David Beckwith, former vice president of communications for the National
Cable & Telecommunications Association, has turned up as a campaign
spokesman for Texas State Attorney General John Cornyn.
Cornyn is running for the U.S. Senate seat of retiring Republican Phil
Gramm.
Beckwith is an old hand at campaigns and politics. He was Dan Quayle's
spokesman in the White House, and he worked on George W. Bush's presidential
campaign before coming to the NCTA.
As state AG, Cornyn is based in Austin, so Beckwith is spending a lot of time
flying back to Washington, D.C., to be with his family.
But Beckwith appears to have a good chance of returning to Washington
full-time. So far, Cornyn's chances look good: Texas is largely a Republican
state, and Cornyn's fund-raising is way ahead of his challengers.
According to the most recent reports from the Federal Election Commission,
Cornyn raised $1.8 million last year, nearly $1 million more than his nearest
Democratic competitor.
And Cornyn doesn't face stiff competition in the March 12 Republican primary.
That leaves him free to campaign and raise money without requiring him to spend
a great deal before the general election.
