is the judge who closed the courthouse doors at 5 o’clock to Michael Richard, a death-sentenced inmate seeking a stay of execution. She said famously, “We close at five.” He was executed within the hour.

For her irresponsible decision to close the courthouse doors at 5 p.m., she was condemned by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. Many people hold her responsible for the man’s execution.

Even Republicans don’t approve of Keller’s reckless actions on the court. For a sitting judge, it does not get worse than this.

......

I could go on. But her record as judge is well-known. It is likely the reason that in the heavily Republican statewide judicial bar poll I beat her. I got 52 percent, and she got 38 percent from the judges and lawyers across the state.

Democrats and Republicans in the legal community already believe I am the best candidate and I should replace her on this court. With your help, I will.

This is a winning race. She is the weakest candidate they have. Republicans are embarrassed by her. I spoke with a well respected political science professor, and asked him “Can a Democrat win in 2012?” He responded, “A Democrat can win statewide in 2012 if you have three things: 1. It must be a presidential election year; 2. It must be a judicial race; and 3. Your opponent is just really, really bad.”

We have all three. Democrats, you will not have this opportunity again. This is the winning race.

But you wouldn’t know it from newspapers, pundits and bloggers. They say no Democrat can win. I have been defending your constitutional rights for over 20 years, and if you tell me I can’t win a case, it does nothing but provoke me.

How much sweeter victory will be when no one saw it coming.

How great would it be to wake up in November after the election to read the headline “First statewide Democrat elected since 1994”? Do you like the sound of that?

All it takes is one break-out. That break-out, just as it was for Republicans decades ago when they were in the political wilderness, was a judicial race. Today, the breakout for Democrats is my race.

With your help, I will be your break-out candidate. Together we can revitalize our party, take back important seats in the House and Senate, and restore justice from a judge who the Statesman called “cold-blooded.”

So let us do this for the sake of the Democratic Party. Let us do this for the sake of our great state. We can do this. We must do this. We will do this.

I am Keith Hampton and I want your support to restore justice this November.

Now that's the kind of speech that comes from a winning candidate in a winnable race in the State of Texas. He would win the first statewide race for Democrats that hasn't been won in decades, put egg on the face of the GOP, and put the first Democrat on an all-Republican Criminal Court of Appeals by kicking out Sharon Keller.

On that seat, he'd follow the rule of law. He'd be fair. He'd be impartial. Most of all, he would be what is needed in a judge regardless of political affiliation. That's the kind of judge that has been lacking in our state court system. So many of our judges are politicized. So many of them say no, flout the law, and look the other way like Sharon Keller.

If you want Keith Hampton to win this race, then help him out by donating today!

Donate $10 or more to Keith Hampton for Judge!

Now, with your help, this race could be a sleeper race that wakes up the state of Texas, and makes us realize that a Democrat in a statewide office ain't so bad, and that people are better off for having him in place.

Let's get to it, kossacks!