Jason Earle is likely the front runner by virtue of his name alone. But to me, he seemed a little like a sharply dressed 13-year-old at his bar mitzvah, reading his Torah portion, occasionally stuttering in such a way as to reveal that he, like everyone else, has actually memorized his portion so as not to have to try and decipher the vowel-less scripture on the fly. He managed to treat the forum like a stump speech, saying little beyond grand platitudes. It may not matter. He is the son of District Attorney Ronnie Earle, who is prosecuting Tom DeLay. That may take him all the way through the general election for all I know.
Valinda Bolton impressed me. She spoke passionately about being a Democrat, using the word "Democrat" over and over. Her background of advocacy for the victims of domestic abuse also struck me as a positive quality for a state representative. In fact, I think she is exactly the kind of candidate who will do well in Travis County in November 2006 if the election is nationalized to the extent I think it will be. Travis County Democrats are angry and active right now. They want someone who will fight for them and proudly say "I'm a Democrat." I also like that she worked on No Nonsense in November, and that she, like all the other Democrats in the race, is pro-choice...
If there were a candidate that caused me to think twice about that, it would be Eric Beverly. He was so steeped in policy, that I became shocked and confused. He has worked as a bill editor in the legislature and as a policy research specialist. I came away with the impression that he clearly knew what he would be doing in the legislature like no other candidate.