The Obama campaign in El Paso and the downticket factor

The campaign for U.S. Sen. Barack Obama formally will open its Alameda Avenue office in El Paso tomorrow. The opening will introduce Juan Sepulveda, coordinator of the Texas Obama campaign, and feature state Sen. Eliot Shapleigh and state Rep. Norma Chavez, two El Paso legislators famously at odds.

But Shapleigh, on Radio KAMA 750 AM Wednesday, called the election historic, and said Democratics must come together. And Chavez said in an interview that El Paso "is a Democratic stronghold and everybody wants to move forward."

Still, the news release for the event does not mention the El Paso County Democratic Party Chairman Danny Anchondo or members of the Unity Campaign, the party effort to get past the lingering feelings from the primary, in which El Paso voted overwhelmingly for U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton. Anchondo, during an event in early July, refused to wear an Obama campaign button, which Obama supporter Jaime Abeytia wrote about on his blog. Nationally, the story of the week was that Clinton appeared to support -- at least tacitly -- an effort by her supporters for a symbolic floor vote at the Democratic Party convention.

The opening of the campaign office is at noon Saturday at the Father Martinez Pavilion at the Pavo Real Recreation Center, 9301 Alameda.

John Padalino, the El Paso coordinator for the Obama campaign, said locally the groups will work together when it counts, and nationally, the story was overblown.

"I have met with the Unity Campaign and we're hopeful to coordinate our efforts with the Unity Campaign, which is really a big umbrella for the party, and also to coordinate our efforts with the (state Rep. candidate Joe) Moody campaign, the (U.s. Sen. candidate Rick) Noriega campaign, the others, to see how we can help each other out," he said.

As for Clinton's comments, he said, just watch the video: "I watched that video and I think the press is trying to create some sort of soap opera."

Sepulveda said he's not sure of what he's walking into in El Paso, but he said that the Obama campaign is focused on a two-pronged approach -- building on a network of volunteers to work in Texas and to influence neighboring swing states such as New Mexico and Colorado, and pushing hard for the downticket races in Texas.

"This goes back to Sen. Obama as a community organizer. The folks running the campaign, they get it. They know when President Obama is governing he's going to need help," Sepulveda said.

There are two major ways in which that help could take shape, Sepulveda said.

One is in the U.S. Senate, which makes Noriega's race important, and the other is the 2010 census, which will lead to redistricting: "It is crucial in 2011 (to have) a seat at the table," he said.

One of those crucial races is Joe Moody's campaign against Republican candidate Dee Margo. Although that race has been named one of the key battles by virtually every pundit statewide, Sepulveda said that "Depending who you talk to, (there are) about 30 House races, seats we need to hold on to and seats we might be able to pick up."

On race that he mentioned was state Rep. Juan Garcia in Corpus Christi, who "went to law school with Barrack," and has a tough race against Republican Todd Hunter.

In the state Senate, he mentioned Wendy Davis' challenge of state Sen. Ken Brimer in Arlington, Chris Bell's challenge for the Houston seat being vacated by Kyle Janek, and Joe Jaworski taking on Mike Jackson of LaPorte, in the Galveston to southern Harris County area.

For Congress, he said that incumbent Ciro Rodriguez, whose San Antonio district takes in a piece of eastern El Paso County, has a tough race against Lyle Larson; Nick Lampson against Pete Olson in Tom DeLay's former Houston area seat; and Mike Stelly against incumbent John Culberson in the Houston area.

Sepulveda said that some of the downticket activity might even extend to local races in some places: "I always tell people Harris County is the swing state of Texas. All those races, even at the county level, will be important."

Sepulveda said the campaign is not conceding any areas. For example, El Paso and South Texas could be key in Noriega's race, he said.

"We know Sen. Clinton did a fantastic job, and had incredible relationships," Sepulveda said. Now, he said, "it's about us and John McCain when we put those options out to folks particularly in Mexican-American, Latino parts of the state. Folks are smart; they'll get it."

Chavez said the strategy in El Paso will focus largely on, as the news release announcing the campaign put it, "a targeted effort in the straight-ticket Democratic areas from Segundo Barrio to Socorro. "

She said part of the tell for El Paso will be how the Obama campaign supports local races, and vice versa.

"There are issues and concern that Democratic supporters be in unity and that hasn’t happened. It behooves El Paso to not only carry Obama but carry him at the percentage we're capable of, which should be 65 percent," she said. "Two years ago the party did not unify for Shapleigh. We can't have that."

On the other hand, Chavez said, "If the Obama campaign wants good support it has a responsibility to support the downticket, and that starts at the top."