Published: October 20, 2009 03:42 pm      

Burleson candidate switches focus

Will take on Averitt for state Senate seat

The filing period for the November 2010 elections doesn’t begin until Dec. 3, a date unheeded by several Republican contenders who have been actively campaigning for the Congressional District 17 seat for months.

The seat is occupied by U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, but Edwards can breathe a bit easier knowing he now has one less potential competitor.

Burleson resident Darren Yancy announced Wednesday his decision to instead challenge state Sen. Kip Averitt, R-McGregor in the March Republican primary.

Averitt represents Texas Senate District 22, which includes Johnson and nine other counties.

Averitt first won election to the Senate in 2002 and was re-elected in 2006.

Before that he served 9½ years in the Texas House of Representatives.

Averitt said Friday that he intends to seek re-election.

“A healthy democratic process can only produce good things for our friends and neighbors,” Averitt said. “I look forward to the opportunity to discuss the issues and run a strong, positive race on behalf of Senate District 22.”

Involvement in a lawsuit with XTO Energy played a role in his decision to remove himself from the District 17 race, Yancy said.

“In March of this year, after I had begun my campaign, XTO filed for condemnation against our homestead for substantial pipeline construction.” Yancy said. “For month we have been working to re-negotiate the conditions of the condemnation, but have failed. This month we were to have a trial to settle the value of the damage to our home. That trial has now been moved to March 23, after the primaries. This places uncertainty on my ability to compete in the federal campaign circuit.”

That forced him to make a decision to do what is right for District 17, Yancy said.

“This race was never about me, rather to unseat liberal Chet Edwards and get a conservative voice for our district,” he said.

Several Republicans planning to run against Edwards have the qualifications to accomplish that, Yancy said.

“I’m proud to have been involved in this race and the men committed to improving our country,” Yancy said. “However, the time has come to begin to rally around one or two individuals for the March primary vote. The crowded field must begin to thin out, and someone has to take the first step.”

Yancy said he is aware of rumors of state legislators, “big money” people and people associated with Texas A&M University possibly entering the District 17 race.

These rumored contenders should have entered the race months ago, Yancy said, and should abandon those notions now.

“To come in and undermine the efforts of the current candidates in the race after they have given months of sacrifice to serve District 17 would not sit well with voters in the district,” Yancy said. “If these men are allowed to compete without outside interference, a winner will emerge from the primary that District 17 will rally around to defeat Chet Edwards.”

Announcing his intention to enter the Texas Senate District 22 race, Yancy questioned Averitt’s conservative qualifications.

The office “is occupied by an individual who called themselves conservative, yet the votes given and bills drafted by this person on matters to the residents of the district seemed to be far from conservative,” Yancy said. “The difference in this race and [District 17] is that the seat is occupied by a Republican.”