Category Archives: Election 2008

The Rasmussen poll for September showed Rick Noriega trailing Sen. John Cornyn by seven points. Now we have confirmation of that from Research 2000, via Kos: Research 2000 for Daily Kos. 10/14-15. Likely voters. MoE 4% (5/5-7 results) Cornyn (R) … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Remember how crowded the early voting locations were during the primary, and how so many people were reporting wait times of up to two hours to cast their (Democratic) primary ballot? Well, things will be considerably busier starting Monday. An … Continue reading → Continue reading →

With all the time spent by people like me talking about the high-profile races in Harris County, it’s important to remember that there are good candidates doing the hard work of running in races that aren’t considered top tier as … Continue reading → Continue reading →

A little update from the Chron on the three high-profile Congressional races in the area. Houston-area congressmen John Culberson and Nick Lampson are seeing major shifts in financial support for their opponents’ campaigns as the candidates meet the latest deadlines … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Thanks to for reminding me about this. An e-mail circulating throughout Texas and apparently targeting supporters of Democrat Barack Obama falsely warns voters that casting a straight-ticket Democratic ballot won’t register a vote for Obama. Democratic leaders are crying foul. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

A small peek at what’s coming on Sunday night for the early vote rally at Discovery Green: Apparently, YouTube has blocked the sound, but you’ll hear it on Sunday night starting at 7 PM. Guest speakers will include Senate candidate … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Note: This entry is part of a series of written Q&As with judicial candidates who will be on the ballot in Harris County. I am also doing recorded interviews with non-judicial candidates. 1. Who are you, and what are you … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Three more Legislative endorsements from the Chron today. I got two of them right. Dwayne Bohac for Texas House District 138: Republican incumbent Bohac was born and raised in this northwest and west Houston district and has served in the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Susan Strawn keeps racking up the endorsements of her candidacy for Texas’ Worst Court. Here’s the Statesman: The Court of Criminal Appeals should be a showcase of Texas justice. Instead, it has become a national embarrassment. It’s time for a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

This article appears to be a companion piece to the earlier story about the Republican game plan, though it’s less about strategy and more about the legislative horse races. [T]hough Texas Republicans dispute any notion of losing their leverage, political … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I mentioned in an earlier post that the HDCC had a big fundraiser coming up in Houston. Here’s what you need to know: Image courtesy of BOR, which has more details. Click the image to get RSVP info. Any questions, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Sometimes, even in Texas, truth is stranger than fiction. Remember the story about Republican CD22 candidate Pete Olson and his multiple voter registrations? Well, the Lone Star Project went ahead and filed a complaint (PDF) about it in the Commonwealth … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I’ll say this for the Chronicle: Their pace of making endorsements in maddeningly slow, but at least they’ve been easy to predict. That continues to be the case as they give the nod to Rep. Nick Lampson in CD22. With … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Kristi Thibaut is a repeat candidate from 2006, taking another shot in HD133 against now-first term incumbent Jim Murphy. Thibaut’s race got a little lost in 2006, as much of the local action was focused on CD22 post-Tom DeLay and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Do you ever get the feeling that Sen. Kim Brimer really really really didn’t want to have to run an actual campaign against Wendy Davis? Because he sure won’t quit griping about the fact that he lost all of his … Continue reading → Continue reading →

As a progressive in Texas, I often find myself in the position of having to bite my tongue when it comes to some of the not-exactly-progressive positions that a number of my fellow Democrats take. Some do so out of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

There’s a lot to talk about in this front page story about how the Texas GOP is going to focus its efforts on downballot races, but let’s start by talking about the one thing the article doesn’t bring up: Money. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Note: This entry is part of a series of written Q&As with judicial candidates who will be on the ballot in Harris County. I am also doing recorded interviews with non-judicial candidates. 1. Who are you, and what are you … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The Chron gives two more fine endorsements today: Joe Jaworski, Texas Senate District 11: In a district that includes portions of hurricane-ravaged Galveston, constituents need a forceful and energetic senator to promote their interests in next year’s legislative session. The … Continue reading → Continue reading →

More info on this event will be forthcoming through the week. Early voting begins on Monday. Time to get fired up! Continue reading →

The Statesman has some things to say about the current makeup of the Supreme Court. Three of the nine seats on the Texas Supreme Court are up for election this year, and all three have Republican incumbents facing competent Democratic … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Another good call by the Chronicle: The State Board of Education performs an extremely important function for the state’s school system. It provides direction to Texas schools by adopting policies and setting standards for educational programs. The board is now … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I think you all know how I feel about Rick Noriega. It’s been a long and hard race, as statewide campaigns tend to be around here, and there have been a few bumps in the road, but I’ve been proud … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I’ve said before that I wanted to see a poll in which one of the local Congressional challengers broke the 40% mark while also holding the incumbent below 50. Well, ask and ye shall receive. Research 2000 for Daily Kos. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Pretty good article on the state of things in Bradford v. Lykos, with a well-needed focus on the issues the office faces and the direction the two contenders want to take it going forward. Harris County voters looking for a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The Chron gets back on track after yesterday’s oddity by making the right call in the County Attorney race. In the past year Harris County has suffered through a disturbing series of public ethics scandals that resulted in the resignation … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The Chron makes four easy and obvious endorsements today, and one puzzling one. The obvious ones are for Sen. Mario Gallegos in SD06, Reps. Ana Hernandez and Jessica Farrar in HDs143 and 148, and Carol Alvarado in HD145. All have … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Tonight is the night that KUHT channel 8 runs the debate between SD11 candidates Joe Jaworski and Sen. Mike Jackson. Or, at least, the debate that would have been between Jaworski and Jackson if Jackson had kept his word and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The Chron makes its recommendations for the Court of Criminal Appeals, and makes the right call. Susan Strawn, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 3: The Chronicle believes the best candidate for Place 3 is Democrat Susan Strawn, a fourth-generation … Continue reading → Continue reading →

It’s on my TiVo for later, as I was unable to watch the debate between the US Senate candidates in real time last night, but it sounds like it was a good one. Sen. John Cornyn defended his leadership on … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I was very pleased to see that Jim Henley got into the race for Harris County Department of Education Trustee this year. I thought he ran a fine campaign for Congress against John Culberson in 2006, with his better-than-expected showing … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Here, as best as I can collect them, are the 30 day out campaign finance reports for Harris County candidates. Candidate Contrib Expend Cash ========================================== Mincberg 156,542 1,268,257 82,593 Emmett 331,870 174,618 726,603 Bradford 77,455 69,126 74,062 Lykos 79,397 114,003 … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I guess the Supreme Court was so complicated, the Chron had to do its endorsements in two parts, with the second installment today. I’m pleased to note that I called this one, too. Linda Yanez, Texas Supreme Court, Place 8: … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Note: This entry is part of a series of written Q&As with judicial candidates who will be on the ballot in Harris County. I am also doing recorded interviews with non-judicial candidates. 1. Who are you, and what are you … Continue reading → Continue reading →