2006年VOA标准英语-Texas Election Campaign Goes Down to the Wire

By Greg Flakus
Houston
07 November 2006
 
Voters in Texas will decide the winner in a four-way race for governor and at least one hotly contested congressional seat. Some candidates in the Lone¹ Star state can be found outside voting stations asking for support right down to the last minute.

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Texas Governor Rick Perry
  
Texas is considered a red state, that is one that leans Republican, but incumbent² Governor Rick Perry has been facing a tough challenge from three rivals, including one from his own party running as an independent.

At a rally in Dallas Monday night, Governor Perry was onstage with the man who preceded him as governor and who continues to support him; none other than President Bush.

BUSH:  "Rick Perry has got a record and deserves to be re-elected governor of Texas!"

PERRY:  "You go out and work your heart out tomorrow and I will be honored to be your governor for four more years."

Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton-Strayhorn  
  
The person in the best position to steal conservative votes from Perry is Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn, who has challenged Perry's budget balancing strategies, his plans for a major transportation project and his tough talk on securing the state's border with Mexico.  Although she chose not to run against the governor in the Republican primary, she is confident her independent bid will pay off.

"We are going to have the first independent governor since 1859; it is going to be Carole Keeton Strayhorn," said Ms. Strayhorn.

But another independent has stolen much of the spotlight³ in this contest-former country singer and mystery novel writer Richard "Kinky" Friedman, who believes his humorous and iconoclastic⁴ campaign could make him the state's first Jewish governor.

 
Richard 'Kinky' Friedman 
  
"It will be like a Texas Camelot, the whole image of Texas will be changed overnight," he said.

The man who may end up ahead of the independents, however, is Chris Bell, the Democratic candidate.  He can count on votes from loyal party members who vote all Democrat⁵ and he is still fighting for the votes of other Democrats⁶ who may have strayed toward one of the independent candidates.

"I think we are in a great position to close the gap. Democrats are waking up," he said.
 
Public opinion polls, however, show Perry comfortably ahead, but it is likely he will win re-election with the lowest percentage of votes in Texas history.

Democratic Candidate Chris Bell  
  
The other interesting race here in Texas is the battle for the 22nd Congressional district south of Houston. That is the district that had been held by Congressman⁷ Tom DeLay, who resigned earlier this year under a cloud of scandal.

Since it was too late to select a Republican to be on the ballot⁸, most analysts⁹ see the district going to Democrat Nick Lampson, who is continuing to work for votes on Election Day.

"The last several days I have been on the phone, dialing and reminding people of how important it is to get out to vote and I will continue to do so," he said.

But Lampson is facing a tough and somewhat unexpected challenge from Republican Shelley Sekula Gibbs, who currently serves on the Houston City Council.  With support from the Republican Party, she has mounted a write-in campaign, something very difficult to pull off, but given the strong conservative base in the district, polls show her in a tied race with Lampson.  She has been outside polling stations making sure that voters who want to write her name on the ballot will know how to do it.

"We want to make sure that the people who take the time to come and vote do have all the tools that they need to write me in," she said.

One of the biggest challenges for voters will be spelling her full name correctly.  Misspellings can lead to ballots¹⁰ being challenged and thrown out.

1 lone   

adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的

参考例句：

• A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤独的海鸥在空中飞过。
• She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空旷的海滩上能看到一个孤独的身影。

2 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

3 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

4 iconoclastic   

adj.偶像破坏的，打破旧习的

参考例句：

• His iconoclastic tendencies can get him into trouble. 他与传统信仰相悖的思想倾向可能会给他带来麻烦。 来自辞典例句
• The film is an iconoclastic allegory. 电影是一个关于破坏的寓言。 来自互联网

5 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

6 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

8 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

9 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

10 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》