HD-52: Diana Maldonado, bridging district's past, future

Democrat Diana Maldonado is running as both a candidate of change and someone who wants to maintain her district's roots and its reputation as a great place to live, work, and raise a family.

"I have the courage to protect Williamson County's rural past and lead our community to a safe and prosperous future," Maldonado told PolitickerTX.com.

The former Round Rock school board president wants voters to remember their kids and their wallets in November. She supports protecting home-buyers from "unscrupulous and sky high insurance rates." But Maldonado said Williamson County's future prosperity depends on education.

"We have a choice. We can continue to send the best jobs and companies out of the country or we can make a serious commitment to our kids," she said.

Maldonado, a twenty year-plus veteran of the Texas Comptroller's office, said the state had reduced education funding over the past five years. "Adequate funding" isn't the only answer.

"I'm not looking for fancy, new programs or an over-reliance on punitive testing standards. I'm looking to make the best of what we have and expect excellence from parents, students, teachers, and state leaders," she said.

Maldonado stressed the fact that voters in Round Rock twice elected her to the school board. "I have worked across party lines and built consensus so that our schools are recognized as cost effective and excellent in Texas Monthly and Forbes Magazine," she said.

The election, she believes, comes down to "a referendum on two disparate theories of government." While she acknowledged Republicans are "fierce campaigners," she said they are not interested "in actual governance and reaching out to people." She cited two examples: the federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina and the state's "margin tax debacle."

Maldonado spoke out against her opponent, Republican Bryan Daniel, for being a Bush administration appointee to the USDA and for his connections to the insurance industry.

"According to the Austin American-Statesman, he regularly confers with Speaker Craddick about his campaign. With contributors like Bob Perry and a variety of insurance PACs on his Texas Ethics Commission finance report, it is clear who [Daniel] works for. He simply is not positioned to be an independent advocate for the citizens of this county," Maldonado said.  

By all accounts, Maldonado's district is growing, attracting Austinites fleeing the city, Texans, and transplants from across the nation. Williamson County has several marquee employers including Dell and Samsung, and many new residents are lured by good jobs, affordable housing, and the schools. No one knows for sure, but many Democrats believe District 52 will follow the trend of other Austin-metro districts such as House District 47, 48, and 50. All three had been represented by a Republican until the last few cycles; now Democrats represent them all.   

"Every day the campaign office has a steady stream of people who are asking what they can do to help the campaign," Maldonado said. "Almost all of them are new residents to Williamson County, and most have moved here from outside of Texas."

Like most Democrats, she pointed to the "unprecedented participation" in the March Democratic primary. Maldonado said her campaign is working hard to reach these voters "door-to-door, by phone, and through mail and TV."

Maldonado will likely have enough money to wage an elaborate media campaign, if she needs to. Her campaign reported nearly $130,000 cash on hand in July. She also reportedly picked up more than $100,000 dollars this month from two sources alone. U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin) helped her raise $60,000 at a fundraiser, while a progressive PAC donated $50,000. 

When voters head into the booth, she wants them to remember her campaign is about bringing both parts of her district, the old and the new, together.

"I want people to remember that my campaign isn't for me. It is for all of us. It's time that the concerns of hard working Texans, kids, teachers, small business people, high tech visionaries, farmers, and seniors come before big business and tired excuses," Maldonado said.