Tag Archives: Carole Keeton Strayhorn

Matthew McConaughey redux

Posted on March 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Again? sigh All right… Two weeks ago, in these very same digital pages, I claimed that Matthew McConaughey had shown more leadership during Texas’s devastating winter storms than Senator Ted Cruz, simply by clearing the low bar of not scuttling off to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

When Republicans fight

Posted on October 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Such a sight to see. Gov. Greg Abbott’s most exasperating allies sure chose an awkward time to act up. In the face of a momentous election, with an array of issues that includes the pandemic, the recession, climate change, racial … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022, Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Hotze versus contact tracing

Posted on June 18, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We should have expected this. Conservative firebrand Steven Hotze has launched another lawsuit challenging Gov. Greg Abbott’s coronavirus response, joined by current and former lawmakers and several hundred business owners who argue the state’s contact tracing program infringes on their … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Primary precinct analysis: Everyone did something in the Senate primary

Posted on March 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

So while we wait for actual precinct data from the primary, I thought I’d take a look at some county-level data from the non-Presidential races, as they have the county-by-county breakdown on the SOS election night pages. The US Senate … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

State House mulls big increase in school funding

Posted on January 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

That’s a good start. As Texas’ Republican leadership calls for property tax cuts and a school finance overhaul, the Texas House on Monday pitched a bold proposal: Pump roughly $7 billion more state funds into public schools — but only … Continue reading →

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We may have reached peak independent candidate

Posted on June 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Meet Jonathan Jenkins, who would apparently like to be on your ballot for the Senate this fall. It’s got a high-tech evangelist for a founder, $6 million in private equity investments, even its own crypto-currency. No, it’s not a driverless … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The economic impact of SB4

Posted on August 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It could be big. Representatives from Texas’ business, local government and higher education sectors argued Tuesday that the state’s new immigration-enforcement law, which is slated to take effect Sept. 1, could do billions of dollars in damage to the Texas … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

House approves bill to kill margins tax

Posted on April 30, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Dumb. The Texas House on Thursday approved a proposal that would phase out an unpopular business tax that provides funding for public schools. The proposal by state Rep. Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, would not reduce the state’s franchise tax during the … Continue reading →

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O’Rourke and Dowd say they want to challenge Cruz in 2018

Posted on January 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Rep. Beto O’Rourke upgraded his chances of running for the Senate in 2018 to “very likely”. U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke said Thursday he is all but certain to make a run for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s seat in 2018. “I’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Great moments in false equivalence

Posted on June 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The headline reads Money from disputed tax bills flowing to candidates for top tax chief, and then the story tells us that more than 99% of that money is going to one of those candidates. Business entities and taxpayers are … Continue reading →

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Medina for Governor?

Posted on September 29, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Well, this would shake things up. Former Republican gubernatorial candidate Debra Medina could end up running again for the state’s highest office, this time as an independent, she said Friday afternoon. Medina, who has been exploring a race for comptroller … Continue reading →

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

Combs not running for re-election

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

And a domino falls. Comptroller Susan Combs opened up the logjam that has been statewide office in Texas by announcing Wednesday that she will not seek election in 2014. Announcements were immediately flying with state Rep. Harvey Hildebran, R-Kerrville, throwing … Continue reading →

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

Americans Elect starts the petition process

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

And they’re off. Americans Elect — an emerging, alternative third party that plans to use the Internet to field a presidential ticket this year — is starting to gather signatures of registered voters in Texas to try to gain a … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

We have a budget

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Such as it is. Budget negotiators met briefly this morning and voted 9-1 to adopt a conference committee report that cuts the state budget over the next biennium by $15 billion, or 8 percent. The total amount of funding from … Continue reading →

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From the “I told you so” department

Posted on January 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Ladies and gentlemen, our former Comptroller: Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn did not win friends five years ago when she warned Gov. Rick Perry and state lawmakers they were writing the “largest hot check in Texas history” during a tax overhaul … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Endorsement watch: Chron for White

Posted on September 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron gets an early start on endorsements this year by recommending Bill White for Governor. [Governor Perry] has shown a distaste for dealing with budget details, fobbing them off on the Legislature and even suggesting in a recent news … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

How big is the hole, Susan?

Posted on September 10, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

You’d think with all of the talk about the budget and the projected shortfall, we’d have heard an opinion from our State Comptroller, Susan Combs, as to just how things look right now. Especially given that Governor Perry has publicly … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Red light camera opponents turn in their petitions

Posted on August 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I was beginning to wonder if the anti-red light camera crowd was ever going to turn in their petition signatures, as it’s starting too get a little late in the game. They made their move on Monday, submitting 30,000 petition … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Rick Perry and the Latino vote, part 3

Posted on June 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Having looked at the 2002 election last week, I turn my attention now to 2006. This presents a number of challenges, thanks to the bizarre four-way contest that was the Governor’s race. In all my previous work on the 2006 … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2002, Election 2006, Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Hector Uribe files for Land Commish

Posted on January 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We have one more contested statewide primary on the Democratic side as former State Sen. Hector Uribe has filed for Land Commissioner. (Bill Burton of Athens is already in.) Here’s Uribe’s press release: Former state Senator Hector Uribe filed to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Strayhorn still talking about running

Posted on December 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I almost don’t know what to say. Carole Keeton Strayhorn, who was twice elected comptroller as a Republican and then ran a losing gubernatorial campaign as an independent, called Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie on Tuesday to discuss seeking the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Carole the chameleon and Kinky the commissioner

Posted on December 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This would be a little too weird. [Bill] White, expected to say Friday that he’s shifting his political sights from the U.S. Senate to the Democratic nod for governor, confirmed Thursday that [former Comptroller Carole Keeton] Strayhorn has tried to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The state of the Governor’s race

Posted on August 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

So we know that Tom Schieffer is in. So are Mark Thompson and Felix Alvarado. Ronnie Earle may or may not be in. Hank Gilbert now says that he’s in. Kinky (sigh) is fixing to be in. Some people think … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Is KBH the new CKS?

Posted on August 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The fact that Jason Embry is asking the question whether Kay Bailey Hutchison is the new Carole Keeton Strayhorn, which as he notes was brought up by Burkablog commenters, says a lot about the state of the Hutchison campaign so … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Perry’s haul

Posted on July 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Rick Perry does what Rick Perry does best. Gov. Rick Perry has raised $4.2 million in the final nine days of June, giving him $9.3 million to begin his expected GOP primary campaign against Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. Hutchison transferred … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Keep your eye on the ball, Tom

Posted on April 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this: So how does a former ambassador gird for a possible battle with the ever-black-hatted, cigar-chomping Kinky Friedman for the Democratic nod for governor? Campaign honchos who faced the finger-in-the-eye-of-the political-establishment candidate in … Continue reading →

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