Barbara Ann Radnofsky, Democratic Nominee for U.S. Senator...But, was win too close for comfort in RGV?

Looks like this November will be a humdinger of a battle for U.S. Senate. Barbara Ann Radnofsky eliminated Gene Kelly yesterday for the Democratic nomination in a run-off election that garnered Radnofsky 103,819 votes statewide. Kelly, a candidate most Texans believed was running on name recognition alone, received 72, 408. That's a 31,411 vote victory for Radnofsky, and an overall total that should be raising more than a few eyebrows over at Republican Senator Hutchison's camp.

But the outlook for Radnofsky is a little dimmer once you get further south than Corpus Christi.

In Hidalgo County, Radnofsky received 9,418 votes, while Kelly received 8,565. That's a difference of 853 votes.

In Cameron County, Radnofsky received 3,212 votes, Kelly received 2,478. A difference of 734 votes.

These types of numbers, at the very least should have more than a few eyebrows raised in Radnofsky's camp as well. Especially if, as most Democrats across the state will tell you, Kelly got this many votes by name recognition alone.

Last week, I asked Vince Leibowitz of Capitol Annex to contribute a piece that may give Valley voters insight into who Barbara Radnofsky is, and what she stands for. If you haven't done so, I encourage you to read it again. It's a very good piece, and hits every issue on the mark. In essence, it gets the message across that Radnofsky will be the best choice for the next U.S. Senator. This was my intention, and for the most part, I think many of you voted for Radnofsky because of it. Of course, I would like to feel that you did.

But that's the problem facing Radonfsky in the Rio Grande Valley. Information provided to voters by way of this blog site, or any other South Texas blog site, is limited. The numbers reflect that. Because, honestly, of the 8,565 votes that Kelly got in Hidalgo County, how many people actually know who or what this candidate represented? If you are one, I encourage you to drop me a line via the comments section. I may be going out on a limb here, but I'm guessing that the same thing many Democrats across the state were fearful of Kelly getting by on his name alone, came really close to the truth here in the Valley.

Radnofsky narrowily won the nomination, as far as South Texas votes go. But the word narrowily could also be a synonym "worry" or "disaster". Especially against a highly recognized, highly influential candidate like current Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. If name recoginition alone nearly garnered Kelly the vote down here, you can rest assured, Hutchison, Republican or not, will get the same treatment. Regardless of the Valley's historical leanings towards the Democratic Party. I've listened to enough voters, educated and otherwise, to know that at the heart of every vote cast, is the spirit of who will help us make the Rio Grande Valley a better place to live.

In a word, I think Radnofsky better start making her name, and her stand on the issues clearer to Valley voters who may or may not have access to a computer. Blogging is one thing, and in my mind it definitely works, but it's not enough for those who are not in Radnofsky's or any other candidate's line of site when it comes to campaign stops. If she doesn't, we could very well see Hutchison's smiling face come that Wednesday morning in November when all the votes have been counted and the only thing worth remembering about this year is what could've been.