I’m sitting in the Atmos Energy building in good ole’ Midland (far enough away it makes San Angelo a pit stop). Speaker of the Texas House Tom Craddick is facing off against his Democratic/Independent opponent Bill Dingus. So far, Craddick is holding his own and is coming off as  quite likeable to this group. The room is split up with Craddick supporters on one side and Dingus supporters on the other. If the showing is any indication of the election, then Dingus is in some trouble.

I will let you know if this thing heats up.

6:32pm-Ok, it has heated up a bit. They got into a discussion about the Trans Texas Corridor. Craddick offiically announced he is AGAINST the corridor and he said it is DEAD. 

For those of you who have been following the controversy surrounding Speaker of the Texas House, Tom Craddick, you’ll be happy to know the drama begins before the legislative session does. On Sunday, Oct. 19th, Craddick will debate his challenger, Democrat Bill Dingus. You can tune in to KXAN Austin News for all the action!

Now that the latest campaign finance reports have been released, here’s the low down on these two guys:

Dingus: $ 126,315.00

Craddick:  $ 177,572.78

In the Williamson County race to replace Rep. Mike Krusee (R-Round Rock), Democrat Diana Maldonado is coming out ahead in the latest campaign finance reports released. Maldanado reported $227,293 in contributions between July 1 and September 25, 2008. Her Republican contender, Bryan Daniel, raised $84,874 in that same time period. The majority of Maldonado’s contributions came from small donations; $30,000 of Daniel’s money came from Republican donor Bob Perry.

At least when she talks about being more in touch with the average Joe than the other candidates, Palin can back it up with her tax returns. Certainly not struggling, Palin and her husband pulled in $166,000 in 2007 and $128,000 in 2006. But, those figures are a far cry from the other names on the ballot.

John McCain reportedly paid double that ($270,000) for household help last year. As for his income, he reported $852,000 last year; his wife (an heiress) brought in $6 million in 2006. The Obamas aren’t doing too bad either, with a combined income of $4.2 million dollars last year. Finally, Sen. Joe Biden reported $320,000 in adjusted gross income last year.

In all, I was less than enthused with tonight’s debate. I will definitely say the most memorable moment for me was when Sen. Biden almost started crying on stage after Sarah Palin insinuated he didn’t know what it was like for a mom to raise kids alone. Biden immediately reminded the public that he lost his wife and daughter in a car crash and had to raise two sons who were injured in that wreck. His voice then cracked and his eyes teared up…

We’ll hear what the pundits have to say soon enough.

It’s an hour into the debate and here’s what I’ve learned so far:

1. These two agree on energy, same sex civil rights and the problems on “Main Street” resulting from the corruption on “Wall Street”

2. Sarah Palin does not like answering the questions she is asked but loves to talk about energy

3. Both of them have brushed up on their numbers when it comes to the number of times each presidential candidate has voted for energy, military and tax policies

4. They both love Israel

oh and I’m almost forgot….

5. To learn how the economy is doing, all you need to do is ask a soccer mom

As I’ve been covering the bailout bill that failed in the House (thanks in part to several of our home grown Texas lawmakers) I’ve encountered a recurring sentiment among the politicians: surprise. None of them can believe that they are all in agreement when it comes to such an important vote. Rep. Carter’s spokesman said he couldn’t believe when he saw Rep. Doggett’s name on the same side of the nay list. Doggett’s reps said the same thing. So, if there is one good thing that has come out of all this: a newfound camaraderie… maybe crossing party lines isn’t that bad after all.