This is what I was told. The source is close to several Craddick insiders but is not a Craddick fan.
–At the chairs’ meeting last week, the Craddick forces divided up the list of members so that every member of the House was called three times. Anyone who lied had to lie to three members. This was smart, because McCall up until now had known who was pledged to Craddick, while Craddick did not know for sure who was pledged to McCall.
–Craddick has picked up two commitments, from 83 to 85.
–There are 16 suspected double pledges, so Craddick would have to lose 11 of the 16 to fall below 75 votes. Remember, McCall is saying that all 16 are pledged to him.
This is one story, and I have heard no other supporting evidence. I do believe that they are calling everybody. For example, Craddick (or an ally) is said to have called Boris Miles. Craddick did everything he could to see that Miles was defeated by Craddick loyalist Al Edwards. Miles, of course, won.
I still think that the fog of war surrounds the race and neither side can be sure of their pledge list.
