Category Archives: Election 2014

Judicial Q&A: Randy Roll

Posted on October 16, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates on the November ballot. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Comptroller candidates will debate

Posted on October 16, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a trend! Candidates in the race for state comptroller have agreed to one televised debate, though watching the debate requires a Time Warner Cable subscription fo North Texas viewers. Mike Collier, a Democrat from Houston, and Sen. Glenn Hegar, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Comptroller candidates will debate

Judicial Q&A: Scot Dollinger

Posted on October 15, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates on the November ballot. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Judicial Q&A: Scot Dollinger

Judicial Q&A: Josefina Rendon

Posted on October 14, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates on the November ballot. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Interview with John Cook

Posted on October 13, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The office of Land Commissioner is often overlooked, but it has a role to play in a whole lot of aspects of state government. From state parks to beaches to mineral rights, from the Alamo to veterans issues to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

More on the voter ID ruling

Posted on October 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

As always with big court cases, the first question is who benefits politically from the decision? With a federal judge having declared Texas’ voter ID unconstitutional, Democrats and political experts on Friday predicted the surprise decision potentially could help Wendy … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on More on the voter ID ruling

YouGov: Abbott 54, Davis 40

Posted on October 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

As Ed Kilgore noted on Friday evening, YouGov dropped a load of gubernatorial race polls, including another Texas result. You may look at the topline number and feel dejected, but let me point out two things. One is that YouGov … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on YouGov: Abbott 54, Davis 40

Endorsement watch: Sweep for Sam Houston

Posted on October 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Houston Chronicle endorses Sam Houston, completing a sweep of the big papers for the Democratic candidate for Attorney General. Democratic candidate Sam Houston is the best choice on the ballot. A graduate of Baylor Law School and candidate for … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Endorsement watch: Sweep for Sam Houston

Sameena Karmally

Posted on October 11, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Meet Sameena Karmally, whose race against Jodie Laubenbeg is important not for if she wins or loses but for what she represents. If Democrats are going to turn Texas purple, they need to do a lot of work at the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Sameena Karmally

Endorsement watch: State Reps and Sam Houston

Posted on October 11, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron made its State House endorsements in two parts. The highlight from Part One was a couple of key races. District 23: Susan Criss In one of the few competitive contests, Democrat Susan Criss and Republican Wayne Faircloth are … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Endorsement watch: State Reps and Sam Houston

Judicial Q&A: Kay Morgan

Posted on October 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates on the November ballot. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Judicial Q&A: Kay Morgan

Mail ballots

Posted on October 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Campos: I put out this yesterday and it got some buzz: In 2010, here in Harris County, 54,625 folks voted by mail. 24,231 went straight GOP and 11,448 went straight Dem. 31,101 voted for Governor Perry and 22,875 for Bill … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Judicial Q&A: Mack McInnis

Posted on October 9, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates on the November ballot. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Judicial Q&A: Mack McInnis

Endorsement watch: Probate courts

Posted on October 9, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron makes its endorsements for Probate Courts, and as they have done recently stayed mostly with incumbents while having nice things to say about the challengers. The one Democrat they recommended out of the four races was as follows: … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Judicial Q&A: Shawna Reagin

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates on the November ballot. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Judicial Q&A: Shawna Reagin

Voter registration numbers are up

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news here. The number of Texans registered to vote in the state’s five largest counties increased by 2 percent since 2012, a reversal of the decline in total voter registrations that was seen before the last midterm election. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Voter registration numbers are up

Judicial Q&A: Barbara Gardner

Posted on October 7, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates on the November ballot. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Saving SD10 and other benchmarks

Posted on October 7, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Observer looks at the race to succeed Wendy Davis in SD10. It’s a steamy, hot summer morning in the Metroplex, and at the Dixie House, a Southern-style diner in east Ft. Worth where gravy flows like water, Libby Willis … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Saving SD10 and other benchmarks

Interview with Mike Collier

Posted on October 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Given that we are guaranteed to have an entirely new set of statewide officeholders after this election no matter who wins, there are a lot of candidates with current or past experience as elected officials, or at least as candidates. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Interview with Mike Collier

Rasmussen: Abbott 51, Davis 40

Posted on October 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Rasmussen giveth, and Rasmussen taketh away. Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott leads Democratic opponent Wendy Davis by 11 percentage points among likely voters with a month until Election Day, according to a newly released Rasmussen Reports poll. The gap was … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Rasmussen: Abbott 51, Davis 40

Endorsement watch: Chron for Leticia

Posted on October 5, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s amazing how easy some endorsement decisions are, or at least should be, this year. The differences between the candidates this year could hardly be more stark. State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte of San Antonio, the Democratic candidate, is … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Endorsement watch: Chron for Leticia

Texans Together asks for Justice Department investigation of AG and Harris County

Posted on October 4, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Hello Friends: We recently made a formal, written request to the U.S. Justice Department to immediately investigate Texas and Harris County officials for voter suppression in Harris County (see letter here). We are asking for a federal … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Texans Together asks for Justice Department investigation of AG and Harris County

Alameel and Cornyn will debate

Posted on October 4, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve had Davis-Abbott, we’ve had Van de Putte-Patrick, and we’ll get Alameel-Cornyn. Sen. John Cornyn and Democratic challenger David Alameel have agreed to one face-to-face televised debate. They’ll meet in Dallas at Mountain View College on Friday, Oct. 24. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Alameel and Cornyn will debate

Judicial Q&A: Kyle Carter

Posted on October 3, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates on the November ballot. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Judicial Q&A: Kyle Carter

Gov debate II: That’s more like it

Posted on October 3, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The second Governor’s debate was a lively affair. Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott, who has mostly avoided direct confrontation with his opponent in the race for Texas governor, took a hard swing at Democratic Sen. Wendy Davis over her ethics … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Gov debate II: That’s more like it

Endorsement watch: Criminal courts

Posted on October 3, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron made its endorsements for the Criminal District Courts over two days. For their first four endorsements, they went with three Republican incumbents and one Democratic challenger: 184th Criminal District Court: Mark Thering Judge Jan Krocker has been a … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Judicial Q&A: Chip Wells

Posted on October 2, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates on the November ballot. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Lyceum: Abbott 49, Davis 40

Posted on October 2, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Pretty decent result that will hopefully put the “double digit lead” narrative out to pasture. Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott leads Democratic opponent Wendy Davis by 9 percentage points, 49 percent to 40 percent, according to the latest Texas Lyceum … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Lyceum: Abbott 49, Davis 40

Endorsement watch: Chron for Collier

Posted on October 2, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Add the Houston Chronicle to the list of papers endorsing Mike Collier for Comptroller. [Sen. Glenn] Hegar knows politics; Collier knows the numbers. In our view the choice is clear: Texas needs the numbers man, not a politician who wants … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Endorsement watch: Chron for Collier

Interview with Laura Nicol

Posted on October 1, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I know I previously said that I would only have two interviews with legislative candidates this year. That was indeed my plan originally, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned in the years that I’ve been doing these interviews it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Interview with Laura Nicol

The Lite Guv debate

Posted on October 1, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It was lively, and it was a good reminder of who Dan Patrick really is. In the only scheduled debate in their race for lieutenant governor, state Sens. Dan Patrick and Leticia Van de Putte faced off on Monday night … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Lite Guv debate

Judicial Q&A: Jason Luong

Posted on September 30, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates on the November ballot. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Abbott’s Enterprise Fund issues

Posted on September 30, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a bit of a problem for him, isn’t it? While critics were hounding Gov. Rick Perry a decade ago about his job-luring Texas Enterprise Fund, his lawyers went to Attorney General Greg Abbott to block the release of applications … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014, Scandalized! | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Interview with Sam Houston

Posted on September 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

As we head into the home stretch of the campaign – early voting begins in three weeks, and the deadline to be registered for this election is one week from today – we turn to the statewide candidates for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Interview with Sam Houston