Some of the most hotly contested races on the ballot are Districts B, C, J and K as well as At-Large Positions 2 and 5. For more info on Position 5, please refer to the last post.

Candidates in District B have probably obtained the fewest endorsements. Most groups have decided to wait and watch as there are 10 candidates in the race. A few are surfacing to the top and a couple of them have gained endorsements from various groups. The Chronicle stepped into the fray by endorsing Kathy Ballard Blueford-Daniels who is considered by many to be in the top four of the field. Due to the lack of many endorsements in this race, they will carry little weight with the voters of District B. These candidates will win through hard work and pounding the pavement.

In District C, most endorsing groups have stepped out and selected candidates. Ellen Cohen is garnering the majority of endorsements while Brian Cweren has picked up a couple of business and conservative groups. Karen Derr has won several labor endorsements. However, District C is composed of active, educated voters that will likely cast their ballots based upon their own motivation. While endorsements might influence a few, they will not carry significant weight in this newly redrawn district.

District J is a new district and was drawn with a majority Hispanic Voting Age Population (VAP). However, voting age does not convert to registered voters. The candidates include a long-time community and civic leader who is white and two Latino candidates with deep ties to the community. Many endorsing groups have sat on the sideline for this race. Those who have endorsed have supported Mike Laster for the most part and he won the Chronicle endorsement. Laster has sought office previously and many of the endorsing groups know him. Criselda Romero has also collected a few endorsements. It’s hard to predict the impact of endorsements in this new district. They may influence some of the long time voters but will have little influence with new ones.

District K is the other new Council district and is a racially mixed district. Most of the candidates are African-American and the leading contender is Larry Green. He has garnered support across the board, from business and labor to the Chronicle. Few groups are sitting this one out as he is widely perceived as the front-runner. Also, many groups know him for his position with Houston Works, a job training agency. Will all these endorsements matter in a new seat and low voter turnout? Or did he gain the endorsements because of his front-runner status? If he does win the election, all elements will be considered influential to the victory.

At-Large 2 is the other very competitive race. There are ten candidates vying for an open-seat with a top 4 or 5 emerging from the pack. Kristie Thibault has garnered Police and Fire support as well as labor and Democratic organizations. As a former Democratic State Representative, she is a known quantity to many of the endorsing groups. However, most of the business organizations have decided to sit this one out and wait for the run-off. The Chronicle went with Thibault as well. Endorsements may matter in this race if the candidates have enough money to communicate the message or the endorsing groups do a good job of mobilizing their voters. All of the District races will influence who wins this election and they may look for candidates with similar endorsements.

With the anticipated low voter turnout, endorsements may matter more this year than they have in the past.

Next post will examine individual endorsements.