"I'm a Texan, and obviously we're proud of our Texas Rangers," said State Senator Mario Gallegos Jr., a Houston Democrat.

"Best money I ever paid," said State Senator Mario Gallegos, a Houston Democrat.

The chief sponsor of the House bill, Representative Debra Danburg, a Houston Democrat, did not hesitate to jump in.

Mr. Kerry, making his first swing through Mr. Bush's home state, drew hundreds of angry Houston Democrats to a Saturday morning rally.

On the federal level, Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee, a Houston Democrat, is drafting legislation that proposes studying the problem.

"This is all being driven by emotion, not logic," said State Senator Rodney Ellis, the Houston Democrat who is sponsoring the hate crimes legislation.

"It could have been spent on a lot of needy areas in this state that have been underserved," said State Representative Sylvester Turner, a Houston Democrat.

"Compassion is not a sign of weakness, it is a hallmark of justice," said Senator Rodney Ellis, a Houston Democrat and sponsor of the bill.

It was in 1956 that he met Senator Johnson at a gathering of young Houston Democrats.

"My phone started ringing in the middle of last week and it hasn't stopped since," said Billie Carr, a Houston Democrat, who sits on the Democratic National Committee.