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Air Force vet suspends state Senate campaign (updated)
By Bill Conrad, bconrad@acnpapers.com
Former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot and current Frisco resident Scott O'Grady has suspended his campaign for state Senate District 8, which includes Plano, as well as Frisco, McKinney and Allen.
O'Grady suspended the campaign after what he called a series of broken promises by people who had pledged their support to his campaign. Chief among the supporters was state Sen. Florence Shapiro, who O'Grady said pledged to put her resources behind his campaign.
"On Jan. 10, Sen. Shapiro reneged on her promises of a public endorsement, of her political support and of her financial support," O'Grady said Tuesday afternoon. "She said she had to look out for her family who lives in the district. I was disappointed because her support was a major reason why I was running in this race."
Shapiro told a different version of the story, saying that while she was still in office, two men, one of whom was O'Grady, approached her and expressed a desire to seek her seat when she retired. She said when she made her decision she called both men and said she would help them out with any questions they had about the issues in District 8, but said she told both men she would not publicly endorse a candidate.
"After [O'Grady] announced he was running we had a total of about five meetings where I tried to educate him on the issues," Shapiro said Wednesday. "I listened to him and talked with him about what his strengths were and what his weaknesses were. I spent time with him because he said this was something he really wanted to pursue."
She said as the filing deadline continued to get pushed back, it became apparent that O'Grady's Republican challenger, Ken Paxton, was emerging as the front runner. It was at that time Shapiro said she suggested to O'Grady that he may consider running for a house seat since she didn't think he could defeat Paxton in the primary.
"I thought it was pretty significant when all the county commissioners decided to endorse Paxton," she said. "I told him I thought he was making a mistake, that he shouldn't be running. I told him 'you don't have the infrastructure or the money.' I wasn't doing it for any other reason than I thought he was making a mistake. It looked like everything was turning toward a Paxton victory."
O'Grady did not begin this political season seeking the senate seat, which has been held by Shapiro since 1992. In July, O'Grady announced his intention to seek what was then called state House District 33, which included the Collin County portion of Frisco, and then wrapped around the county's northern and eastern borders, and continues south to include Rockwall County.
However, several months later when Shapiro announced she would not seek re-election, O'Grady decided to seek that seat instead, after he said he was approached by Shapiro and asked to run.
In a Facebook post on Monday, O'Grady thanked his supporters before announcing the campaign suspension.
"At this time, due to the uncertainty of a primary election date from redistricting, I am suspending my campaign for the Texas State Senate ... I just need to regroup and reassess things," he wrote. "I appreciate you all."
New district maps for the Texas House and Senate, as well as the U.S. House, are stalled in federal court after lawsuits by civil rights groups claimed the maps unfairly discriminated against minority voters. Interim maps drawn up by a court in San Antonio were thrown out by the U.S. Supreme Court, and replacement maps have not yet been approved.
As a result of the maps dispute, the Texas primary has been moved from March 6 to April 3 and could be moved back further if new maps are not decided by Feb. 6.
O'Grady is an Air Force veteran who was shot down over Bosnia in 1995 and evaded capture for six days before being rescued by U.S. forces. He said he is a lifelong conservative who feels called to serve his country.
"I am a public servant at heart that served in the military for 12 years and feel a sense of duty to give back to my community and country," he said. "When I was looking to run for office I was very interested in running for Senate District 8, but it was not available. People encouraged me to run for House District 33; I felt honored to run for that."
While the campaign is suspended, O'Grady said no decision has been made on whether to withdraw from the race when the filing period reopens.
"It is tough for all candidates with the unknown of where the lines will be drawn, the election dates and who is going to be in what race," he said. "I am not out of the race; I am just suspending my campaign. I need to go back and regroup, reorganize and reassess my campaign."
Paxton is now the only Republican actively seeking the seat. Jack Ternan, a Democrat, is also seeking the seat. It is possible additional candidates could file to run when the filing period reopens once redistricting maps are officially approved.
After O'Grady's announcement, Paxton said he is proud of the campaign he has run.
"Over the past several months, our campaign has been honored to earn the support of numerous citizens, community leaders and elected officials, both here in the district and across Texas," Paxton said. "We've worked hard to win the trust and support of the people. ... Despite recent developments, our dedicated and faithful volunteers and supporters will take nothing for granted. We will continue to push forward to ensure that our district has effective, conservative representation in the Texas State Senate."
Whether he decides to continue or call off his campaign, O'Grady said he will continue to do what he can to further conservative causes in Collin County.
"At my core I am a fiscal conservative and believe the government should live within its means since it requires families and businesses to do the same," he said. "I live here and love Texas and will continue to champion conservative values during this political cycle running for office or supporting causes I believe in."
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