Campaign billboards crop up for Chris DeCluitt

By Michael W. Shapiro

Chris DeCluitt (right), a Republican who's challenging State Rep. Charles "Doc" Anderson, put up 16 billboards across McLennan County.

A DeCluitt campaign staffer said the signs went up about a week ago. The billboards cost around $125 a month each, the staffer, Jack Smith, said, for a total around $2,000 a month.

Campaign spending (and fund-raising) has been relatively restrained this year in McLennan County, partly because of uncertainty over district lines and the primary date. The state's redistricting saga means the primaries — which have already been delayed once — could be pushed back beyond April.

The only previous billboard possibly (but not definitely) related to the campaign season was an unusual sign bearing the name PLEMONS in white letters on a black background. The ad contained no other identifying information.

Billboard owner Andy Littrell said that the sign had nothing to do with county sheriff candidate Randy Plemons, and was purchased by a rapper named "P. Lemons." An extensive search, however, found no evidence a rapper named Plemons or P. Lemons exists.

Plemons said he had nothing to do with the ad.

Here's my earlier post on the start of political TV spending.

      Email    Print