The candidate's lack of good ol' boy charm might make him a hard sell to Anglos, who remain a decisive factor in the election. Murray estimates Vo must win 22 percent of the Anglo vote in the district. Thanks to a growth in the minority population, that share is less than what former candidate Tran would have needed to win the election in 2002. But Vo still needs about 300 more Anglo votes than Tran received.
He could make up for a lack of appeal among whites with better Asian voter turnout. For example, roughly 11,000 voting-age Vietnamese-Americans live in Alief, but only about 1,400 voted for Tran. If Vo can pick up another 1,500 Vietnamese votes, Murray says, he has a good shot at winning. And to Vo's great advantage, groups such as the Vietnamese Community of Houston and Vicinity have run highly successful voter registration drives since 2002, helping to increase Vietnamese-American registration in Harris County by more than half.
Veteran political analyst Richard Murray's study
concluded that Vo can win.
Martha Wong says her '93 council victory surprised
those skeptical of Asian candidates.
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But in a race where every vote counts, the ultimate decisive factor is Vo himself. And despite his shortage of charisma, Vo holds two big personal advantages. He's no stranger to hard work -- he started campaigning nearly a year ago. What's more important, he knows how to educate himself -- and not just about air-conditioning units.
Vo's campaign often comes across more like a teach-in, where the student is the candidate and the voters are the professors. He has personally visited more than 2,000 houses (wearing out a pair of shoes along the way). From conversations on local stoops, he crafted his platform: repairing public education, reversing cuts in health coverage and improving conditions for small businesses. "That's the most exciting part of the campaign," says consultant Tameez. The platform "wasn't conceived in some back room. It was conceived by the people."
After years of being out of touch with their state representative, voters want a candidate who will listen to them, Tameez predicts. "What's gonna put Hubert Vo in office is the dissatisfaction of average citizens about their representative Talmadge Heflin," he says, "because they don't know who he is, they don't know what he represents, they have never seen him. The only thing they know about him is that, yeah, he is some powerful guy in Austin, but he is certainly not representing me."
On an oppressively hot August afternoon, Vo sets his campaign in motion. He climbs into his Ford Expedition, outfitted with a box of Vo flyers, campaign buttons and voter registration cards. "It's my toolbox," he says. Off Keegans Street, a two-lane blacktop that was once a rural farm road, he spots a 1970s-era subdivision and stops to knock on doors.
At a ranch-style home with a pickup in the driveway, a woman joins her young son at the door. Vo introduces himself. Elvina Rahming doesn't have any questions for the candidate, but she has plenty to tell him about what she wants to change. "I would like to see a government that is more inclusive, and not exclusive," says the young African-American. "That's my main thing: having someone who will represent everyone, and not just one facet of the population, especially in this area, because we are diverse and multicultural, and all of us are here to realize the same American dream.
"I have faith you will do that," she tells Vo.
The houses in the neighborhood look as diverse as their occupants. Some have wild tropical plants, others neatly pruned hedges of roses. But seemingly transcending race and gardening style is a desire to see the neighborhood look better. Even one Anglo voter who meets Vo is willing to consider how the candidate could make it happen.
Warren Proud, a short, wrinkled, registered Republican, opens the door and gives Vo an earful about how he asked the city to repaint stripes on the streets and never received a reply. Vo stands by the door, next to Proud's huge Suzuki motorcycle, and invites him to speak at the next meeting of the neighborhood council, which works on such issues.
Impressed that Vo seems to care about the problem, Proud says he plans to vote for him. Before the candidate leaves, Proud asks how to find the meeting.
"Oh, I'll give you call," Vo says. "I'll give you a call."
