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Diversity keeps contest unsettled
District 134 could pick either of self-described moderates

By Lori Rodriguez

Houston Chronicle 10/15/06

In a midterm election year in which many outcomes are easy to predict, state House District 134's taut battle between Republican incumbent Martha Wong and Democratic challenger Ellen Cohen is the local equivalent of a presidential swing state.

The high-dollar race could go either way. And though Libertarian candidate Mhair S. Dekmezian also is on the ballot, it will come down to the major-party candidates, who offer up a study in contrasts that mirrors the diverse district itself.

Until the 2001 redistricting, District 134 was anchored in Montrose. For two decades, abortion rights, gay causes and other liberal touchstones were the stock in trade of Democratic Rep. Debra Danburg.

In 2002, Danburg was faced with a reshaped and more GOP-friendly district that includes the Medical Center, West University Place River Oaks and Bellaire. Wong, who had represented parts of the district on the City Council, saw an opening and swooped in.

Now, Cohen, longtime CEO of the Houston Area Women's Center, sees the same opportunity. "People in the district have said they're tired of having a representative who represents her party in the Legislature instead of representing the district," Cohen said.   "She has voted almost 99.9 percent with the far-right side of her party. I would like to be more like Mayor Bill White and less like the failed leadership of her party.

"You're not going to get anything if you serve one ideology or the other."

That said, Cohen, who has overseen the Montrose-area women's center for 15 years, espouses textbook Democratic views. She's for stricter environmental protection, abortion rights, gay marriage, stem cell research and increased state funding for the federally matched Children's Health Insurance Program.

She accuses Wong of being against all of the above.

Broad representation

Wong is the daughter of Chinese immigrants and was raised in humble circumstances. She was the first Asian-American on the City Council and the first Asian-American woman in the Texas House.

She thinks her legislative votes reflect constituents who include not just eclectic Montrose voters but the rich in River Oaks and the middle-class in Southside Place, South Braeswood, Meyerland and Bellaire.

"The truth is, I tackle this job from a very personal point. I am involved. When my constituents call me, I call them back. When they want me to do something, I do it," Wong said of her approach to the job.  And of Cohen? "All she does is attack."

Controversial issues

The record shows Wong voted against some amendments to a bill aimed at cleaner air that she said were based on flawed research. But she has voted for eight major bills aimed at improving air quality.

She supported an "informed consent" bill requiring health care providers to warn women seeking abortions of potential health risks. Cohen said the bill is aimed at scaring women away from the procedure.

Wong supports properly regulated embryonic stem cell research. She supports same-sex civil unions but not gay marriages; she abstained on the controversial proposition banning both in the state Constitution for that reason.

Cohen has charged Wong with supporting vouchers that would allow students to attend private schools with tax money. She did vote for a bill aimed at low-income parents of children failing in public school.

"I don't think government should tell parents where they should send their children. In my district alone, half of the children go to public schools and half go to private schools. But poor children don't have that choice," Wong said.

"That's what's ironic. My opponent supports freedom of choice for everyone but children and their parents."

Children's health

In recent years, CHIP has become a line in the sand between tussling Democratic and Republican candidates.

In Wong's first term, she voted for a state budget that cut nearly $1 billion from government health programs, including CHIP. Wong said the Legislature was grappling with a $10 billion shortfall, and cuts were made across the board.

Because of that, Cohen said, the state missed out on $837 million in federal matching funds.

"Yes, you have to make choices, but I don't think you should make them on the backs of our children," she said.

CHIP funding later was restored. But enrollment has dropped from 500,000 in 2003 to 300,000. Cohen blames Republican legislators. Wong said numbers are down because the economy is better and unemployment is down.

"I don't want to keep people on CHIP or Medicaid. I want people to move up in the world. My family did that, and if my family could do that, others can, too," Wong said.

Missteps or successes?

Cohen blames her opponent for supporting what she views as GOP missteps on gay rights, the CHIP program, tighter abortion rules and property tax cuts that may not sufficiently fund public schools.

Wong points to accomplishments, citing legislation on public school financing, reducing property taxes, raising teacher pay and improving the Workers' Compensation system.

Proposed limits on lawsuits that proponents call tort reform is another partisan divide.

As is typical, Republican Wong is backed by Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC, which wants to limit personal injury lawsuits, and Democrat Cohen enjoys the support of trial lawyers who file such suits.

Both candidates are formidable women with records of public service. Ultimately, the decision could come down to how many voters thought they were sending a moderate Republican to Austin and got a hard-liner, as Cohen alleges.

And, also, whether that is a good or bad thing.