Reply #4: From the article.... [View All]

[Justitia]

"Baxter first won election to the House in 2002 and won re-election last year by fewer than 200 votes. He has been attacked by Democrats for taking money in 2002 from Texans for a Republican Majority, formed by U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, and from the Texas Association of Business, which, like DeLay, is under indictment for its involvement in the 2002 elections.

Baxter was never charged with any wrongdoing.

"I think probably Todd saw the writing on the wall and the Republican establishment, my assumption is, moved in and said, 'Mr. Baxter, you're not going to win this race and so let's put somebody in there that doesn't have the baggage you have,' " said Chris Elliott, chairman of the Travis County Democratic Party. "But any candidate they put in there, Ben Bentzin or whoever else, is going to be a product of the same Republican establishment that has been inept in the way they run this state."