Libertarian Mark Ash recently made news following an alleged endorsement of his Democratic opponent in the final days of the race for Texas Attorney General. The only issue is that Ash made no such endorsement and claims that his original article was misinterpreted.
Last Wednesday, October 26, Mark Ash published an opinion editorial in the Amarillo Pioneer titled “Libertarian Candidate for Attorney General Recommends Democrat Rochelle Garza.” The article quickly spread around Texas political circles and was picked up by the Texas Democratic Party, where it ran on its social media accounts.
The initial article, while no longer available on the Amarillo Pioneer’s website, contains many highly flattering sections of Garza that led to the assumption that this was an endorsement.
“I know that many voters are reluctant to throw away their votes on a third-party candidate,” Ash wrote. “So if you feel that your vote may not count, then voting for Rochelle Garza is the better choice. Therefore, I am taking the extraordinary of recommending Rochelle Garza for Attorney General over Ken Paxton. Not voting or voting for me may not be enough.”
Soon after, however, Ash retracted his original editorial. Then, in a follow-up article also submitted to the Amarillo Pioneer, Ash requested the publication withdraw his article from public view entirely. “Although almost all of the article is true,” Ash wrote, “the article is being misinterpreted as an endorsement of my opponent, Rochelle Garza.”
Mark Ash continues to campaign and release new posts on his website since news broke of his editorial. His most recent article was his position on property rights, released on October 31, 2022.
Ash’s misconstrued words have the potential to benefit the Democratic Party nominee greatly. In polls including all three candidates on the ballot, Ash’s support varies from as low as three (3%) percent to as high as eight (8%) percent. In an August University of Texas poll, support for Ash was more significant than the margin of support between Garza and Republican Ken Paxton. Early voting is currently underway in Texas; however, the Texas Tribune reports that turnout is lower than in the past.
Independent Political Report contacted the Ash campaign earlier today for further comment. Mark Ash sent the following in response to questions about his recent editorial and remaining in the race:
“The article that I approved was withdrawn because it was misinterpreted as an endorsement of my opponent. You are correct that I did not withdraw from the race and I did not intend to endorse my opponent.
I failed to contact any of my fellow Libertarians to give them an opportunity to review and comment on the article before its publication because of poor planning on my part. Also, in my haste, I approved the article without making it clear in the article that I am not endorsing my opponent and that I am not withdrawing from the race.
I plan to distribute my campaign cards near voting locations in Houston, but I do not have any campaign events planned.”
Thanks to SocraticGadfly for the news tip about Ash’s endorsement.
Ahh, plot thickens. So, fellow Texas Libertarians, presumably including some in positions of authority, DID beat Ash about the head.
And, state media, like the Morning News piece I sent Jordan, never claimed Ash was withdrawing. So, he got b•tt-hurt and now methinks he doth protest too much, or at least he leaves himself open to appearing that way. (To his credit, he does also admit a screw-up on his part.)
The article has been updated to include an email response I received from Mark Ash concerning his opinion editorial.
Sounds like a qualified endorsement of an opponent, Bill Weld style. Good luck walking it back, but the toothpaste has left the tube.
Uhh, you can’t retract something after it’s been published.
Mark Ash, meet media.
Oh, and it appeared on more than social media accounts. It was in all the major papers here in Texas. The Morning News. The Texas Trib, etc.
And, yes, now that he’s tried to retract that, I’m sure there’s a backstory. Jordan, I’d suggest seeing if the Texas LP has anything to say as well. Did they get on the horn or the email with Ash after seeing this?
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Sidebar to part two: Tis true on early voting here. I had basically no wait this morning.