Candidate wants to cut the politics

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Democrat running for AG criticizes focus on GOP-driven lawsuits

Sam Houston, the Democratic candidate for attorney general, was in Denton this week looking to spread his message and keep the wheels of his campaign spinning forward toward the November general election.

Houston, who will face Republican state Sen. Ken Paxton on Nov. 4, said he plans to change the attorney general’s office by moving it away from the political nature of the office currently under Republican control. Greg Abbott, the current attorney general, is facing Democratic state Sen. Wendy Davis in the race for governor.

“I want to change it from being a political office back [to] being a lawyer’s office,” he said.

Houston said the office has a $500 million budget and around 700 lawyers and is more powerful than people might think.

“There’s too much emphasis on political lawsuits, too many dollars being spent,” Houston said.

A lawsuit should be the last resort for any attorney, he said.

“What it should never be, and this is a big disagreement of mine with Abbott and Paxton, it shouldn’t be used as a campaign promise,” Houston said. “That’s not the way this office would be handled.”

Another issue Houston wants to tackle is school finance.

“For too long, our tax dollars have been going into the courtroom and not the classroom,” he said. “It’s a campaign slogan, but it’s true.”

While school dollars are on the top of his list of concerns, Houston noted that the consumer protection division needs more attention. With all the business coming into Texas, which he commended, Houston said there are some businesses that are not looking out for the consumer and those need to be kept in mind. He said environmental protection needs should be looked at as well.

“I’ve spent my life working with lawyers on the other side, negotiating, mediating, working with people who don’t agree with me,” Houston said. “A good lawyer is happier when you can reach resolution on something than beating someone in court. Nobody is always right; there is always a middle ground. If I am surrounded by Republicans, I would do my best to work with them. We do need that kind of discourse. I think having both parties represented in governance is a very good thing. Some people say that is gridlock — hopefully you can get around that.”

It should be obvious to vote for Houston, according to Phyllis Wolper, Denton County Democratic Party chairwoman. She said she met Houston during a presentation he did for the county party and has spoken with him many times since then.

Wolper said he is qualified, is looking out for the interest of the common man and stands as such a high contrast to Paxton.

Houston said he knows his race is not the one packing the polls this November, but he is still going to run his campaign hard and talk to as many people as he can to do what he can for himself and the Democratic Party.

“If I can go out and do my piece of this and get my message out that we have better ideas, then people will go vote and we will win,” Houston said. “I think I can win this race by just doing that.”

BJ LEWIS can be reached at 940-566-6875 and via Twitter at @BjLewisDRC.


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