Lukin Gilliland (photo)
Candidate for Congressional District 23
By Kelly Fero, Press Contact
(SAN ANTONIO) -- Longtime South Texas rancher and businessman Lukin Gilliland entered the race for the U.S. Congress in CD23, saying it's time to set a new direction for positive change.
"Washington's values are upside down," Gilliland said. "They need a healthy dose of traditional Texas values and can-do spirit on Capitol Hill."
Gilliland opened his official campaign account and seeded it with a $500,000 contribution to signal his commitment to run a competitive race.
"I will focus on the issues of critical concern in our communities," Gilliland said. "And I won't hesitate to defend myself or my supporters against the inevitable attacks from Washington D.C.-style politicians."
Current leaders in the nation's capital have failed to address a whole range of critical issues, Gilliland said, from health care reform and pension protection to energy independence and finding an exit strategy from the quagmire of civil war in Iraq.
A recognized leader, businessman, and rancher with a deep interest in land- and water-use issues, Gilliland said one of his top priorities is to secure the natural heritage of the region, which sprawls from South San Antonio to El Paso County.
His successful business career and tradition of community activism underscores his conviction that "government should lead, set priorities, work in partnership with private and volunteer sectors, and stand up for the majority, not just the few," Gilliland said.
Gilliland graduated from Alamos Heights High School in San Antonio and the University of Texas at Austin, with a bachelor's degree in Government. He lives in San Antonio.
We are glad to see someone step up that can raise the money to take the 23rd Congressional back to the Democrats.
ReplyDeleteRaising money and representing a community are two different things. Maybe Lukin should have raised money for a candidate who can win in Northwest Bexar County, South Bexar County and the outlying areas, or actually live in the 23rd!
ReplyDeleteEnough of opportunist candidates.
As to the "anonymous" comment #2 about the Lukin Gilliland race for Congress, I agree that the candidate should "actually live in the 23d (congressional district)" and do all the rest to help one who does live in the 23d win one for the Democrats! Ditto! Ditto! Ditto! Gilliland should drop out!
ReplyDeleteIf you look at the big picture, it doesn't really matter if someone has been living across the street from their district. The way the lines are drawn are all bullshit, both before and after the redistricting. District 23 runs from San Antonio to the outskirts of El Paso, with 600 miles of farmland, dust, and tumbleweeds inbetween. How similar are the needs of someone in Marfa to the needs of someone in San Antonio? Did you even know that there is a town called Marfa in TX? I'm more interested in supporting someone who is fair and just and can win against Bonilla than supporting someone who grew up in the same neighborhood in my hometown. Someone who grew up in my hometown is good enough for me. I don't see any good reason to support someone who can't beat Bonilla, and beating Bonilla will take significant money. I don't like the system, and think that it needs to be changed. However, until we have true campaign finance reform, we have to compete within the existing guidlines to win.
ReplyDelete