Tag Archives: Beto O’Rourke

Some thoughts on Primary Day

Posted on March 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Will we learn more about the mail ballot debacle? Mail ballot usage during early voting has dropped precipitously since 2018, with tens of thousands of voters — especially Republicans — ditching the forms after two years of the GOP’s baseless … Continue reading →

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DMN/UT-Tyler: Abbott 45, Beto 38

Posted on February 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

From the DMN, via another source that I can get to. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is leading former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (R-Texas) by 7 points in a new poll tracking November’s gubernatorial race. The survey, conducted by The Dallas … Continue reading →

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Republican incumbents are probably going to win their primaries

Posted on February 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Take all primary polls with a grain of salt because polling in primaries is especially tricky. That said, here’s the most recent UT/Texas Tribune polling on the primaries, which also includes a general election gubernatorial matchup. Republican incumbents in statewide … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Almost all of the big ones

Posted on February 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The Sunday Chron was full of endorsements, which given the timing and the edition is what you’d expect. Most of them are not particularly remarkable, and I’m not going to spend any time on their recommendations for Beto and Mike … Continue reading →

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How the grid held up

Posted on February 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Basically, this cold front wasn’t anything like last year’s cold front. Texas’s power grid passed its biggest test since last year’s deadly blackouts, keeping most lights on during a wintry blast. This storm, however, was far less severe than last … Continue reading →

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Two new polls of the Governor’s race

Posted on February 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

One is in the news. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is running 11 percentage points ahead of Democrat Beto O’Rourke in this year’s race for Texas governor, according to a Dallas Morning News-University of Texas at Tyler poll released Sunday. Buoyed … Continue reading →

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Beto starts strong on fundraising

Posted on January 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good start, needs more of same. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke raised $7.2 million in the first 46 days of his campaign, while Republican incumbent Greg Abbott raked in $18.9 million over the last six months as his war chest … Continue reading →

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Austin aims for pot decriminalization

Posted on January 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see how this goes. I suspect the measure will pass, but I’m not sure it will be allowed to take effect. As greater numbers of Texas voters sour on harsh punishment for marijuana offenses, Austin voters will likely decide … Continue reading →

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On the campaign trail again

Posted on January 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s good to be back. In the 2020 election cycle, many campaigns in Texas went fully virtual as the coronavirus pandemic, then a new and uncertain threat, bore down on the state. They held virtual rallies, phone banks and fundraisers, … Continue reading →

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Beto for legalizing weed

Posted on January 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I do think this is a winning campaign theme. At a crowded rally in downtown Austin, Beto O’Rourke ticked off his usual laundry list of campaign promises: stabilizing the power grid, rolling back the state’s new permitless carry law and … Continue reading →

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Three comments about three vaccine mandate news stories

Posted on January 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Item one: A U.S. district judge in North Texas has blocked a mask mandate and vaccine requirement for staff and students in the Head Start program that was issued by President Joe Biden. Head Start is a federal school readiness … Continue reading →

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Nobody bullshits like Greg Abbott

Posted on December 31, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Some stories I blog about require subtle thought and detailed analysis. Others pretty much speak for themselves. The two most powerful people overseeing Texas’ electric grid sat next to each other in a quickly arranged Austin news conference in early … Continue reading →

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Joy Diaz joins the Governor’s race

Posted on December 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I wish her luck, but I don’t think she’s going to get very far. After 16 years on the airwaves in Austin as a journalist at KUT and the public affairs show, “Texas Standard,” Joy Diaz announced Wednesday that she’s … Continue reading →

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ERCOT and PUC swear there will be no blackouts this winter

Posted on December 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Do you believe them? The Public Utility Commission and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas on Wednesday pledged that the “lights will stay on” this winter as it inspects power generators and enforces other requirements to avoid a deadly power … Continue reading →

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Quinnipiac: Abbott 52, Beto 37

Posted on December 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Brutal, but remember what we say about every poll result, whether good, bad, or indifferent: It’s one data point. Gov. Greg Abbott has a commanding lead over Democrat Beto O’Rourke in a new public poll released on Wednesday. Abbott, a … Continue reading →

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It’s the power grid, stupid

Posted on December 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s also a campaign theme. Texas Democrats want to talk about the power grid. Specifically, they want to talk about how it failed in February, how they don’t think enough has been done to fix it and why they believe … Continue reading →

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Beto and South Texas

Posted on December 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Brace yourself for a lot of stories like this in the coming months. In the first days of his campaign for governor, Beto O’Rourke made a beeline to this southernmost corner of the state, saying it was no mistake he … Continue reading →

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Greg Abbott’s bet

Posted on December 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

What, me worry about blackouts? Gov. Greg Abbott promised that the state’s electric grid would be able to withstand pressures caused by any potential winter storm that occurs this year in a television interview Friday. “Listen, very confident about the grid. … Continue reading →

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McConaughey not running for Governor

Posted on November 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Thank God that’s over. Actor Matthew McConaughey on Sunday removed himself from consideration as a potential candidate for governor after months of toying with a campaign. In a video posted to his Twitter account, McConaughey, who lives in Austin, said … Continue reading →

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DMN/UT-Tyler: Abbott 45, Beto 39

Posted on November 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The state’s weirdest pollster does it again. Freshly announced gubernatorial hopeful Beto O’Rourke is running six percentage points behind Gov. Greg Abbott in a direct matchup, and Abbott leads both the Democrat O’Rourke and Hollywood actor Matthew McConaughey in a … Continue reading →

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What if it wasn’t Beto?

Posted on November 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Here are the crosstabs to the recent UT/Trib poll of Texas that gave Greg Abbott a 46-37 lead over Beto O’Rourke. If you scroll down to page 66, you will find question 21B: “If the 2022 election for Governor were … Continue reading →

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FERC report on the freeze

Posted on November 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It was lack of weatherization all along. A shortage of natural gas during the winter storm that swept Texas and other states in the south central United States in February was primarily caused by the oil and gas industry’s failure … Continue reading →

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Beto raises $2 million on his first official day as a candidate

Posted on November 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I did say this would be the next story, didn’t I? Beto O’Rourke raised $2 million in the first 24 hours of his run for governor, his campaign tells The Texas Tribune. His campaign called it a record “for any … Continue reading →

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Beto makes it official

Posted on November 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

You heard it here in Texas Monthly first. Or maybe you got the campaign announcement in your email, which I got at basically the same time as when I saw this. But either way, you’ve now heard it. For months, … Continue reading →

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Joy Diaz

Posted on November 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

A bit of “potential candidate” news is tucked into this story about the current state of the Democratic statewide slate. If Democrats had a mantra, it would probably be something like “diversity and inclusion.” So it’s kind of strange that … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: The new State House map

Posted on November 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Like it or not, we have new State House districts. We may as well acquaint ourselves with them. The coverage we’ve had so far has focused on the 2020 election numbers to say whether a district will be red or … Continue reading →

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UT/Trib: Abbott 46, Beto 37

Posted on November 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Data point #2, arriving on schedule. Gov. Greg Abbott has a comfortable lead over potential Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke, according to a new poll from the University of Texas at Austin and The Texas Tribune. The survey of registered voters … Continue reading →

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Hispanic Policy Foundation poll: Abbott 44, Beto 43

Posted on November 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

At long last, some new polling data, and this one is eye-catching. A year before they could meet in a showdown for the state’s top office, Gov. Greg Abbott and expected Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke are virtually tied, according to … Continue reading →

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Does this sound like a guy who’s running for Governor?

Posted on October 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I mean, probably not. But you never know. Actor Matthew McConaughey is apparently not interested in running for Texas governor unless he thinks the role would allow him to truly make a difference. On Thursday, the Texas-born actor went on … Continue reading →

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Beto and McConaughey

Posted on October 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Our guy has a few thoughts about that other guy. Beto O’Rourke says he is still “very seriously” thinking about running for governor — and that he is not surprised Matthew McConaughey, another potential candidate, is polling so well against … Continue reading →

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Quinnipiac: Everyone is under water

Posted on September 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not a great poll for anyone. As Governor Greg Abbott faces reelection in 2022, a slight majority of voters say 51 – 42 percent that he does not deserve to be reelected, according to a Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pea-ack) University poll of … Continue reading →

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Matthew Dowd has entered the Dem primary for Lite Guv

Posted on September 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We have another contested primary for Dems. Matthew Dowd, the chief strategist for George W. Bush’s presidential reelection campaign who later split with the former president publicly, is running for lieutenant governor as a Democrat. Dowd also has worked for … Continue reading →

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UT-Tyler/DMN: Abbott loses ground

Posted on September 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

A well-timed poll result. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) may be feeling the pressure, the latest poll from The Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas at Tyler shows. Abbott’s approval rating has dropped to 45 percent in the … Continue reading →

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Signs pointing to Beto running for Governor

Posted on September 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, God, yes. Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke is preparing to run for governor of Texas in 2022, with an announcement expected later this year, Texas political operatives tell Axios. Why it matters: O’Rourke’s entry would give Democrats a high-profile candidate with a … Continue reading →

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