The Texas Democratic Party is flirting with disaster in the U.S. Senate race. The March 4th primary is fast approaching, and the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll finds that the state’s progressive Democrats are not reaching voters. The headline story from the poll is that Republican Greg Abbott leads Democrat Wendy Davis 47-36 in the probable November Governor’s race. While that is troubling news, the more disturbing news found in the poll, is the Democratic Senate primary results. If the poll is accurate, Texas Democrats are setting up a runoff between a Lyndon LaRouche disciple and a wealthy dental chain mogul who once helped bankroll the campaigns of Mitch McConnell, Rick Perry and several other Republicans.
According to the February poll, Kesha Rogers leads with 35 percent. David Alameel is in second  with 27 percent. Maxey Scherr polls third with 15 percent. Harry Kim is at 14 percent and Michael Fjetland garners 9 percent support. Rogers is a follower of conspiracy theorist Lyndon LaRouche. She carries posters of Barack Obama sporting a Hitler mustache, calls for his impeachment, and compares the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to the genocidal policies of the German Nazis in the 1930s. Like most Lyndon LaRouche followers, she also thinks the United States is being secretly controlled by a cabal of London bankers. In addition, she favors expanding manned space exploration and colonizing Mars  to prevent “mass extinction of the human species”. Yet, despite her hatred towards President Obama, she sits atop the Democratic Senate primary in Texas.
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
Her nearest challenger is wealthy dental chain mogul David Alameel, who has contributed generously in the past to Republican candidates including Mitch McConnell, Rick Perry and Greg Abbott. Ironically, he also helped bankroll the campaign of John Cornyn, the man he now hopes to unseat. Kesha Rogers leads while comparing Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler. David Alameel is running in second, despite having contributed heavily to Texas and national Republican leaders. Democrats in Texas are in grave danger of nominating an embarrassing Senate candidate who will undermine the Democratic ticket throughout the state. Rogers, in particular, can do nothing but fuel Tea Party paranoia, while running on the Democratic ticket, giving bipartisan cover for right-wing fantasies about an Obama dictatorship.
With Wendy Davis and Leticia Van de Putte running for Governor and Lt. Governor, Texas Democrats are running its strongest state wide slate since Ann Richards was at the top of the ticket. However, if Democratic voters sleepwalk through the Democratic primaries and allow the wrong Democrat to become the U.S. Senate nominee, 2014 could turn into a political disaster for Lone Star state Democrats. Frankly, neither Rogers nor Alameel seem like candidates that Democrats should rally behind. Primary voters who want a progressive candidate for U.S. Senate should probably opt to select Maxey Scherr and hope they can boost her into a run-off.
Under no circumstances, should any self-respecting Democrat cast a ballot for Kesha Rogers, whose comparisons between Obama and Hitler should be regarded as offensive and absurd by all rational people of conscience. Democratic organizers in Texas need to get the word out about what Rogers stands for and make sure that she does not secure the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senator. Voters need to vote on or before March 4th and send a message that the Texas Democratic Party is awake, and that they do not think Barack Obama is a Nazi. If Kesha Rogers secures the Democratic nomination, it will be a disaster for the Democratic Party in the state of Texas, and sadly it will be a catastrophe of their own creation.
Keith Brekhus is a progressive American who currently resides in Red Lodge, Montana. He is co-host for the Liberal Fix radio show. He holds a Master’s Degree in Sociology from the University of Missouri. In 2002, he ran for Congress as a Green Party candidate in the state of Missouri. In 2014, he worked as a field organizer for Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick’s successful re-election bid in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District. He can be followed on Twitter @keithbrekhus or on Facebook.
