On The Record: Janelle Rath

For this episode of On The Record, we speak with Janelle Rath, County Chair for Bandera County.

Were there any major issues during your local primaries?

We didn’t have any major issues dealing with the primary in this area. The Democrats turned out to vote, and the caucus turnout was awesome.

How do state politics affect your neighborhood?

State politics affect my neighborhood badly. We need to get rid of the governor. State politics are totally Republican. There are no checks and balances in this state under a Republican majority.

Do you have any ambition for higher office? Do you have plans to run for any other party office, or possibly even public office?

I will remain as the county chair for another term. I am not thinking of running for any other positions now due to my age.

Who are some of your political heroes?

John F. Kennedy was my number one hero. I was brought up under Roosevelt. Robert Kennedy is another hero of mine. It hurt me the worst when he was assassinated. It was a bad day for me and for the country.

What are you looking forward to in the coming cycle?

I hope Obama can pull out a win.

What one thing would you say a political organization never has enough of?

Time is important, for one thing. Volunteers are important, also. Most of the time, there are not enough volunteers to get them on the road and running an efficient campaign.

I was impressed with Obama’s volunteers. The Obama ground organization was the best.