After loss, Kim Brimer thanks constituents and criticizes opponent

FORT WORTH — Three days after losing his District 10 state Senate seat, Kim Brimer sent an e-mailed message to constituents thanking them for keeping him in office for 20 years and criticizing Democratic challenger Wendy Davis for running a negative campaign.

The message did not congratulate Davis.

"I have not heard from him, but I wish him and his family the best," Davis said Friday. "We just came out of a very spirited campaign. But, for the best of the district, I’m happy that we’re all going to move forward and work on what’s best for the district and the state."

Davis, a former Fort Worth city councilwoman, defeated Brimer 147,561 to 140,613, about a 2-percentage-point margin, according to unofficial results.

Brimer sent the message from his family’s ranch in Palo Pinto County, where he is spending time with his wife and grandchildren, said Jarod Cox, Brimer’s campaign manager. Brimer did not return repeated phone calls from the Star-Telegram.

In July, Brimer sued to keep Davis off the ballot, suggesting she was not eligible to run because she remained a council member when she filed to run for the state Senate. But his arguments were struck down by a state district judge, and an appeals court dismissed the suit as moot.

During a Star-Telegram Editorial Board meeting last month, Brimer said that he was done with any legal challenges but that should Davis win someone else might challenge whether she was eligible to run.

But it was also unclear in his e-mail whether he would discontinue legal challenges, although he said: "As we, my office staff and I, finish out the remaining two months of my term, I encourage you to continue to call upon us. The coffee is always hot."

Tarrant County Republican Party Chairwoman Stephanie Klick said it was disappointing that the courts did not clarify the issue.

"I think there are still some real conflicts in the case law, and it would have been nice to have it clarified," she said. "As for Sen. Brimer, when you lose a big race like that, some people just need some time."

Brimer’s e-mail Friday touted strong Republican straight-ticket voting in the district and winning a majority of the votes Nov. 4. He lost the election because more voters supported Davis in early voting.

"I am also proud of our positive and issue-oriented campaign and must admit I am extremely disappointed in my opponent’s underhanded and false attacks against me and my family," he wrote.

Anthony Spangler, 817-390-7420

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