HILLSBORO — Democratic officials Thursday night tapped John Cullar, a Waco attorney and former McLennan County Democratic Party chairman, to run against state Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, in November’s state Senate race.

At a meeting at Hillsboro’s Lone Star Cafe, the party chairs from nine of the 10 counties that form Senate District 22 selected Cullar.

The party had the opportunity under state law to pick a candidate after former Sen. Kip Averitt, R-Waco, removed himself from the general election ballot, leaving both major parties without a nominee.

John Cullar talks after accepting his party’s nomination for State Senate on Thursday.
Rod Aydelotte/Tribune-Herald

“The good news is there is no stump speech,” said Cullar, addressing the chairs before their 9-0 vote.

“But we’ll be working on it and we’ll be working toward putting together a comprehensive campaign.”

In Cullar, the Democrats picked a candidate from the district’s most populous county, a Baylor University graduate and a longtime Waco-area civic leader who has been involved in the Boy Scouts of America, a local Little League group and the Waco Symphony.

Baylor political science professor Thomas Myers, who taught Cullar as a student, described him as “a bright student and a capable person.”

Myers said Cullar’s challenge would be appealing to moderates and Republicans in a right-leaning district, given that he was the face of McLennan County’s Democratic Party for more than a decade before stepping down this year.

“He’s gonna need some crossover support,” Myers said.

In a brief interview after his nomination, Cullar said his background extends well beyond his work as a local Democratic Party leader and he would be able to appeal to voters regardless of party affiliation.

“The people who know me and who’ve worked with me understand I can work effectively for every person of this district,” he said.

Birdwell could not be reached late Thursday.

But Republican Party of Texas spokesman Bryan Preston expressed confidence that Birdwell — who won a recent special election runoff — will prevail in November.

“They can nominate whoever they want,” Preston said. “The people of Senate District 22 spoke loudly and clearly in the runoff.”

Chris DeCluitt, a Waco Republican, called Cullar’s nomination “a gift,” saying it would unite the Republican Party after a tough runoff race.

Birdwell defeated former state Sen. David Sibley, R-Waco, in the runoff, drawing heavy support from tea party groups and social conservatives.

Preston said Birdwell has broadened his support in the district since the runoff.

As county party chairman, Cullar mostly avoided taking positions on political issues, but there have been a few exceptions to that rule.

When state legislators were debating a controversial bill to require people to present photo ID before voting, Cullar called the legislation “unnecessary” and “an attempt to suppress voters” in an interview with the Tribune-Herald .

He also has criticized Republican state Rep. Charles “Doc” Anderson, R-Waco, for his support of private school vouchers.

The state Democratic Party is now likely to legally challenge Birdwell’s eligibility for the seat, which was questioned by Sibley during the runoff and by Democrats more recently.

State Democratic Party officials have questioned whether Birdwell meets a five-year residency requirement for the seat, noting he voted in Virginia as recently as November 2006, according to records from that state.

Karen Petree, who chaired the Hillsboro meeting, brushed aside a question about eligibility during an interview after the meeting.

“It’s definitely something we’re going to discuss and look at, but it’s not at the forefront tonight,” Petree said. “We wanted a good candidate who’d be representative of the district, and that was John Cullar.”

mshapiro@wacotrib.com

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