Jim Mattox
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James Albon "Jim" Mattox (born August 29, 1943) is a Dallas lawyer and Texas Democratic politician who served three terms in the U.S. Congress and two terms as attorney general but lost high profile races for governor in 1990 and the U.S. Senate in 1994.
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[edit] Congressional service, 1977-1983
A liberal Democrat, Mattox was elected to Congress from the Fifth Congressional District in 1976, 1978, and 1980. In his first election, he defeated the Republican Nancy Judy, 67,871 (54 percent) to 56,056 (44.6 percent). The incumbent Republican Alan Steelman of Dallas, was running unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate that year against Democrat Lloyd Bentsen.
In 1978 and 1980, Maddox had yet to secure a lock on his district and was hard pressed by Thomas W. "Tom" Pauken, a staunchly conservative Republican attorney from Dallas. In their first battle, Maddox drew 35,52 votes (50.3 percent) to Pauken's 34,672 (49.1 percent. In 1980, Mattox won by fewer than 50 votes, 67,892 to 67,848 for Pauken, who then joined the transition team of President-elect Ronald W. Reagan.
[edit] Elections as attorney general, 1982 and 1986
In 1982, Mattox did not seek reelection to his redistricted House seat but was instead elected statewide to succeed the outgoing attorney general Mark White, who was elected governor. That was the last year in which Texas Democrats, swept all the statewide races on the ballot. Mattox easily defeated the Republican State Senator William "C. Bill" Meier of Euless in Tarrant County, a former Democrat, who holds the filibuster record -- 43 hours -- in the Texas Senate.
In 1986, Mattox was narrowly reelected attorney general; he beat back an unusually strong Republican opponent in San Antonio lawyer Roy Barrera, Jr. In that election, many Hispanic voters supported the Democrat Mattox, rather than the Republican Barrera. As attorney general, Mattox highlighted the state's accelerated efforts to help mothers collect child support from divorced or unwed fathers.
[edit] Challenging Ann Richards, 1990
In 1990, Mattox sought the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. He alleged that his principal opponent, State Treasurer Ann Richards, had used cocaine and was a recovering alcoholic who might falter in handling the strains associated with being governor. Mattox went into a second primary with Richards because a third contender, former Governor Mark White (1983-1987) polled enough votes to keep either Mattox or Richards from winning the primary. Richards went on to win the nomination and the election, very narrowly, over Republican Clayton Williams.
[edit] Failed comeback attempts, 1994 and 1998
In 1994, Mattox ran for the U.S. Senate but lost the Democratic nomination to Richard W. Fisher, who had been a Ross Perot operative in the 1992 presidential election. Fisher was also the son-in-law of former Third District Republican Congressman James M. Collins of another Dallas district than the one previously represented by Mattox. Collins lost the 1982 senatorial general election to Lloyd M. Bentsen. Fisher was, however, defeated in the November 1994 general election by the freshman Republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.
In 1998, Mattox tried to return to the attorney general's position but lost the general election to Republican John Cornyn. Cornyn polled 2,002,794 votes (54.25 percent), and Maddox received 1,631,045 ballots (44.18 percent). (A third candidate received 1.56 percent.) Cornyn had defeated two other candidates for the Republican nomination as attorney general, including Mattox's old rival Thomas Pauken. Cornyn hence became the first Republican ever elected as attorney general of Texas. Four years later, Cornyn vacated that office to become one of Texas' two U.S. senators.
In 2001, Mattox signaled to Democratic Party leaders that he was available to run for governor once again in 2002. He never entered the race, and the nomination went to Tony Sanchez of Laredo, who lost to incumbent Rick Perry.
[edit] References
http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/vol17/issue26/pols.AGrace.html http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist.exe http://www.burntorangereport.com/archives/000526.html http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/vol18/issue09/pols.attgeneral.html http://www.sanderhicks.com/reagan.html
Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections, U.S. House
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E06E3DE1F38F934A35755C0A964948260
| Preceded by Alan Watson Steelman (R) |
United States Representative for the 5th Congressional District of Texas
James Albon "Jim" Mattox (D) |
Succeeded by Tommy Joe "Tom" Vandergriff (D) |
| Preceded by Mark White (D) |
Texas Attorney General
James Albon "Jim" Mattox (D) |
Succeeded by Dan Morales (D) |
