Senator Kel Seliger (R-Amarillo) is being backed by several members of the Amarillo political establishment, providing voters with all they should know on election day.
As the March 6th Republican primary race heats up, Seliger is preparing to face off with Amarillo restaurant owner Victor Leal and former Midland Mayor Mike Canon. The three candidates have been assembling teams and platforms for months and are planning to go to war beginning in February, leading up to the March 6th election day.
While all of the candidates are pumping their platforms, Seliger is also pumping his list of friends as the election approaches. Many elected officials from the Amarillo area have praised Seliger for being the champion of something and while this may seem noble, Seliger's elected supporters are often part of the political establishment that Seliger claims to resist.
Seliger has been the recipient of praise from Amarillo politicians Anette Carlisle and Leon Church. Both of these politicians are well tied to the establishment in Amarillo and have questionable voting records at their respective institutions. In their votes, both Carlisle and Church have voted to raise property taxes. Carlisle voted to raise taxes at Amarillo College and Church voted to raise taxes at Potter County.
Carlisle's support is also especially interesting for Seliger, noting Seliger's claim of a 100 percent A+ rating from the National Rifle Association. Perhaps Seliger has not seen a post from Anette Carlisle's campaign Facebook page in which she said "I am NOT a fan of this!" in response to the Texas House of Representatives' approval of campus carry legislation.
While you may agree or disagree with Carlisle on campus carry, it is interesting that Seliger promotes himself as being a total gun rights, NRA-backed candidate, while being actively supported by elected officials who have spoken out against legislation supported by the NRA.
Carlisle and Church are only two of the elected officials actively supporting Seliger, their company alone should speak to voters. Seliger cannot claim to support property tax relief while being supported by Church and cannot claim to be an NRA candidate while being supported by Carlisle.
In the days leading up to the March 6th primary, Seliger should take some time to rethink his policy positions so he can better articulate them to Amarillo voters. In the meantime, Seliger's true stances are up in air because of the company he keeps.
-Thomas Warren III, Editor-In-Chief
Photo by Carlisle, Church Campaigns