30 day campaign finance reports: State candidates

Posted on October 17, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

I do 30 day campaign finance reports for city of Houston elections and Harris County elections. I’ve never done them before for state candidates, partly because of my own capacity and partly because there’s rarely been anything worth looking for. This is a different year, so we’ll take a look. I did July finance reports for statewide candidates here and for legislative candidates of interest here. I’m going to combine them for this post, and will do Harris County candidates in another post. I also recommend you read Chris Tackett for a detailed look at the statewide reports, and Lone Star Left for toplines on legislative races. Now here we go.

Gina Hinojosa – Governor
Vikki Goodwin – Lite Guv
Nathan Johnson – Attorney General
Sarah Eckhardt – Comptroller
Clayton Tucker – Ag Commissioner
Benjamin Flores – Land Commissioner
Jon Rosenthal – Railroad Commissioner


Name          Raised      Spent       Loan     On Hand
======================================================
Hinojosa  13,256,631 12,117,024    387,000   4,082,077
Goodwin    1,160,974    697,542     40,000     643,078
Johnson    1,085,705    363,264          0   1,020,213
Eckhardt     504,225    345,881          0     335,135
Tucker       260,637    143,963          0     276,703
Flores        34,626     19,910          0      29,339
Rosenthal    488,415    114,481          0     378,434

I think in about every way we can imagine, Gina Hinojosa has exceeded our expectations. She’s now raised over $20 million, with some national money now coming her way. It’s nowhere close to Abbott money, but that’s a completely unrealistic metric, and now that he’s blown most of his cash without much to show for it they’re not too far apart in available funds now. I can’t say enough good things about the campaign she’s run. Great new ad, too.

If someone asks for a candidate they can contribute to where it will have an impact and isn’t Talarico or Hinojosa, point them to Vikki Goodwin. She’s as diligent as anyone else on the ticket, she makes a great case for herself, she’s not taking any of Dan Patrick’s bullshit, and she’s also had the lead in a couple of polls. I still think the THC issue is an under-the-radar needle-mover. She has enough money to do a little bit of advertising, a little more would sure help.

Nathan Johnson has enough money to do some advertising, and I hope he can get his name more out there because hoo boy is his opponent an under-discussed menace. It’s hard to rank them all by how terrible they are because they all contain multitudes, but Mayes Middleton is determined to stand out.

No one else is really positioned to do much in terms of spending, though we should give kudos to Jon Rosenthal, who outraised Bo French in this period. You could say that’s more about French, but if Rosenthal weren’t the excellent candidate he is I doubt he’d have reaped this much benefit from it.

Here are the legislative candidates of interest:

Sen. Taylor Rehmet – SD09

Stephanie Guerrero Saenz – HD34
Ozzie Ochoa – HD37
Chris Jimenez – HD52
Brittany Black – HD61
Jordan Wheatley – HD67
Katie O’Brien Duzan – HD94
Allison Mitchell – HD108
Zachary Herbert – HD112
Kristian Carranza – HD118
Zack Dunn – HD121
Stefanie Boyd – HD126
Michelle Williams – HD127
Sara McGee – HD132
Josh Wallenstein – HD133
Tyler Smith – HD138


Dist  Name             Raised      Spent      Loans    On Hand
==============================================================
SD09  Rehmet          192,247    153,727          0    127,475

HD34  Guerrero Saenz  162,691    104,264          0     63,950
HD37  Ochoa            98,560     19,118          0     77,116
HD52  Jimenez         354,409     88,405          0    223,161
HD61  Black            57,190     60,259     35,035     82,066
HD67  Wheatley         46,856      6,538        750     41,637
HD94  O'Brien Duzan   277,660    130,970          0    138,979
HD108 Mitchell        130,396     32,902          0    102,242
HD112 Herbert         382,726    240,976      4,592    259,948
HD118 Carranza        444,586    157,219          0    383,613
HD121 Dunn            197,077     76,203          0    137,570
HD126 Boyd             23,719     19,498          0     15,508
HD127 Williams         12,458     15,410          0        390
HD132 McGee            36,178     14,772          0     34,081
HD133 Wallenstein     240,930    125,576      9,874    195,522
HD138 Smith           241,623    147,597          0     103,329

These are the DLCC candidates plus a few extra Harris County candidates added in. It’s hardly a comprehensive list of seats that could be in play, just a list of ones I’ve made note of.

I confess to being a little puzzled why some of the DLCC candidates didn’t raise more money than they did. I don’t know how those relationships work, I just know that if we’re serious about trying to flip the House, it’s probably going to take more than this. I’m not trying to point fingers, just to make sense of what I’m seeing.

I also think maybe some of the campaigns that have raised decent amount might have spent more by now. Being responsible with the cash you raise is of course a virtue, but you’ve got to get your message out, and having the cash only helps if you use it. I presume the state level messaging is covering for some of this, and by their nature these candidates can and should be focusing on the ground game, which won’t show up as much in the finance reports. Hopefully there’s some mail being sent and online ads happening as well.

I don’t have any specific comments beyond that. Several of the seats we flipped in 2018 came out of the blue (as it were), so in an environment like this campaign cash is less of a factor than it might be in other years. How active and engaged a campaign is, how well they work with other local groups, how good they are at social media, all these things matter. If you have any insights on these or other candidates to watch, leave a comment.

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Meet the DA’s investigative team for the Salgado killing

Posted on October 17, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Go get ’em.

Biden-administration U.S. Attorney Alamdar Hamdani is among the attorneys the Harris County District Attorney’s Office has hired for its investigation into the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by a federal agent, according to records obtained by the Houston Chronicle.

Hamdani was named as one of seven attorneys assigned by a Houston law firm to advise District Attorney Sean Teare as his office investigates the July 7 shooting in Houston’s East End for a grand jury.

Teare also signed a contract with University of South Carolina professor Marc Brown, a former Department of Homeland Security training instructor, to consult on the use of force in Salgado’s death and to testify in court proceedings, records show.

Brown was featured in news reports in January addressing the use of force in Alex Pretti’s death at the hands of a federal officer in Minneapolis. Brown said he’s not contracted in connection to any ICE-related investigations in Minnesota, but he consulted on a 2025 case involving a Michigan trooper who was charged in the death of a fleeing fugitive he struck with a vehicle.

The state prosecution was tossed after a federal judge determined the trooper was acting as a federal officer on a fugitive task force, citing the Supremacy Clause in the U.S. Constitution.

Both county contracts — the first signed Sept. 2 and the other Sept. 10 — identify the ICE shooting in Houston as the purpose of their work.

[…]

Teare has warned that a lengthy legal battle is expected, as any case against the ICE agent is likely to land in the federal courts over jurisdiction issues.

The scope of the contract for Hamdani and the other attorneys shows they’re expected to provide counsel to Teare’s office on a range of legal issues, including when federal government employees can testify or provide documentation in response to state proceedings.

Hamdani and several other attorneys named in the contract are former federal prosecutors.

The grand jury tasked with hearing testimony and other evidence about the ICE shooting is expected to decide whether an indictment is merited next month, Teare said this week as his office prepares a second investigation into the actions of a different ICE agent.

See here and here for some background. However long it takes, and whatever ultimately happens, it’s worth it to pursue accountability. We have no other choice. I wish them all the best.

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San Antonio sues to stop ICE detention center

Posted on October 17, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Good.

San Antonio filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday seeking to halt development of a planned immigration detention facility on the East Side until federal authorities comply with environmental review requirements.

The lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement seeks to stop the conversion of a nearly 640,000-square-foot warehouse acquired by ICE in January on Southeast Loop 410 into an immigration detention and processing facility capable of holding up to 1,500 people.

City Attorney Andy Segovia announced the legal action Tuesday morning alongside Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones and several City Council members, marking the city’s most significant effort yet to challenge the proposed facility.

The lawsuit centers on the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, which requires federal agencies to assess the potential environmental effects of major projects before proceeding. The city is asking a federal judge to prevent DHS and ICE from moving forward with development until the required environmental review is completed.

Segovia said those reviews go beyond assessing air and water quality to consider how a project could affect the surrounding community, including its economy, history and culture.

“With a facility of this size and scope, within the core urban core of San Antonio, these sorts of reviews are even more critical,” Segovia said. “It’s very clear to see that there will be these impacts, and the law is there to make sure that those impacts are mitigated.”

The lawsuit follows months of unsuccessful attempts by city officials to obtain information about the conversion, development plans and potential environmental impacts of the facility.

Since February, city officials have sent five letters to DHS and ICE seeking details about the proposed facility, including environmental reviews, permitting requirements and opportunities for public input.

Federal officials responded to one letter in June, promising to coordinate with the city, seek community feedback and share engineering and design reports before beginning work.

But Jones said the city has received none of that information, even as ICE awarded a $17.3 million contract to GardaWorld Federal Services, a contractor involved in Florida’s controversial “Alligator Alcatraz” detention facility, to renovate the warehouse.

“We have been very patient with the federal authorities, in particular DHS and ICE, on this issue,” Jones said. “San Antonio is done waiting.”

See here and here for some background. Part of the goal here is just to slow things down – in that first link, DHS was talking about this facility being operational by November. Any sand that can be thrown into the gears is worth doing. The Current has more.

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Judicial Q&A: Judge Erika Ramirez

Posted on October 16, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates. I ran a series of these for candidates in contested primaries, and now these are for the rest of the candidates. I am running these responses in the order that I receive them from the candidates. Much more information about Democratic candidates, including links to interviews and judicial Q&As, can be found on Erik Manning’s spreadsheet.

Judge Erika Ramirez

1. Who are you and in which court do you preside?

My name is Erika Ramirez and I serve as Judge of Harris County Criminal Court at Law No. 8.

2. What kind of cases does this court hear?

Criminal Court 8 hears class B and A misdemeanors, criminal offenses punishable up to 6 months and 1 year in jail, respectively.

3. What have been your main accomplishments during your time on this bench?

When people are impacted by the criminal justice system, whether they are charged, a complainant, or a family member, it can make a big impact on someone’s life. We have worked hard to make sure that these cases are resolved in a fair, respectful, and quick manner. I am proud that within only one year, we were able to work our docket so that the majority of cases were resolved in 6 months or under.

4. What do you hope to accomplish in your courtroom going forward?

I hope to expand our new pilot program specialty court for youthful offenders. We have started to develop it, and I would love to see it grown to include Court 8. We hope to provide them with tools and resources so they can successfully complete a pretrial intervention program and avoid a conviction. Our goal is that they do not return to the criminal justice system- unless it’s for jury duty.

5. Why is this race important?

Harris County has made great strides forward with misdemeanor bail reform, ensuring that those charged with lower level and non-violent offenses are not detained in custody solely because they cannot afford the bail amount. We must keep moving forward to ensure that everyone in the community that is impacted by the criminal justice system is treated fairly and with respect, and that nobody is held in jail simply because they cannot afford to pay bail.

6. Why should people vote for you in November?

I have worked hard to serve Harris County in my first term as Judge of Criminal Court at Law No. 8. Within only a year I was able to make an impact on our docket to have cases resolved more quickly. My second year I had the most jury trials of all 16 misdemeanor courts. In my third year I was elected by my colleagues to serve in leadership as Presiding Judge of the Criminal Courts at Law. While working in this position, I received the highest average excellent score from the Houston Bar Association Judicial Poll, a poll done only by attorneys who actually practice in the Courts.

I promise to continue working hard for our community to ensure that all that come through Criminal Court at Law No. 8 are treated with respect and fair application of the law.

PREVIOUSLY:

Judge Damiane Dianne Curvey, 280th Family District Court
Judge M. Monica Singh, Harris County Civil Court at Law #4
Judge Cory Sepolio, 269th Civil District Court
Samantha Davis, 313th Juvenile District Court
Judge Melissa Morris, 263rd Criminal District Court
Judge Toria J. Finch, Harris County Criminal Court at Law #9
Judge Linda Marie Dunson, 309th Family District Court
Judge Kelley Andrews, Harris County Criminal Court at Law #6
Judge Angela Lancelin, 245th Family District Court
Judge Shannon Baldwin, Harris County Criminal Court at Law #4
Julie Countiss, First Court of Appeals, Place 4
Judge Lori Chambers Gray, 262nd Criminal District Court
Judge Teresa Waldrop, 312th Family District Court
Judge Veronica Nelson, 482nd Criminal District Court
Justice Amy Guerra, First Court of Appeals, Place 5
Okey Aniyam, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 3
BreAnna Schwartz, 497th Criminal District Court
Judge Jason Cox, Harris County Probate Court #3
Justice Chari Kelly, Supreme Court Justice, Place 2
Holly Taylor, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 9
Judge Raul Rodriguez, Harris County Criminal Court at Law #13
Sarah Beth Landau, Chief Justice, 14th Court of Appeals
Judge Donna Roth, 295th Civil District Court
Judge Tonya Jones, Harris County Criminal Court at Law #15

From the primaries:

Judge Kristen Hawkins, Supreme Court Justice, Place 7
Sarah Beth Landau, Chief Justice of the Fourteenth Court of Appeals
Judge Tanya Garrison, 157th Civil District Court
Julia Maldonado, 183rd Criminal District Court
Judge Brian Warren, 209th Criminal District Court
Judge Josh Hill, 232nd Criminal District Court
Judge Leah Shapiro, 315th Juvenile District Court
Judge James Horwitz, Harris County Probate Court #4
Ebony Williams, Harris County Civil Court at Law #2
Judge Andrew Wright, Harris County Criminal Court at Law #7

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Multiple polls and other indicators

Posted on October 16, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll start here:

A new poll from the University of Texas at Austin found Democrats with narrow leads in nearly every statewide race after trailing their Republican challengers in the same poll just two months ago — a sign of an increasingly competitive midterm election just days from early voting.

U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico and Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Vikki Goodwin each held 3-percentage-point leads over Republicans Ken Paxton and Dan Patrick, respectively. Nathan Johnson, Gina Hinojosa and Jon Rosenthal had 1-point leads in their races for attorney general, governor and Railroad Commission. Only in the comptroller race, featuring Don Huffines and Democrat Sarah Eckhardt, did a Republican hold an edge.

Every statewide race was within the margin of error and only Talarico had support from a full 50% of voters.

James Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project, said the newfound Democratic competitiveness is driven by a big gap in enthusiasm between Democratic and Republican voters. The poll found 72% of Democrats were either extremely or very enthusiastic about the election, compared to 62% of Republicans. More than half of Democrats, 53%, said they were extremely enthusiastic. Just 37% of Republicans said the same.

“That’s really significant,” Henson said. “That is going to be what the last two weeks of this campaign are about — it’s about Republican campaigns trying to drive up Democratic negatives and trying to stir what is right now a pretty uninspired Republican electorate in the state.”

No Democrat has won statewide since 1994.

The poll found Gina Hinojosa led Gov. Greg Abbott 49-48. Hinojosa trailed the Republican incumbent by 5 percentage points in the same survey in August.

Hinojosa was buoyed by strong support from independents, who backed her 67-17, and Hispanic voters, who preferred her 56-42 — two key groups she will need to win by wide margins to pull off an upset victory over the three-term governor.

The poll included two parts: one of 1,200 registered voters who were asked about broad trends, and another of 821 likely voters who were given trial ballots. The survey was conducted from Sept. 25 to Oct. 5.

Here’s the poll page. In August they had Talarico up 42-39, with far more undecideds. They also had Republicans leading in every other race. A comparison:

AUGUST
Talarico 42 – Paxton 39
Abbott 45 – Hinojosa 40
Patrick 42 – Goodwin 35
Middleton 40 – Johnson 35
Huffines 40 – Eckhardt 34

OCTOBER
Talarico 50 – Paxton 47
Hinojosa 49 – Abbott 48
Goodwin 49 – Patrick 46
Johnson 48 – Middleton 47
Huffines 47 – Eckhardt 46
Jon Rosenthal 47 – Bo French 46

They didn’t poll Railroad Commissioner in August, presumably because it wasn’t on anyone’s radar back then. Make of this what you will – there are more results to discuss, but as Evan Smith noted, they nailed the Governor’s race in 2022, and as Axios noted, they nailed the Senate race in 2026.

Next up is Marist:

In the race for U.S. Senate in Texas, Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton are competitive with only two points separating the two candidates among likely voters statewide. Talarico is +4 points against Paxton among registered voters, notched down slightly from six points last month. Looking at the generic congressional ballot question, the Republicans are +5 points against the Democrats on the ballot among likely voters. However, the margin narrows among registered voters where Republicans are +3 points. Less than one month ago, the Democratic candidates had a 3-pont edge among registered voters. In the Texas governor’s race, incumbent Republican Greg Abbott is +4 points against Democratic challenger Gina Hinojosa among likely voters. Among registered voters, just one point separates the two gubernatorial candidates. Previously, Hinojosa had a 3-point edge against Abbott among registered voters. Sharp partisan divides underscore these hotly contested races as do impressions of President Donald Trump and financial worries.

The numbers are Talarico up 47-45, and Abbott up over Hinojosa 49-45. In September, they had Talarico up 50-44, and Hinojosa up 49-46. Is this an example of Republicans finally catching up, maybe because their gazillions of TV ads are having an effect, in a way that I said the ReconMR poll wasn’t? Well maybe, but consider this: In the data for the September poll, “The partisan breakdown for this survey among registered voters is 33% Democrat, 39% Republican, and 25% independent.” In the data for this poll, “The partisan breakdown for this survey among registered voters is 30% Democrat, 41% Republican, and 25% independent. The partisan breakdown for this survey among likely voters is 28% Democrat, 42% Republican, and 26% independent.” That’s a significant shift. Maybe that’s evidence that Republicans are getting more engaged – it would show up in the numbers if they were – but it’s fair to say that this would be a bit of an outlier compared to other polls.

But it’s a data point and so we take it for what it is. Now here’s another data point.

Alex Mealer is running a tighter race than many expected when Texas Republicans redrew the 9th Congressional District to heavily favor the GOP last year, according to new polling by the University of Houston.

Mealer holds a six-point lead over Democrat Leticia Gutierrez in the race to replace outgoing Democratic Rep. Al Green, whose district was one of five targeted by Texas Republicans during the redistricting effort of 2025. Roughly 48% of likely voters surveyed earlier this month supported Mealer, compared to 42% for Gutierrez, with 10% undecided.

Mealer’s lead may be too much for Gutierrez to overcome less than a month before election day, said lead researcher Renée Cross. But the single-digit advantage in a district drawn as a shoo-in for Republicans illustrates how dissatisfied voters have become with the GOP under President Donald Trump, she said.

Trump would have carried the district under its current boundaries – which cover southeast Harris County and parts of Liberty County – by 20 points in 2024. But the poll shows 53% of likely 9th District voters now have an unfavorable view of the president, compared to 46% who support him.

“To see Trump down by seven points among ruby red Republicans, I think would be alarming for any Republican whether they’re running statewide or in CD-9,” Cross said. “So I’m sure Mealer is looking at those numbers closely.”

The Democratic nominee was always going to be an underdog in the new 9th District, and Gutierrez entered the general election at a massive disadvantage in fundraising and name recognition. She had raised just $50,000 by the end of June, according to campaign finance reports, compared to Mealer’s $2 million.

Nearly 40% of likely voters also said they did not know enough about Gutierrez to form an opinion of her, the poll showed. Less than 25% of voters said the same about Mealer, who ran a close race for Harris County judge in 2022.

You can find this poll’s press release here and its data here. Remember when Leticia Gutierrez released an internal poll last month that said she was trailing by just six points? Doesn’t llok so outlandish now, does it? That internal poll had Trump’s approval rating at 46-51, with Talarico down one to Paxton and Hinojosa down two to Abbot? This poll?

President Donald Trump is viewed favorably by 46% of TX-9 likely voters, and unfavorably by 53%, with 1% not knowing enough about him to have an opinion.

In the November 2026 Texas U.S. Senate election, Republican Ken Paxton leads Democrat James Talarico by 1 percentage point among TX-9 likely voters. In the November 2024 Texas U.S. Senate election, Republican Ted Cruz bested Democrat Colin Allred by 12 percentage points in TX-9.

In the November 2026 Texas gubernatorial election, Republican Greg Abbott leads Democrat Gina Hinojosa by 4 percentage points among TX-9 likely voters. In the November 2022 Texas gubernatorial election, Abbott bested Democrat Beto O’Rourke by 13 percentage points in TX-9.

All consistent with Talarico leading statewide and Hinojosa at least being close.

Two other items, neither of which are polls but both of which suggest how the wind is blowing. One, Republicans have given up on CD28, meaning that we’ll still have Rep. Henry Cuellar to kick around. The DOwnballot gets into that and some more (you’ll need to register for free access to their daily digest to see it all). And two, Dems are spending bit to flip CD23, which they hadn’t originally planned to do. But Katy Padilla Stout is a good candidate, Brandon Herrera is a terrible candidate, and the environment is about as good as it gets. I haven’t seen any polling here, but the national Dem committees have their pick of targets, so they’re seeing something here (and in CD15 as well). It’s more than possible that the Republicans could net nothing from their re-redistricting effort. And again, all this is consistent with the statewide polling.

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Texas woman sues anti-abortion zealots under a ridiculous law they helped pass

Posted on October 16, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Bring on the popcorn.

A Texas woman is using a state law banning the transport of abortion pills to sue members of the anti-abortion organization Students for Life of America.

In the suit filed Tuesday in a Harris County district court, plaintiff Maria Puerto, a 26-year-old mother of two using a pseudonym to protect her family, alleges that four anti-abortion activists had ordered abortion medication on their phones in March 2026 outside of the Space Center Houston. The lawsuit cites, among other things, a now-expired social media post by one of the defendants captioned “Guess what we are doing? Ordering abortion pills undercover? Yep. Stay tuned.”

Known as the Woman and Child Protection Act, House Bill 7, which went into effect in December, prohibits providing an “abortion-inducing drug” to or from anyone in the state of Texas. The law is enforced by allowing almost any person, regardless of whether they have been impacted by the incident, to bring a civil suit against a provider of abortion medication. Plaintiffs may seek an injunction and a minimum of $100,000. If the person bringing the suit has no connection to the incident, the plaintiff receives $10,000, with the remainder of the award going to a charity selected by the plaintiff.

The lawsuit does not specify how the defendants violated HB 7. While the law does not explicitly bar the ordering of abortion medication, it does prohibit the transport of the drug within the state.

“What the statute says is that transporting abortion drugs from one location to another within the state is a violation of HB 7 … By the plain language of the statute, this would seem to be a violation,” Puerto’s attorney Molly Duane told The Texas Tribune. “This is the problem with writing such a confusing and vague law.”

While pregnant women cannot be prosecuted under HB 7 for actions taken to have an abortion, none of the four defendants — Kristan Mercer Hawkins, Lydia Taylor Davis, Jamie Curry and Megan Roos — were pregnant at the time, according to the lawsuit.

Duane, who is with Amplify Legal, the legal arm of advocacy group Abortion in America, said she and her client are hoping that the lawsuit will eventually surface more about what the defendants did with the abortion pills once they ordered them.

Hawkins is the president of Virginia-based Students for Life, which lobbied heavily for the passage of HB 7 last year. In a video posted to X on Tuesday, Hawkins called the lawsuit “frivolous” and a “publicity stunt,” and urged Texas Child Protective Services to investigate Puerto.

Puerto is suing for $459,782, “the average cost of raising two children from birth to age 18 in the state of Texas.” According to the lawsuit, both of Puerto’s pregnancies were unplanned and occurred despite the use of contraception, and she was unable to end the pregnancies due to the state’s abortion ban and the expenses associated with traveling out of the state. The suit also says that her first pregnancy directly resulted in her having to quit college and losing her job.

If she wins the lawsuit, Puerto would be entitled to $10,000 of the award, as she has no connection to the defendants. According to a Tuesday statement by Abortion in America, she plans to give the remaining award to Jane’s Due Process, a nonprofit that helps young Texans confidentially access abortion and birth control.

[…]

At least two other lawsuits have been filed using HB 7, and each of those lawsuits have targeted out-of-state abortion providers and alleged that women have actually taken the abortion pills they provided. A case filed by Texas resident Jerry Rodriguez and his daughter against California-based abortion care provider Remy Coeytaux alleges Coeytaux provided the medication used to end his girlfriend’s pregnancy on two occasions. In another case, Davis v. Cooprider et al., the plaintiff accused the organization Abortion Access of providing pills to defendant Christopher Cooprider, who used them to terminate the plaintiff’s pregnancy against her will.

See here for more on the lawsuit against Dr. Coeytaux, which I had forgotten about. This lawsuit, like those other two, is ridiculous, but that’s because the law that enables it is ridiculous. Indeed, there’s nothing stopping anyone else from suing these idiots – the law allows that. Be that as it may, there are two ways for Maria Puerto to win here. One is to collect her damages, and the other is for the law to get damaged along the way to its likely conclusion before SCOTx. But maybe just raising awareness and putting a little fear of the unknown into these jagoffs’ hearts is enough. Mother Jones and the NYT have more.

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People are still mad about the Paxton event at White Oak Music Hall

Posted on October 16, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Fine by me.

Still a crook any way you look

When White Oak Music Hall hosted a campaign rally for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton, the backlash was swift. 

The August event faced extensive criticism from indie, punk and underground music scenes — communities built on diversity and inclusion. Punk in particular has a history built on LGBTQ+ intersectionality and anti-establishment ethos. Hosting a politician whose career is defined by anti-trans legislation, aggressive border crackdowns and far-right ideology was seen as a direct betrayal of the safe-haven ethics that keep the local scene alive.

White Oak management posted, then quickly deleted, a statement defending the decision, calling itself a “neutral forum” and pointing out that it previously hosted Democrats Beto O’Rourke, former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, and judges Ravi K. Sandill and Manpreet “Monica” Singh. Online reaction was so negative that the venue turned off comments on social media. White Oak management did not respond to a request for comment.

The fallout from August’s Paxton rally has shown surprisingly long legs. Hermanos Gutiérrez, an instrumental duo with almost 4 million monthly Spotify listeners, announced in mid-September that they were moving their Oct. 21 show to 713 Music Hall “due to issues with the venue and concern from our fans.” Viral singer Novulent canceled his Aug. 8 show day-of after learning of the Aug. 5 Paxton rally, stating the band “does not support his hatred and bigotry at all.”

After failing to secure another venue, Mannequin Pussy and Wednesday opted to keep a Nov. 12 date on White Oak’s outdoor stage but said the venue will donate its facilities fee to the Montrose Center and Houston Immigrant Legal Services Collaborative and drop its merch cuts.

“We feel strongly that the decision by the owners of White Oak Music Hall to host Ken Paxton should not be yet another opportunity for Republicans to divide our community and steal a space that should rightfully belong to the music fans who have built their entire business,” the statement read.

[…]

The Continental Club does not have a specific policy on political events, but owner Pete Gordon said, “all events, especially political ones, must align with our views and be a positive force for our Houston community.” The Midtown fixture has previously hosted events for high-profile Texas Democrats, including former Houston Mayor Annise Parker, Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare and U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher.

“Clearly Ken Paxton is not a candidate we believe in and would never be allowed to hold an event here,” Gordon said.

Rusty Andrews, owner of the Mucky Duck, said ensuring staff and guests “are made to feel welcome and safe” is a top priority when booking private events. Andrews says the performers they book “lean naturally toward storytellers and songwriters in the tradition of Woody Guthrie,” the radical folk singer who used his music as a weapon against authoritarian power and a voice for the displaced. He honored migrant workers in “Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)” and rejected hatred and division in “All You Fascists Bound to Lose.”

Three weeks after the Paxton rally, White Oak announced a “Bands for Talarico” event for Texas state Rep. James Talarico, the Democrat running against Paxton in the Nov. 3 U.S. Senate election. Entry was free, but donations for Talarico’s campaign were encouraged. The gesture did little to quiet local outrage, drawing cynicism across social media.

“Had to make up for the Paxton event,” one user wrote, while another added, “Y’all need to do so much more.”

The event featured several indie Houston acts, including Christopher Robles, who performs as differentchris. He made his thoughts clear onstage.

“Nov. 3, please vote. We f****ng hate ICE in here. We f****ng hate Trump, guys,” he said between songs.

He wore a black T-shirt with “F**K ICE” in stark white lettering. Fans gathered near the front of the stage, dancing along to quirky originals.

I mean, look, the live events business is tough and as a general rule I wouldn’t begrudge a venue hosting an event I might find distasteful or despicable. The city of Houston and the George R. Brown Convention Hall hosted the state GOP convention in 2024 and will host the national GOP convention in 2028. (Be smart, get out of town when they’re here.) It’s still a free country, and there’s free speech and all that.

But the people who patronize those venues – the artists as well as the ticket-buying public – also have a right to express their opinion. When you’re a smaller indie space you’ve got to give some thought to what your audience might want, or not want. And it’s different for the GRB, which is at some level a government entity, than it is for the White Oak Music Hall. They made a choice, and so now have their stakeholders. That’s how it goes.

And finally, this is as good a place as any to note that Don Henley, Willie Nelson, and the Chicks have all been out there supporting the Democratic statewide ticket. Thanks, y’all.

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Judicial Q&A Judge Tonya Jones

Posted on October 15, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates. I ran a series of these for candidates in contested primaries, and now these are for the rest of the candidates. I am running these responses in the order that I receive them from the candidates. Much more information about Democratic candidates, including links to interviews and judicial Q&As, can be found on Erik Manning’s spreadsheet.

Judge Tonya Jones

1. Who are you and in which court do you preside?

My name is Tonya Jones and I am honored to serve as the Presiding Judge of Harris County Criminal Court at Law No. 15.

2. What kind of cases does this court hear?

Court 15 is one of sixteen (16) county criminal courts at law in our county. We have jurisdiction over Class A & B misdemeanors as well as appeals from Justice of the Peace, Municipal, and Administrative Courts.

Class A&B misdemeanors include cases like driving while intoxicated, theft, burglary of a motor vehicle, and assault.

3. What have been your main accomplishments during your time on this bench?

During my time on the bench my greatest accomplishments have been working with my colleagues to settle the O’Donnell case thereby creating programs like Open Hours Court, Managed Assigned Counsel, and Cite and Release.

I’m also very proud of my service as a S.O.B.E.R. Court judge and the restorative justice programs that we have created that include the Fresh Start Program and our newest initiative, the P.A.C.E. for individuals ages 17-24. These programs increase accountability, access to resources, and community safety.

I have also personally served in judicial leadership roles during my tenure as judge including Local Administrative Judge for the County Courts at Law (criminal and civil) and Co-Presiding Judge of the County Criminal Courts at Law.

4. What do you hope to accomplish in your courtroom going forward?

I hope to continue supporting appropriate alternatives that address the underlying causes of criminal conduct, including substance use and other challenges that can contribute to repeated involvement with the justice system.

My main priority for the next term is working together with my colleagues to create a misdemeanor mental health court.

Beyond my individual courtroom, I hope to continue contributing to thoughtful, collaborative leadership across Harris County’s criminal courts. My experience as Local Administrative Judge and Co-Presiding Judge has reinforced the importance of cooperation, innovation, and responsible stewardship of public resources.

5. Why is this race important?

This race is absolutely critical in maintaining the progress created in 2019. It has been said that the further down a race is on the ballot, the closer it is to your front door.

This race is important because Harris County Criminal Court at Law No. 15 has a direct impact on people’s liberty, families, livelihoods, and futures. The judge must make difficult decisions every day while protecting due process, applying the law fairly, and ensuring that every person who appears in court is treated with dignity and respect.

The court also plays an important role in addressing the challenges facing Harris County’s criminal justice system, including case backlogs, public safety, substance use, and the need for meaningful alternatives when appropriate.

6. Why should people vote for you in November?

People should vote for me in November because I bring proven judicial experience, have demonstrated leadership, and a deep commitment to the people of Harris county.

Since first taking the bench in 2019, I have presided over thousands of criminal matters and several jury trials, while working to ensure that every person who enters Court 15 is treated with dignity, fairness, and respect. My colleagues have also trusted me with leadership beyond my individual courtroom. I have served as Local Administrative Judge for the Harris County Courts at Law and as Co-Presiding Judge of the County Criminal Courts at Law.

My service has also extended beyond the traditional courtroom. I have presided over a S.O.B.E.R. Court, have supported innovative approaches for young adults involved in the justice system, and have worked to make our courts more accessible to students, interns, and members of the community.

PREVIOUSLY:

Judge Damiane Dianne Curvey, 280th Family District Court
Judge M. Monica Singh, Harris County Civil Court at Law #4
Judge Cory Sepolio, 269th Civil District Court
Samantha Davis, 313th Juvenile District Court
Judge Melissa Morris, 263rd Criminal District Court
Judge Toria J. Finch, Harris County Criminal Court at Law #9
Judge Linda Marie Dunson, 309th Family District Court
Judge Kelley Andrews, Harris County Criminal Court at Law #6
Judge Angela Lancelin, 245th Family District Court
Judge Shannon Baldwin, Harris County Criminal Court at Law #4
Julie Countiss, First Court of Appeals, Place 4
Judge Lori Chambers Gray, 262nd Criminal District Court
Judge Teresa Waldrop, 312th Family District Court
Judge Veronica Nelson, 482nd Criminal District Court
Justice Amy Guerra, First Court of Appeals, Place 5
Okey Aniyam, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 3
BreAnna Schwartz, 497th Criminal District Court
Judge Jason Cox, Harris County Probate Court #3
Justice Chari Kelly, Supreme Court Justice, Place 2
Holly Taylor, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 9
Judge Raul Rodriguez, Harris County Criminal Court at Law #13
Sarah Beth Landau, Chief Justice, 14th Court of Appeals
Judge Donna Roth, 295th Civil District Court

From the primaries:

Judge Kristen Hawkins, Supreme Court Justice, Place 7
Sarah Beth Landau, Chief Justice of the Fourteenth Court of Appeals
Judge Tanya Garrison, 157th Civil District Court
Julia Maldonado, 183rd Criminal District Court
Judge Brian Warren, 209th Criminal District Court
Judge Josh Hill, 232nd Criminal District Court
Judge Leah Shapiro, 315th Juvenile District Court
Judge James Horwitz, Harris County Probate Court #4
Ebony Williams, Harris County Civil Court at Law #2
Judge Andrew Wright, Harris County Criminal Court at Law #7

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UH/Hobby poll: Talarico leads by 22 in Harris County

Posted on October 15, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

That’s the kind of number we’re looking for.

Rep. James Talarico

A new survey of likely Harris County voters conducted by the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs shows Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico leading heavily against his Republican opponent, Ken Paxton.

The same survey also shows Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa on track to beat Republican Gov. Greg Abbott as Harris County’s favored gubernatorial candidate as Abbott seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term.

According to the survey, 58% of likely Harris County voters said they plan to vote for state Rep. Talarico for the U.S. Senate, compared to 36% for Attorney General Paxton, while 2% said Libertarian candidate Ted Brown, and 4% were still unsure.

“This is a flashing warning light for Paxton supporters,” said Mark Jones, political science fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute and coauthor of the survey. “This is the type of result that, if it translates to a similar trend statewide, would signal that Talarico is in the driver’s seat or, at least right now, with a modest advantage to win on November 3.”

The survey shows Talarico with a 32-percentage point lead over Paxton in Harris County among women and an 8-percentage point lead over Paxton among men. In addition, Talarico now leads Paxton in the county among Blacks and Latinos, as well as across voters under 55. Talarico is also effectively tied with Paxton in the county among whites and among voters 55 and older.

In the Texas gubernatorial contest, 56% of likely Harris County voters support Hinojosa, compared to 40% for Abbott, 2% for Libertarian Pat Dixon, and 2% unsure.

Latino and Black voters in the county favor Hinojosa over Abbott by a large double-digit margin, while Abbott leads Hinojosa among likely Harris County white voters by six percentage points. Hinojosa leads Abbott by double-digit margins among all age groups under 55, while the two are statistically tied among likely voters 55 and older.

“That isn’t dramatic enough to cause Abbott to lose,” Jones said. “If Abbott is able to perform as well in Harris County as this poll indicates, then he should still be well positioned to win statewide, albeit by a much smaller margin than back in ’22, let alone in 2018 or 2014.”

Underscoring the lead of both Democratic candidates in their respective races, the poll shows 63% of Harris County likely voters believe things in Texas are headed in the wrong direction.

“Only 33% think the country is going in the right direction, and that ties Paxton very closely to Trump,” Jones said. “The national trends and Donald Trump’s low approval rating is really hurting Republican candidates in Harris County, especially those with a more partisan profile, like Ken Paxton and Greg Abbott.”

Here’s the poll data and landing page. This same poll also covered the Harris County Judge race and the two Harris County Commissioners Court races, and I’ll get to them in a separate post. The points I want to make for these two results are as follows:

1. This poll is of a piece with the recent TSU poll of Fort Bend County, which had Talarico up by 18 and Gina Hinojosa up by 11, with the comparison to Beto beating Ted Cruz there in 2018 by 12. In Harris County in 2018, Beto beat Cruz by 16.7 points, so again Talarico is ahead of the pace by a decent amount, while Hinojosa is basically on it. That’s consistent with statewide polls showing Talarico up by a bit and Hinojosa down by a bit. Nothing is determinative, just that there are no outliers here.

2. I have been asked what percentage of the vote Talarico will need to hit in Harris County to win statewide. I’ve pondered this question in reverse in the past, by comparing how statewide candidates do in Harris County and how that compares to their overall results. You’ll note I published that right around this time in 2022, when we were all worried about holding onto the countywide wins we’d had in 2018. The short answer, which I updated after the 2022 election, is that on average a statewide Dem does about nine points better in Harris County than they did statewide. (I did the same calculation recently for 2024, though I haven’t written it up because of time and capacity limitations, and the number there was slightly less than nine points, so still in the same range.) The point there was to show that a candidate getting, say, 42 percent statewide was likely to win Harris County, and that would generally mean good results for the rest of the ticket. Which is more or less what we got, in both 2022 and 2024.

What that suggests is that a candidate who gets about 59 percent in Harris County should be at least on the cusp of fifty percent statewide. (As I showed a long time ago, in a race with one or more third-party candidates, the actual number needed to win is usually in the 48-49% range.) There are multiple factors to consider here, and you’ll notice in those earlier links about county-versus-state that the difference between Harris and statewide used to be a lot less. It’s increased in part because Harris is more blue now relative to the state than it used to be. This is similar to the phenomenon about Tarrant County, which used to be a real bellwether for the state but is less so now because it’s shifted blue more than the state did. (If that weren’t the case, Beto would have won in 2018 because he carried Tarrant, as did Biden in 2020, and Allred in 2024). But who knows what else is going on around the state, with disaffected Republicans and possibly depressed turnout in rural and exurban areas?

The bottom line is that in my head, the answer is “you need 60% in Harris County to win statewide”. But that comes with error bars, and if you’re the top-performing candidate then you need to do better than that to drag your ballotmates across the finish line with you. And we have other races to win in Harris County – State Rep seats, the appellate courts, etc. If 60% is the bar – and I do think if Talarico or any other Dem gets there, they win – then I want them to vault over it, not just barely clear it.

3. A year ago at this time, UH/Hobby Center did its first look at the Senate race, and they had both John Cornyn and Ken Paxton up on the various possible Democrats by three or four points. I called that a red flag for the Republicans, both because it was such an obvious dropoff from 2024 but also because there were already warning signs about deterioration in their level of support because of the various Trump fuckups and atrocities. I said at that time:

I have to ask, what do you think is likely to happen that will make these disaffected Trump voters go back to him? I think it’s more likely that these numbers get worse for Republicans between now and [next November].

I get a lot of things wrong, but I think I got that one right.

4. Just to rub it in a bit, Campos once again reminds us of Greg Abbott’s vow from last December to “pour $25 million into his effort to turn Harris County — a Democratic stronghold he lost by 10 percentage points in 2022 — ‘dark red'”. How’s that working out for you, Greg?

See the previous post for more on the other poll of Harris County. Let me know what you think about this one.

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UH/Hobby poll: Plummer, Garcia, Briones all lead

Posted on October 15, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Solid stuff.

Letitia Plummer

Democrat Letitia Plummer holds a 7-point lead over Orlando Sanchez, her Republican opponent, in the race to succeed Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, according to a poll published Tuesday by the University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs.

Of the 2,750 likely voters surveyed, 47% said they planned to support Plummer, compared to 40% who favored Sanchez. Undecided voters accounted for the remaining 13% of those surveyed. More respondents viewed both candidates favorably than unfavorably, but nearly half of those surveyed said they did not know enough about either to form an opinion.

Harris County commissioners recently approved the highest tax rate in decades just weeks after voting to increase most county elected officials’ salaries to $305,000.

Rice University political scientist Mark Jones said those decisions, while unpopular, are being overshadowed by widespread voter backlash to President Donald Trump’s policies.

The 13% of undecided voters in the county judge race also broadly lean Democrat, Jones said, likely widening Plummer’s lead.

“Trump’s declining approval ratings have dragged his fellow Republicans down, both nationally, but also here in Harris County, making what was already a very difficult task even more challenging,” Jones said. “Sanchez is outperforming both (Gov. Greg) Abbott and (GOP U.S. Senate nominee) Ken Paxton, but he’s still in a deficit. We’re at a point where it’s really difficult to envision a Republican winning countywide in Harris County.”

[…]

Republicans also face uphill battles in the two county commissioner races on this year’s ballot, the poll showed.

Incumbent Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia, a Democrat, has a 12-point lead over Republican challenger Richard Vega. Garcia even enjoyed some crossover support from what Jones said was a “non-trivial” number of Republicans.

Those voters, Jones said, are likely drawn to Garcia’s background in law enforcement — he previously was a Houston police officer and served as Harris County sheriff — and his more moderate stances on key issues.

“He’s getting about 10% of Republicans’ support on average, and that’s in a district that already leans Democrat,” Jones said. “That in and of itself is enough to clinch victory.”

Most respondents indicated they didn’t know who Vega was — a problem Vega likely does not have the campaign funding to overcome by November, Jones said.

The outlook is slightly better for Steve Radack, a Republican running against Commissioner Lesley Briones in Precinct 4. Radack previously served as Precinct 3 commissioner for 32 years — experience that has helped him build him the name recognition Vega lacks, Jones said.

But Radack still trailed Briones by 8 points, according to the poll.

Ultimately, Jones said, in an expected wave year for Democrats, it’s difficult for local Republican candidates to convince voters to make an exception midway through the ballot.

“You’re going to have a large proportion of voters clearly leaning Democrat. They’re going to vote for James Talarico. They’re going to vote for Gina Hinojosa,” Jones said. “When they get this far down on the ballot, what is going to make them change their minds and vote for a Radack or a Vega?”

Here’s the poll data and landing page, same as they were for the Senate and Governor’s race polls. My comments this time:

1. You might, as Orlando Sanchez’s campaign did in a press release after this poll came out, note that the seven-point difference here is a lot smaller than the 16-point lead claimed by Letitia Plummer in an internal poll. I’ll simply note Prof. Jones’ comment about the undecideds mostly being Dem-leaners, thus likely underselling her lead, and leave it at that.

2. Okay, fine, I’ll add this: As I have also previously discussed, in most years there’s a fairly narrow range of results for countywide candidates. There are exceptions, including candidates who overperform (Ed Emmett, the Sheriff combination of Adrian Garcia and Ed Gonzalez) and underperform (Lloyd Oliver, ugh), but in most years the range is about three points. In 2022, countywide candidates performed right around the average for all Democrats in Harris County, and were mostly within 2.5 to 3 points of Beto at the top of the ticket. So if James Talarico is pulling in 58% or more, it almost doesn’t matter what this poll says. The rest of the countywide Dems are gonna do just fine.

3. To add one more data point, in 2022, when the average statewide Democrat got 51.75% of the vote in Harris County, Adrian Garcia won his race with 52.68% and Lesley Briones won with 51.67%, against an incumbent. Given the higher baseline this year, yeah, they’re gonna be fine, too.

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Lawsuit filed over state’s still-broken voter registration process

Posted on October 15, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Good.

Still the only voter ID anyone should need

Pro-voting groups are asking a Texas court to force state officials to fix its online voter registration process after a backlog of nearly 600,000 applications was revealed just before the midterm elections.

The League of Women Voters of Texas and MOVE Texas Civic Fund sued the Texas Secretary of State and the Texas Department of Public Safety, as well as their top officials, last week in Bexar County.

The pro-voting groups allege the departments failed to properly process online voter registration records in violation of a 2021 settlement agreement that guarantees voters can register any time they renew or update their driver’s license online as required by the National Voter Registration Act.

In their complaint, the groups make clear they are not seeking any monetary damages but instead want a permanent injunction requiring the state to correctly process voter registrations going forward.

“No damages can compensate Plaintiffs’ members and other voters for their delayed voter registrations causing disruptions to voting plans and creating barriers to voting via provisional ballots or being forced to vote an outdated ballot not reflecting current representatives,” they write.

Without a permanent injunction, the groups say “the risk of disenfranchisement for Texans increases exponentially.”

“Millions of eligible voters are relying on a system that is no longer working. This reliance may lead to voters not knowing they were not properly updated in the system until it is too late to register to vote and, in some cases, until they are already at the polls,” they add.

[…]

The pro-voting groups say they first sent a letter in July seeking information on how the state was complying with the 2021 settlement agreement. They said both the Texas Secretary of State and Department of Public Safety “claimed full adherence to its terms.”

But then came reports in September, from counties saying they were suddenly inundated with delayed records.

“Given this track record, Plaintiffs cannot take Defendants at their word that the underlying issues causing voter registration delays are resolved—and the Court should not either,” they write.

They added they are “now turning to the Court because they fear that without judicial enforcement of the Stringer II Settlement Agreement, the underlying voter registration delays, which has already harmed voters, will continue to harm voters in elections to come.”

See here, here, and here for the background. It’s not clear to me what effect this would have for this year’s election. The good news is that the counties appear to have worked through the backlog, and there’s money available to them to get reimbursed for the effort. This looks like an effort to prevent future screwups of this nature, which would mostly be a benefit for 2028 and beyond. It’s still something, even if it’s not as satisfying as getting something tangible for this year. The Trib has more.

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Texas blog roundup for the week of October 12

Posted on October 15, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is sending flowers to our double-bird friend in Syracuse as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Off the Kuff did a quantitative comparison of the polls for Senate and Governor’s races in Texas, and found that the latter was closer.

SocraticGadfly looked at the oil contamination in Johnson County and said it smacked of similar land pollution in North Texas back in the 1990s.

Neil at Houston Democracy Project says we’ve had a number of wins at Houston City Council in ‘26 & we’ll do the work for a more progressive and responsive council in ‘27.

==============================

And here are some posts of interest from other Texas blogs.

G. Elliott Morris reminds us that the fundamentals are aligned with the polls.

The Texas Observer notes South Texas’ migration away from Trump.

Your Local Epidemiologist gives you the facts as they are known about that plague outbreak in Russia.

Isabel Latz argues that El Pasoans can’t afford leaders who ignore extreme heat.

The Barbed Wire says some nice things about Wichita Falls.

Murray Newman eulogizes First Court of Appeals Justice Kristin Guiney.

The Texas Signal shows us a comic book that repurposes HP Lovecraft for Mexican stories.

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Meet the endorsers

Posted on October 14, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a political event of interest coming up on Thursday you might want to attend:

This is one hundred percent up my alley, but fate has conspired to make me unable to attend. Those of you who have an interest, and I’m sure there’s quite a few, go RSVP as directed and check it out. They have snacks and drinks! What more could you want?

I have of course been following the Chron’s endorsements for November. There’s too much volume for me to keep up with them here, especially as I’ve been publishing the interviews and Q&As, but I see them and I read them. They’ve been busy lately, keeping up with the large number of contested electionsm including some recent ones for felony court judges, the 15th Court of Appeals, and some bangers for Attorney General, Lieutenant Governor, and Comptroller. There were some years in the past where the Editorial Board took its sweet time and was still making endorsements well into early voting. Not this crew, and I appreciate that. Go meet them and tell them what you think.

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Interview with Silky Joshi Malik

Posted on October 14, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Silky Joshi Malik

If it feels like it’s been a minute since you heard anything about the Harris County Department of Education, that’s probably because the HCDE Board has been going about its business without any of the fuss or drama some past boards have had. That’s a credit to the current Board, including today’s interview subject, Silky Joshi Malik. Appointed to Position 7 At Large to fill a vacancy last year, she is an author and KPFT host who has a dual bachelor’s degree in sociology and psychology from UH and is working on a PhD in public policy. A former cancer researcher and substitute teacher in HISD, she ran for CD02 in 2018. I did an interview with her for that primary that you can listen to here, and you can listen to this interview below:

Here’s the transcript, courtesy of Greg Wythe. I will have one last interview – barring the usual late surprise, of course – on Monday, the first day of early voting. As always, please let me know what you think.

PREVIOUSLY:

Rep. Jon Rosenthal – Railroad Commissioner – Transcript
Sen. Nathan Johnson – Attorney General – Transcript
Clayton Tucker – Ag Commissioner – Transcript
Sen. Sarah Eckhardt – Comptroller – Transcript
Commissioner Adrian Garcia – Harris County Commissioners Court, Precinct 2 – Transcript
Shaun Finnie – CD02 – Transcript
Michelle Palmer – SBOE6 – Transcript
Chris Ehlinger – HCAD Position 2 – Transcript
Jesus Nieto – HCAD Position 3 – Transcript
Benjamin Flores – Land Commissioner – Transcript
Michelle Williams – HD127 – Transcript
Tyler Smith – HD138 – Transcript
Josh Wallenstein – HD133 – Transcript
Cris Moses – HCAD Position 3 – Transcript
Sara McGee – HD132 – Transcript
Odus Evbagharu – HD135 – Transcript
Stefanie Bord – HD126 – Transcript
Darlene Breaux – HD149 – Transcript
Jourdyn Wilson – HCAD Position 2 – Transcript
Rep. Lizzie Fletcher – CD07 – Transcript
Rep. Gene Wu – HD137 – Transcript
Teneshia Hudspeth – Harris County Clerk – Transcript

From the primaries:

Leticia Gutierrez – CD09 – Transcript
Christian Menefee, CD18 (from the special election) – Transcript
Rep. Sylvia Garcia, CD29 – Transcript
Melissa McDonough – CD38 – Transcript
Justin Early, CD31 – Transcript

Staci Childs – HD131 – Transcript

Letitia Plummer – Harris County Judge – Transcript
Abbie Kamin – Harris County Attorney – Transcript
Traci Gibson, HCDP Chair – Transcript

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ReconMR: Talarico 48, Paxton 44

Posted on October 14, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox:

Rep. James Talarico

State Representative James Talarico (D) continues to lead Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) in the race for U.S. Senate, 48-44%, little changed from 49-43% in September, according to a new poll of likely Texas voters released today ReconMR. Incumbent Republican Governor Greg Abbott and his Democratic opponent, State Representative Gina Hinojosa, are separated by a single point, with Abbott up, 48-47%, after trailing Hinojosa by four points, 45-49%, in September.

“A Texas Democrat has not won an election to the U.S. Senate since 1988. With less than a month until Election Day, Talarico holds a small four-point lead over Paxton, 48-44%, after leading by six points last month,” ReconMR Senior Research Analyst Lindsey Hendren said. “Not surprisingly, both candidates are holding on to their partisan bases, as Talarico leads among Democrats 92-2% and Paxton leads among Republicans 87-7%. Likely independent voters favor Talarico by two-to-one, 60-30%.”

“Talarico holds a commanding 74-21% lead in Austin, but trails Paxton by 18 points in rural Texas. Talarico still leads by 18 points in San Antonio/South Texas (56-38%); however, it’s down from his 33-point lead in September. They are running virtually even in Houston and Talarico holds a slight advantage in Dallas-Fort Worth,” Hendren said.

Talarico has a 48-43% favorability rating, down slightly from 50-39% in September, while Paxton has a 40-55% favorability rating, up slightly from 38-55% in September.

“Can Texas Democrats – with a lot of help from outside money – flip a Republican-held Senate seat? Maybe. There’s still plenty of time between now and election day. The race for Senate will come down to three things: turnout, turnout, turnout.”

Abbott’s job approval rating remains underwater at 48-51%, a slight shift from 45-53% in September. His favorability rating is 46-50%, from 45-53%. Hinojosa has a 44-37% favorability rating, with 20% not knowing enough to have an opinion. In September, it was 48-27-25%.

“In an unusual predicament for the three-term governor, Abbott enters the final weeks of the campaign locked in the tightest of battles with Hinojosa, leading her by a single point, 48-47%,” Hendren said. “The race remains much more competitive than many anticipated earlier this year, or even just a few months ago. Abbott leads among Republicans 92-5%, and Hinojosa leads 94-2% among Democrats and 57-34% among likely independent voters. So while Hinojosa has work to do in becoming more known to voters, Abbott needs to cut into Hinojosa’s lead among independent voters if he’s to have another term as Texas Governor.

“Abbott has a 25-point lead in rural Texas, while Hinojosa leads 75-22% in Austin, 52-44% in Houston, and 53-42% in San Antonio/South. They’re tied at 48% among likely voters in Dallas-Fort Worth,” Hendren said.

See here for the previous RenonMR poll, which also included Lite Guv (and had Vikki Goodwin leading by a point) and AG. Neither of those were included in this version of the poll, for whatever the reason. They did have the generic Congressional ballot (Dems lead 47-46, a switch from the last time) and various favorability ratings (Trump 45-54, including 49% strong disapproval; the rest are noted above). As a reminder, when pollsters like this say “Houston” and “Dallas-Fort Worth”, they mean the greater metro areas, so including the red suburban counties.

The poll press release is linked above, and the crosstabs are here. I will admit I was a little tense in the hours between receiving the email that this poll would drop on Tuesday and then getting the email with the poll data. ReconMR has had some of the best numbers for Dems, so the potential for a drop that would induce all kinds of screaming “PAXTON CLOSES IN ON TALARICO” headlines and a million cases of gastric distress among my neurotic fellow travelers was considerable. This result is fine, even with the flip in lead on the Governor’s race, the movement is too small to be substantive. And also, later in the same day we got the UH/Hobby Center poll data on Harris County, and that was good news. I’ll get to those tomorrow. For now, breathe into a paper bag if you must, and go volunteer to knock on doors or something to burn off the nervous energy. Do more, worry less.

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That jet-setting Ken Paxton lifestyle, part 3

Posted on October 14, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Holy moly.

Still a crook any way you look

As President Trump weighed endorsing Ken Paxton over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn of Texas this spring, he was told that damaging revelations were likely to surface about Paxton, according to people familiar with the conversations. Trump was dismissive and said there would be more negative material about Democratic nominee James Talarico.

Trump plowed ahead and endorsed the scandal-plagued Texas attorney general, helping him win the Republican-primary runoff in May. Months later, that decision is looking like Trump’s biggest gamble of the midterms.

Despite efforts by Paxton to paint his opponent as a far-left zealot, Talarico consistently holds a narrow lead in polls, raising a once unthinkable possibility: A Democrat could win statewide office in Texas for the first time since 1994.

Meanwhile, damaging revelations about Paxton continue to emerge. A new scene that could join the list: a previously unreported New Year’s Eve 2024 celebration where Paxton partied in Dubai with two fugitives from U.S. justice and a woman who wasn’t his wife.

As fireworks exploded over the Burj Khalifa skyscraper to welcome 2025, Paxton and his girlfriend Tracy Duhon watched from a luxury high-rise balcony full of people, according to a video of the gathering viewed by The Wall Street Journal, details of which were contained in court filings and confirmed by people familiar with the matter.

Among those at the event with Texas’ top law-enforcement official were two Americans who had been indicted months before on federal healthcare-fraud charges but failed to return to the U.S., Anosh Ahmed and Sameer Suhail, according to the court records and people familiar with the matter. Ahmed, a healthcare executive, had donated $190,000 to Paxton, campaign-finance records show, including $25,000 days after he was indicted.

Talarico has hammered Paxton over his jet-setting travels, accumulation of wealth in office, and his business associations.

[…]

The two fugitives at the Dubai event had been both indicted in federal court in Illinois in 2024 on charges that they embezzled $15 million from a Chicago hospital where Ahmed was chief financial officer. A businessman with interests in Texas, Ahmed was later charged in a much larger scheme involving at least $195 million in alleged payments from the government for fraudulent Covid-19 tests, to which he has pleaded not guilty.

Both men are now back in the U.S. to face the charges. Ahmed is in custody, and his attorneys have said in court filings that he was abroad at the time of the first indictment and his return to the U.S. was delayed by family health issues. Suhail’s attorney, Adam Sheppard, said civil matters in Dubai affected Suhail’s ability to travel after the indictment and he returned voluntarily when they were resolved.

The video of the event, taken by another guest at the party, was cited in a filing in a Texas civil court case in which that guest is a defendant.

[…]

Paxton met Duhon, a Christian influencer who became his girlfriend, at the Kentucky Derby in 2024, people with knowledge of the relationship said. She divorced her husband the following year, and Paxton’s divorce is pending. Tabloid photos captured the pair as they traveled through Europe over this past summer, while Talarico’s campaign ramped up.

See here and here for the previous entries in this series. Here’s the video:

Full marks to the WSJ multimedia team here. I just have a couple of general thoughts here, because this is all so bonkers. As someone who has believed for a very long time that Ken Paxton is super crooked, even I am amazed by all this recent reporting. It’s wild to think about, but Paxton almost certainly could have kept on doing what he was doing without the public being aware of it had he chosen to run for re-election instead of aim for US Senate. Maybe he’d be a victim of this blue wave anyway – he’s been the low scorer or close to it among Republicans in most recent elections – but he’d escape all this scrutiny, as there’d be no real incentive to look too closely at what he’s been up to. Pride goeth and all that.

The other point is that while in some sense this is more titillating than anything else, there remain serious unanswered questions about how the Paxtons – both of them – became very wealthy while their main income was his government salary. There was a federal investigation into this once – a grand jury, an FBI probe, some possible charges – but then in came Donald Trump and away it all went. Could something else like it be revived under a new President and a real Justice Department? Maybe, if the evidence hasn’t been lost or destroyed, and if the statutes of limitations haven’t run out, and if the will and resources exist among the thirty bajillion other priorities. My point is we talk about these things mostly in passing, often in the same sentence or paragraph as the old state securities fraud charges that never would have amounted to all that much even if he’d been convicted on all counts. There was a time when just reporting on charges like these might be enough to put pressure on someone to resign. Now it’s just a bit of color on a more outrageous but less substantive story. This is the world we live in now. But maybe, just maybe, this will be enough this time.

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

ICE may have “deliberately” run into Miguel Parra-Hernandez with a car

Posted on October 14, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Jesus Christ.

District Attorney Sean Teare’s office is investigating the Saturday wreck involving an ICE agent who struck a fleeing construction worker as a potential aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Investigators believe the agent may have run Miguel Parra-Hernandez down, breaking his legs, as he and another man abandoned their truck and ran, Teare said Monday, cautioning that more investigationfrom experts on crash reconstruction and use of force is needed.

Based on their initial review of evidence, including surveillance footage, the crash near Clay Road and Highway 6 stood out to Teare as an example of the federal government’s increasing brazenness while carrying out immigration enforcement in the Houston area.

“Multiple investigators who have decades of experience investigating auto-pedestrian crashes have all watched the surveillance, seen the scene and believe it is not an accidental strike,” said Teare, who previously led the Harris County District Attorney’s Office’s vehicular crimes division as a prosecutor.

After the crash, ICE officials said they were targeting a man identified as Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, who the agency alleges had previously been convicted of crimes and deported. Parra-Hernandez was struck as he ran in front of the ICE agent’s Jeep Cherokee.

Parra-Hernandez’s attorney, Kim Bruno, said Monday her client does not know Mendoza-Cervantes. FIEL Houston officials also don’t believe the man depicted in a photo shared by ICE was in the vehicle with Parra-Hernandez, but they have plans to reveal more about the individual Wednesday.

“Miguel has never met him — has no relationship with him,” Bruno said during a news conference on Clay Road.

Parra-Hernandez, 48, remains hospitalized at Memorial Hermann Katy after undergoing surgery. FIEL Houston officials said he has lived in Houston for 34 years with no criminal record.

Teare believes the ICE agents may have been equipped with body-worn or dash cameras, but it’s unclear if the cameras were recording. Surveillance footage from a nearby business showed the ICE agent jumping a curb to cross a lane of traffic to reach the fleeing men as they ran away. His vehicle had emergency lights installed, but the lights were not activated, footage shows.

Prosecutors plan to look for additional footage from other businesses and witnesses to piece together a timeline of the crash. In this case, investigators believe a driver in an idling pickup truck may have witnessed the moment the ICE vehicle struck Parra-Hernandez in the parking lot.

See here for the background. It’s still early days and I suppose DA Sean Teare could have been speaking ahead of the evidence, but as we well know, ICE gets no benefit of the doubt. The good news here is that this time we know the name of the ICE agent involved and the DA’s investigators were able to get to the scene quickly, both of which have helped to move the investigation along. Also, the grand jury investigating the death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo will be asked to make a charging decision in the next few weeks. So we are getting closer to some answers, and maybe some accountability. The Trib has more.

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Judicial Q&A: Judge Donna Roth

Posted on October 13, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates. I ran a series of these for candidates in contested primaries, and now these are for the rest of the candidates. I am running these responses in the order that I receive them from the candidates. Much more information about Democratic candidates, including links to interviews and judicial Q&As, can be found on Erik Manning’s spreadsheet.

Judge Donna Roth

1. Who are you and in which court do you preside?

Donna Roth, Judge of 295th Civil District Court, Harris County, Texas.

2. What kind of cases does this court hear?

This is a civil court. My team and I handle all matters of civil law. Best explained as we DO NOT handle criminal, family, or probate cases. We handle everything else, such as employment, contract, personal injury (from minor car wrecks to major plant explosions), oil and gas leases and operations, tax delinquency, debt collection and many other disputes.

3. What have been your main accomplishments during your time on this bench?

I took the bench in January, 2019. At the time this court had nearly 4,000 cases. At the current time it has a little less than 2,000 cases. This was accomplished through many, many procedures instituted by the 295 team during my terms as judge. I have been on the Juvenile Probation Board for the last two years and have worked through some difficult issues.

I am very proud of our summer intern program and the knowledge and experience we have given to law students who will shortly be lawyers. I began the “Screaming Chicken” tournament which is a mock trial for our summer interns. Also, in 2024 I took back my tax docket from the tax master and now handle 295’s tax delinquency docket.

4. What do you hope to accomplish in your courtroom going forward?

Certainly, keeping the docket low, while maintaining the integrity of the bench. Ensuring that all who enter the 295th feel like they have been heard and whether they win or loss they felt like they received their day of justice. I would also like to improve my knowledge of the courtroom media equipment and integrate it more into the hearings before the Court.

5. Why is this race important?

Harris County citizens are most likely never going to have to ask the Governor, Senator, Lt. Governor or their Congress person to listen to them. In contrast, our Court’s are full of Harris County citizens who are on one side of a case or another asking for justice in some form or another. Whether injured in a car wreck, fired unjustly, dispute with your neighbor, a disagreement with the taxing authorities, contract or debt issues, you will enter a civil court and have your matter heard. Who is there matters!

6. Why should people vote for you in November?

I am the only experienced and qualified candidate in the race. My opponent, based on his former city council experience, will be unable to ensure that ALL those that enter the 295th will be treated equally and with dignity. I am an experienced and effective Judge. I make sure that everyone in 295 is treated with respect and dignity. I do not let anyone talk to another unprofessionally. No matter your race, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation or any other human factor, everyone in the 295th is treated with respect and dignity. I know the job, I know the process, I know the routine, and I am ready to serve another 4 years.

PREVIOUSLY:

Judge Damiane Dianne Curvey, 280th Family District Court
Judge M. Monica Singh, Harris County Civil Court at Law #4
Judge Cory Sepolio, 269th Civil District Court
Samantha Davis, 313th Juvenile District Court
Judge Melissa Morris, 263rd Criminal District Court
Judge Toria J. Finch, Harris County Criminal Court at Law #9
Judge Linda Marie Dunson, 309th Family District Court
Judge Kelley Andrews, Harris County Criminal Court at Law #6
Judge Angela Lancelin, 245th Family District Court
Judge Shannon Baldwin, Harris County Criminal Court at Law #4
Julie Countiss, First Court of Appeals, Place 4
Judge Lori Chambers Gray, 262nd Criminal District Court
Judge Teresa Waldrop, 312th Family District Court
Judge Veronica Nelson, 482nd Criminal District Court
Justice Amy Guerra, First Court of Appeals, Place 5
Okey Aniyam, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 3
BreAnna Schwartz, 497th Criminal District Court
Judge Jason Cox, Harris County Probate Court #3
Justice Chari Kelly, Supreme Court Justice, Place 2
Holly Taylor, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 9
Judge Raul Rodriguez, Harris County Criminal Court at Law #13
Sarah Beth Landau, Chief Justice, 14th Court of Appeals

From the primaries:

Judge Kristen Hawkins, Supreme Court Justice, Place 7
Sarah Beth Landau, Chief Justice of the Fourteenth Court of Appeals
Judge Tanya Garrison, 157th Civil District Court
Julia Maldonado, 183rd Criminal District Court
Judge Brian Warren, 209th Criminal District Court
Judge Josh Hill, 232nd Criminal District Court
Judge Leah Shapiro, 315th Juvenile District Court
Judge James Horwitz, Harris County Probate Court #4
Ebony Williams, Harris County Civil Court at Law #2
Judge Andrew Wright, Harris County Criminal Court at Law #7

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The flu heard ’round the world

Posted on October 13, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

You’d think it would be a non-issue, with maybe some worrywart Dems and/or mid media members with nothing better to do making something of it. But you would be wrong.

Rep. James Talarico

Democratic U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico made a surprise appearance Friday at Austin City Limits Music Festival, returning to public view on the first day of Weekend 2 after days of speculation about his whereabouts in the lead-up to November’s election.

“I come to ACL every year,” Talarico told the American-Statesman backstage at the Beatbox stage during a set by World Famous Pets, the band fronted by Texas-born Edie Brickell.

The candidate said he was most excited to see Turnstile and Natasha Bedingfield on Friday.

Speculation, largely from Republicans, has persisted since Sept. 30, when Talarico last appeared publicly. His appearance was virtual, after he announced he had the flu following a visit to a Dallas urgent care facility the night before.

[…]

Talarico’s camp also took the opportunity to jab at his challenger, Republican U.S. Senate nominee Ken Paxton, noting that it had been “84 days since [Talarico] challenged Paxton to come out of hiding and answer Texans’ questions in debate, which even President Trump called on him to do this week.”

Seems normal, if not the best timing from Talarico’s point of view. Spend a lot of time on the road, shake a lot of hands and be in a lot of crowded spaces, you’re at higher risk of getting sick. It happens. Most of the time it would not be noticed, but we live in very stupid times, and the very stupid people made all kinds of stupid sounds about it. We don’t have the time to unpack all of that now, but see Mother Jones for more to think about.

I’m just going to leave you with two thoughts. One is from Evan Mintz at the Chronicle.

Team Paxton’s narrative smacked of an almost pathological paranoia — the sort that sees a politician throwing a Hook ‘Em Horns and thinks they’re secretly signalling their alliance with Satan. The whole thing involves a private plane flying from Austin to Ohio and a recording of a phone call with the Lindner Center.

Just to make it clear: The Lindner Center said the whole story is a lie. And a Paxton supporter core to all of the false claims, Rhein Amacher, later admitted he did nothing to confirm his facts.

Talarico, for his part, says that he’s never even been to Ohio.

It’s worth noting that the MAGA world has a track record of credulously believing online falsehoods, a fact that AI scammers exploit to their advantage, as WIRED reported earlier this year.

As Tony Ortiz of Current Revolt put it: “Absolutely losing my mind at the state of Texas politics right now and people putting out stories that boomers eat up without any sort of serious verification.”

In Team Paxton’s defense, antics like this are pretty common in politics. Think of the legendary story that Lyndon Johnson once spread a rumor about his opponent having sex with a pig just to make him deny it. It’s a good way to knock a campaign off balance and burn up a media cycle. The fact that I’m writing about this at all shows the gambit worked to a certain extent.

At the same time, it’s an antic often used by political losers pathetically desperate for something to hit their opponents with. They’re desperate to distract Texans’ concerns about, say, inflation and gas prices under Republican leadership. Compare it to the Talarico campaign, which just launched a new ad hitting Paxton for selling out Texas to data centers and another touting Talarico’s bipartisan credentials.

Evan compares it to the mania of 2004 when Rick Perry had supposedly been caught in a gay love affair and his wife was going to file for divorce Any Day Now and…yeah, it was completely demented and more than a few people who should have known better were fully bought in before it inevitably fell apart. This was dumber than that, in a more intense and concentrated way because of social media – which is to say, mostly Twitter – but that 2004 episode was also memorably dumb.

And then there’s this:

Tip your servers, I’ll be here all week.

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Lawsuits filed over Renee Good’s murder

Posted on October 13, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

I wish them all the success imaginable.

Renee Good’s family sued the U.S. government and the architects of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown Thursday, saying “the time is absolutely now for accountability” for her killing in January by a federal agent in Minneapolis.

Good’s partner, Becca Good, and her brother Brent Ganger on behalf of her larger family, accused the government and Jonathan Ross, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who shot into her SUV and killed her, of unjustified and excessive use of force.

The Jan. 7 shooting, captured on bystander video, was “the predictable and intended product” of the Trump administration’s crackdown on Somali and other immigrants in Minnesota dubbed Operation Metro Surge, according to one of the two lawsuits.

“She was the love of my life,” Becca Good said at a news conference announcing the lawsuits. “I’m here today because last January, the whole world had to watch as our entire universe was destroyed — as the sunshine who was my amazing Renee was robbed from us, from her children, and from her community.”

The killings of Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, and another U.S. citizen, Alex Pretti, in Minneapolis just weeks later sparked outrage across the country and calls to rein in immigration enforcement. At least 10 people have died in encounters with immigration officers during Trump’s second term.The crackdown, a pillar of Trump’s second term, has prompted a slew of lawsuits filed by everyone from Chicago-area pastors to more than a dozen states and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Hundreds of protesters have been arrested, but few have been convicted of any crimes.

“What happened to Renee was completely senseless,” Ganger said. “And the fact that there’s been no accountability, no investigation, no expression of condolence, no change in policy is completely mind blowing.”

The lawsuits — one against the government, the other against Ross and officials including White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, ex-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and White House border czar Tom Homan — seek unspecified damages for wrongful death, conspiracy and other violations.

“Our government has become a grave and mortal threat to its own citizens,” the family’s lawyer, Antonio Romanucci, told reporters.

[…]

The wrongful death lawsuit against the U.S. government seeks damages for “the immense suffering” Good endured in her final moments and her family’s “profound and permanent” loss.

The other lawsuit, against Ross and top federal immigration officials, paints Operation Metro Surge as a conspiracy to trample the civil rights of immigrants, and accuses the administration of targeting Becca instead of thoroughly investigating Good’s killing.

The government sought to hide evidence of what happened, it said, and officials worried that pursuing a civil rights investigation would undermine Trump’s claims that Good had tried to kill an officer.

The operation, the conspiracy lawsuit said, was a “carefully planned, coordinated effort” to make Somali and Hispanic immigrants “the object of aggression and abduction.” The crackdown used violence and the threat of arrest to intimidate neighbors and allies “who observed, documented and warned.”

Other defendants include: Corey Lewandowski, a Trump campaign manager who also served as one of Noem’s advisers; former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Todd Lyons; former U.S. Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino; and 10 unnamed federal agents.

[…]

Good’s lawyers acknowledged the complexity of the cases, and legal scholars said they could be challenging to win.

“They’re going to face significant uphill battles,” said Rachel Moran, a professor at the University of St. Thomas law school. “These are both complicated types of lawsuits, and so I can’t predict how they will play out. But I’m sure the government will have many, many types of responses to why the lawsuits should not go forward.”

But she noted the conspiracy lawsuit, in particular, could reveal many unknown details about the crackdown, including the involvement of some of the country’s top officials.

“Yes, ICE agents on the ground acted problematically, but that was at the behest, in many ways, of people very high up in the administration,” she said.

No question these will be tough even to get into a courtroom, let alone to win. I’m confident that Sam Alito and Clarence Thomas already have opinions written in support of dismissing these and every other lawsuit like them. It’s still important to try, because someone has to hold these motherfuckers accountable. That’s not to let a Democratic Congress and President off the hook, just to say that everyone who can take action should do so. Perhaps that will include the family of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo eventually. I wish them all the very best.

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

Interview with Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth

Posted on October 12, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Teneshia Hudspeth

I don’t know what there is to say about Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth that hasn’t been said many times before. With a giant target painted on her office by nefarious Republicans, and with what feels like an election every month, she’s done an amazing job as County Clerk, running flawless elections with aplomb and a smile. Let me just quote the Chronical from their absolute banger of an endorsement of her re-election: “We’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t like and respect this hyper-competent Democratic county official.” I’ve interviewed her a couple of times before, including in 2022 when she ran for her first full four-year term, and in 2024 just to recap the year she and her team had and the challenges they still faced that November. Here’s this year’s interview, which I hope you enjoy:

Here’s the transcript, courtesy of Greg Wythe. I’ve got two more interviews to go, one of which will run Wednesday and the other next Monday. Let me know what you think.

PREVIOUSLY:

Rep. Jon Rosenthal – Railroad Commissioner – Transcript
Sen. Nathan Johnson – Attorney General – Transcript
Clayton Tucker – Ag Commissioner – Transcript
Sen. Sarah Eckhardt – Comptroller – Transcript
Commissioner Adrian Garcia – Harris County Commissioners Court, Precinct 2 – Transcript
Shaun Finnie – CD02 – Transcript
Michelle Palmer – SBOE6 – Transcript
Chris Ehlinger – HCAD Position 2 – Transcript
Jesus Nieto – HCAD Position 3 – Transcript
Benjamin Flores – Land Commissioner – Transcript
Michelle Williams – HD127 – Transcript
Tyler Smith – HD138 – Transcript
Josh Wallenstein – HD133 – Transcript
Cris Moses – HCAD Position 3 – Transcript
Sara McGee – HD132 – Transcript
Odus Evbagharu – HD135 – Transcript
Stefanie Bord – HD126 – Transcript
Darlene Breaux – HD149 – Transcript
Jourdyn Wilson – HCAD Position 2 – Transcript
Rep. Lizzie Fletcher – CD07 – Transcript
Rep. Gene Wu – HD137 – Transcript

From the primaries:

Leticia Gutierrez – CD09 – Transcript
Christian Menefee, CD18 (from the special election) – Transcript
Rep. Sylvia Garcia, CD29 – Transcript
Melissa McDonough – CD38 – Transcript
Justin Early, CD31 – Transcript

Staci Childs – HD131 – Transcript

Letitia Plummer – Harris County Judge – Transcript
Abbie Kamin – Harris County Attorney – Transcript
Traci Gibson, HCDP Chair – Transcript

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Another victim of ICE violence

Posted on October 12, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

It never ends.

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer struck a man with an SUV in a west Houston parking lot Saturday morning, leaving the man with a broken leg after he fled from a vehicle immigration agents were trying to stop.

The crash was captured on video by at least one business’ security camera. The business owner, who provided the video to the Houston Chronicle, asked not to be identified for fear of retribution from authorities.

He said the video had also been shared with the sheriff’s office. The sheriff’s office, which is investigating the crash, did not confirm.

In a statement released Saturday evening, attributed to an unnamed spokesperson, ICE claimed the injured man, Miguel Parra-Hernandez, “ran in front of the vehicle and was struck.”

The moment the unmarked Jeep Cherokee hit Parra-Hernandez is obscured in the video. It shows that the ICE agent driving the SUV — who has not been identified — turned in Parra-Hernandez’s direction before the collision.

Parra-Hernandez was being treated at a Katy-area hospital and was in ICE custody, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. His leg was broken in three places and required surgery, according to FIEL, the immigrant rights group.

[…]

The crash drew immediate criticism from local elected officials, who called for transparency surrounding the federal operation. Investigators from both the sheriff’s office and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office were at the scene through Saturday afternoon.

Sheriff’s Office officials called the investigation typical of what happens after a crash involving law enforcement and a pedestrian. The agency was notified after the ICE agents called 911 to request an ambulance for Parra-Hernandez, officials said. No charges have been announced.

[…]

U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia said in a social media post that she had been in contact with the sheriff’s office and was continuing to monitor the situation.

“We need to know exactly what happened, and ICE’s word alone is not enough,” Garcia wrote.

Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones also condemned the incident in a statement Saturday, calling for federal authorities to cooperate with the investigation and release any video evidence.

“I am horrified to learn that an ICE vehicle struck a man on Clay Road this morning in Precinct 4,” Briones said. “While we wait to learn more, my prayers are with his family.”

Briones also criticized the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, saying ICE has brought “chaos and destruction” to communities across the country.

“ICE must cooperate fully with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and release all video evidence of this incident,” she said. “We demand full transparency, accountability, and respect for the rule of law.”

Cesar Espinosa, the executive director of FIEL, called on ICE to identify the agents involved in the operation.

“We must hold all parties accountable and demand a thorough, transparent investigation,” Espinosa said. “We have more questions than answers. The biggest question we have is why does this keep happening?”

The story describes what happens in the video, so click over (gift link) and read it. Remember that the car that chased Parra-Hernandez and his companion was unmarked and didn’t have emergency lights. How would you react in that situation? You’d try to get away from them too.

Here’s more.

An attorney for the family of Miguel Parra-Hernandez, who was struck by an ICE vehicle in Houston Saturday, was working to get him released from the agency’s custody Sunday as he awaited surgery at a Katy-area hospital.

Around 40 people joined the family and advocacy group FIEL Houston for a Sunday demonstration and news conference at the west Houston intersection where an ICE vehicle struck Parra-Hernandez during an enforcement operation a little after 7 a.m. Saturday. An unnamed ICE spokesperson said in a Saturday statement that Parra-Hernandez “ran in front of the vehicle and was struck.”

Parra-Hernandez, 48, has lived in the area for 34 years with no criminal record — nearly the same amount of time Lorenzo Salgado Araujo spent in Houston before an ICE agent shot and killed him in July, according to Cesar Espinosa, the executive director of FIEL Houston. He said Parra-Hernandez was heavily sedated because of pain in his feet, and FIEL advocates were worried that ICE would bill his family for the medical treatment.

Kim Bruno, the family’s attorney, said her priority Sunday was to get Parra-Hernandez out of ICE custody, as investigations proceed to determine whether a crime occurred.

“These circumstances are critical,” Bruno told the Chronicle. “We are working as quickly as possible.”

Natxielly Castañeda, Parra’s niece, described her uncle as a hardworking introvert who is afraid of getting a traffic ticket. For the past 34 years, Parra-Hernandez’s days have consisted of waking up, driving to work, laboring in the sun and coming home to relax and unwind, Castañeda told the Chronicle.

Castañeda recalled hearing her uncle had fainted from the pain of having two broken legs. Retelling that detail brought her to tears.

“What he did yesterday was human instinct, just to get out of the car and run, especially if you’re being chased by unmarked cars,” Castañeda said. “This is happening to Miguel, but this could happen to anyone … It’s known (ICE) is in our Hispanic communities. They are chasing people just for the color of their skin, and that’s inhumane. His only crime yesterday was for him to get up at 7 ’o clock in the morning and go to work.”

The ICE statement said Parra-Hernandez is in the U.S. without permission. However, agents had been trying to arrest another man in the vehicle, Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, who had a history of arrests, convictions and deportations, and had an active final deportation order, the statement said.

[…]

Leticia Gutierrez, the Democratic candidate for Texas’ 9th Congressional district, said if an unmarked car were chasing her, she’d pull out her gun.

“I mean is that what we’re waiting for?” Gutierrez said at the event. “Are we waiting for more chaos to continue to move here when what really is needed here is some compassion and honest conversations around how to make this better, not to continue to murder people in the street.”

It’s kind of a miracle that hasn’t happened already. Imagine what a shitstorm that will be. We don’t know a lot yet – at least this time, the Sheriff’s office had access to the scene early on, so hopefully they’ll be able to do a proper investigation. But remember what Rep. Sylvia Garcia said above. We can’t trust anything ICE says. Investigate the hell out of what happened, and be prepared to press charges as needed. And remember the name Miguel Parra-Hernandez.

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

If this water usage information falls into the hands of the terrorists…

Posted on October 12, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Good Lord, this is stupid.

The Public Utility Commission of Texas is asking a Travis County judge to block the release of information showing where data centers and virtual currency mines operate, saying those details could aid terrorists.

The lawsuit filed Monday pits the state agency responsible for regulating utilities against Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office over the scope of Texas’ public-records law and the state’s protections for critical infrastructure.

At the center of the dispute are two seemingly basic geographic details: the county where a facility is located and the regional water planning area in which it sits.

The PUC argues that those details are “privileged information” and become sensitive when combined with other information collected through its survey of the industry, including electricity demand, actual electricity consumption, projected peak demand, water consumption, water sources, cooling technology and the utilities and infrastructure serving a facility.

The commission is not asking the court to declare the entire survey confidential. Instead, it wants the court to rule that the two geographic fields are exempt from disclosure under the Texas Homeland Security Act, which is meant to “protect against homeland security threats and hazards . . . and prevent significant criminal and terrorist attacks.”

The lawsuit does not represent a final ruling on whether the information ultimately must be released. But it does come as Texas officials are seeking more information about the state’s data center industry.

Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered state agencies to conduct additional reviews of data centers seeking to connect to the state’s electric grid, including reviews of electricity and water use, cooling systems and other information. He has also directed the Texas Water Development Board to take enforcement action against data centers that fail to comply with required water use reporting.

I have three things to say about this.

1. I don’t know which is more embarrassing, the lawsuit itself or that the Lege passed a law that allows this lawsuit to be a thing. Just at first glance, it should be obvious that this is built on bullshit. But that doesn’t mean that it won’t succeed because the law is what it is. And if the law fairly and reasonably allows for this ludicrous exemption, well, then that law truly sucks and everyone who voted for it should now be determined to amend it.

2. Man, it feels weird to be on the same side of a lawsuit as Ken Paxton. Of course, he may decide, as he has done in some other instances where he didn’t feel like doing his job, not to get involved. It’s not a straightforward choice, since he loves both data centers and overarching state authority. But all he may need to do is delay things, as we’ll discuss in the next item.

3. So what does Greg Abbott say and do about this? On the one hand, he did order that audit that the PUC is now challenging. But on the other hand, we know he doesn’t actually oppose or want to impede data center construction. He just wants to punt this whole thing until after the election. If he were the kind of elected official that allowed himself to be scrutinized by the press, or engage in a debate with an opponent (*), someone might be able to ask him about this in a way that compelled an answer. Here all he needs to do is continue to duck and cover and wait for it to be over. In most other contexts, you’d expect him to at least put out a statement to the effect of “I issued a legal order, for the purpose of protecting the people’s interests, I oppose this needless obstinance and fully expect to prevail in court”. These are not such times, and so all I hear are crickets.

(*) Yes, I know, he’s debated his opponents before. But only in elections he felt confident he was going to win.

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Weekend link dump for October 11

Posted on October 11, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

“On this page, we have identified over 660 elections (and counting) up and down the ballot, and why they matter. So, what ballot measures will affect the issue you care about, from abortion access to public transit? Which county governments are in play? What school boards are seeing tensions over the rights of LGBTQ students? Which legislative chambers could each party flip, and via which districts? What sheriff elections are most likely to affect collaboration with ICE? Explore our guide to find out; we feature at least one non-federal race for all 50 states, plus D.C.”

For what it’s worth, I’ve watched fifteen of the NYT’s top 100 shows of the 21st century. And I read the book “Station Eleven”. There are a few I still intend to watch eventually, and a bunch that I can respect but have no interest in.

“Somehow country music is both the soundtrack of the real America and, also, a precious wittle underdog that needs to be handled delicately because the elitists in the big cities won’t support it. This was idiotic when Toby Keith was threatening to stick a boot up the ass of Al-Qaeda and it’s even dumber now that Nashville has successfully transmogrified itself into Las Vegas south.”

“A new species of penguin has been discovered for the first time in 100 years”.

“Why All the Handwringing About a ‘Tea Party of the Left’ Was So Misguided”.

“Drones Are Already on the Front Lines of Wildfire Response. Robots and AI Could Be Next.”

“In a new research article, we document how the nation’s carceral system has already shrunk and how it will shrink further, with prison admissions projected to drop by 50 percent over the next decade. Although sentencing reforms have had some impact, the prison population is declining primarily because crime has fallen dramatically over the past 30 years, whether measured by police reports, arrests, or victim reports.”

Dennis Hastert has died. He very much earned the “disgraced” adjective that I see on most of the headlines about his death. See Josh Marshall for some context and background.

“This is one of the most immediate, concrete, tangible, real, and affordable things that we can do to start to get control of our high energy costs, but also save our planet.”

“Now, with a month before the election, Trump’s interference options are limited. What is left for him to try, and what could states, courts, and the people do in response?”

“‘The Shot Heard ‘Round the World’? We found Bobby Thomson’s Scottish family to see how true that is”.

RIP, Mary Louise Weller, actor best known for Animal House.

I dunno, man, if you’re arguing with Elmo and Ms. Rachel, I think you’re losing.

Jim Bakker, disgraced TV evangelist, has died. Read his full obituary to be reminded that he remained a terrible person long after most of us had forgotten about him.

“Experts have long warned that immigration dragnets and the erosion of civil rights for immigrants will inevitably result in the erosion of rights for citizens. Since the start of this Trump administration, we’ve watched those warnings come true.”

“Fox News political analyst Karl Rove has not appeared on his network’s weekday programming for the last three weeks, even as the midterm elections loom. Rove’s absence coincides with his newsmaking public statements warning about extremism within the Republican Party — and his denunciation by President Donald Trump.” What a world we live in when something like this is worth noticing.

Hell, yeah, don’t confirm any of those mofos, not without some real concessions.

“A federal judge in Miami has struck down a decades-old federal law barring people who are not U.S. citizens from voting in federal elections, ruling that Congress overstepped its constitutional authority by imposing a voter qualification that belongs to the states.”

RIP, Sam McDowell, six-time All Star pitcher mostly for Cleveland who was the inspiration for Sam Malone of Cheers and who went on to become a counselor for athletes suffering from addiction issues and depression.

RIP, Susan Venus, Houston Heights icon, Art Car pioneer, owner of the Venus Hair salon, all-around awesome person. She cut the girls’ hair, and mine too, for years. We’re really going to miss her. Click the gift link and look at the photos of her and her salon, she was one of a kind.

RIP, Eva Marie Saint, Oscar- and Emmy-winning actor best known for On The Waterfront and North By Northwest.

RIP, Dennis Franchione, longtime college football coach at schools such as Texas A&M, TCU, and Alabama.

Happy 100th birthday to Opal Lee, the Grandmother of Juneteenth and a civil rights icon. Also, she’s quoted in the story saying this: “I could do a holy dance, but they tell you, when I do a holy dance, I’m twerking, whatever that is.”

“DIY fertilizer is a blessing as farmers face steep prices due to the Iran war”.

Congratulations, Fred!!

“The European Parliament unveiled “The Orange Plague,” a new gold leaf-covered statue depicting President Donald Trump naked while sitting on the shoulders of a smaller man.”

“In other words, this new gambit seems to combine both Trump’s legacy and pecuniary ambitions, both further embedding himself into the permanent architecture of the presidency and adding a new feature — face time with the president — to his Palm Beach resort.”

The Baltimore Orioles have laid off their Oriole mascot, so things are obviously going great over there.

RIP, Margaret Hamilton, pioneering mathematician and software engineer who led the 100-person team that wrote the onboard software for the Apollo missions, guiding Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to a safe landing on the moon.

“David Zaslav bids farewell to industry he helped destroy”.

“The Trump administration pressured multiple countries to withdraw their sponsorship of a leading European conference on disinformation, with Canada, Lithuania and the EU’s diplomatic service subsequently agreeing to do so”.

“Sam Alito Wants You to Forget How the Conservative Legal Movement Always Works”.

“You’re Funding Trump’s New Ads“.

“When you pay someone $300,000, you expect some favors! That’s how bribes work!”

The case for believing the polls this time.

“This Is What Trump Panic Looks Like”.

RIP, Mike Ditka, Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end mostly for the Chicago Bears who later coached them to their 1985 Super Bowl triumph.

“Despite Meta’s claims that privacy and security would be a priority for Muse that’s clearly not the case; it’s also extremely clear that Meta doesn’t fear any meaningful government accountability or oversight, or the product would have spent significantly more time in the oven. Tech giants that had already clearly abandoned quality control at impossible scale are engaged in a mad dash to the trough with new product launches before their funny math causes a market correction.”

“You’ve Lied to Me Enough.”

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That jet-setting Ken Paxton lifestyle, part 2

Posted on October 11, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Really nice work.

A man of means, by no means

In the summer of 2023, after he was impeached on charges of abusing his office for personal gain, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was suspended and barred from conducting any official business for more than three months while awaiting trial in the state Senate.

So, he traveled.

Paxton, a Republican who is now running for U.S. Senate, took at least 17 trips over three months, including to resort destinations Park City, Utah, and Vail, Colorado. He visited the Oklahoma town where he owns a vacation lodge and a Utah community with a golf resort, where he later bought four condominiums.

State police joined him each time, costing taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars for trips unrelated to his job as attorney general. The Texas Senate ultimately acquitted him on the impeachment charges.

But Paxton’s use of the taxpayer-funded detail did not begin or end there. In fact, it stands out compared with his predecessor, fellow elected officials in Texas and other state attorneys general, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune found.

Paxton has traveled frequently out of state while listing little on his official calendar, The Associated Press reported last week. ProPublica and the Tribune’s analysis, which included reviewing every publicly available document Paxton’s office says it possesses about his travel, discloses for the first time how few of his trips had a listed business purpose: just 1 in 6.

It also found Paxton’s security has cost taxpayers far more than has previously been reported.

Since assuming office in 2015, Paxton has taken nearly 1,000 trips with a state-funded security detail, costing $3.3 million. The newsrooms’ review of Paxton’s travel records, obtained through the state’s Public Information Act, could only connect 138 of those trips and $553,000 in security costs to state business.

Records detailing the purpose of Paxton’s visits to 36 states and 19 countries do not appear to exist in most cases. These include a trip to a small town in Hawaii months before his family’s blind trust bought land there; 24 trips to Utah, where the trust owns five properties; and 53 trips to Florida, where Paxton and the trust have two houses and a townhome.

“If you’ve got all these extra trips, it becomes ethically and morally problematic,” said Chris Toth, former executive director of the National Association of Attorneys General, who has also criticized Paxton’s conduct on other issues. “The ethical question is whether a legitimate security function has effectively become a taxpayer-funded subsidy.”

Texas law allows the Department of Public Safety to provide security for key state leaders, including the attorney general, but does not require officials to use it. In fact, Paxton himself hasn’t used it in at least two dozen cases while traveling on official business.

[…]

To analyze Paxton’s travel, ProPublica and the Tribune reviewed DPS logs for his security detail and records from the attorney general’s office, including airfare and lodging receipts, per diems and his daily calendars.

The records available for his predecessor, Greg Abbott, show a stark difference: Abbott traveled mostly within the state as attorney general, and his security cost $203,000 during his last three years in the office. Adjusted for inflation, Abbott’s security detail cost $7,400 per month. Paxton’s has averaged $24,300.

Because the state keeps records only for a limited time, Abbott’s travel expenses and his daily calendars as attorney general no longer exist, so the news organizations could not determine how many of his trips were for business.

Records are available, however, for Abbott’s security costs as governor and for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Both are also offered state police security and have been in their current roles as long as Paxton.

When compared, the records show Paxton has taken 82 more out-of-state trips with a security detail than Abbott and nearly as many as the governor and lieutenant governor combined.

Though DPS security detail records are available for state leaders’ full tenure, Abbott’s office only provided calendars that document business-related activity for his first six years in office. More than two-thirds of the governor’s international trips during those years had a listed business purpose, compared with just two of 25 for Paxton during his full tenure. The governor’s office said it planned to release the remaining five years on Tuesday but only provided five months, saying it needed more time.

The attorney general’s records do not show a business purpose for travel to Albania, Aruba, Australia, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, England, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Mexico, Poland, South Africa or Taiwan.

The share of Paxton’s travel with a documented business purpose peaked early in his tenure, in 2018 and 2019, at 30%, the newsrooms’ analysis found. That aligns with the governor’s share of business travel during that period.

Since then, Paxton has taken fewer trips that are documented as state business while increasingly traveling out of state. Last year, just five of Paxton’s 91 trips with the security detail had a listed business purpose. Forty-one were outside Texas.

See here for the first installment, and read the rest, there’s lots more. One might wonder how the Republican primary and runoff might have gone if this sort of thing had been known then, but really, do we expect the pro-Paxton crowd to care about any of it? Maybe a tiny bit at the margins, but not nearly enough to have mattered. This is their guy. He did what he did, he has no regrets, and you better believe he’ll do it again if he’s allowed to.

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No, really, are we sure we can win?

Posted on October 11, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Slate’s Jim Newell visits Texas.

Rep. James Talarico

In 2018 a captivating congressman from El Paso nearly turned Texas blue. In a race against Sen. Ted Cruz that captivated Democrats nationwide, Beto O’Rourke lost by a modest 2.6 points, the closest a Democrat has come to winning a Senate or governor’s race in Texas in modern memory.

Although this performance was still a loss that earned Democrats exactly zero Senate seats, it augured a bright future for Democrats in the state. “Blue Texas,” foretold since the Obama era, seemed on track. That perception grew in 2020, when Joe Biden lost the state to Donald Trump by only 6 points in a presidential year, improving 3 points on Hillary Clinton’s loss in 2016. The state’s color was turning.

And then, in 2024, Texas Democrats, as O’Rourke told me, “got what they deserved.”

Kamala Harris lost the state by a whopping 14 points. While the country shifted rightward as a whole, the turn against Democrats among Latino voters turbocharged the collapse in Texas. Cruz easily won another term in the Senate. “Blue Texas” had never seemed further away.

Which makes it all the stranger that only two years later, we’re doing this again. Because Democrat James Talarico really could win a Texas Senate race.

The political-media industrial complex has been down this road before. No one—no reporter, operative, commentator, analyst, or person on the street—wants to look like an idiot by overhyping it again. I certainly don’t. But after weeks of speaking with politicians and experienced campaign hands in Texas, there’s no denying it: There’s more to this race than the usual hopium.

“You’d have to work pretty hard to not recognize that this is different,” University of Texas professor James Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project, told me. “That this Senate race is different than any Senate race we’ve seen for a couple of generations, let alone any statewide race.” He noted that in the run-up to the 2018 Texas Senate race, O’Rourke never led in any polls. Meanwhile, Talarico has led or tied in all but one recent poll.

“I think Talarico is just one of, if not the, best candidates we’ve ever seen,” O’Rourke himself told me.

Democrats have not won a statewide race in Texas since 1994. Especially given their setback in 2024, it was clear going into 2026 that Democrats would need a perfect storm to win. They just might get it.

The national environment is at Democrats’ backs. Talarico is a compelling and well-funded candidate—albeit one not without baggage—running against a scandal-plagued and poorly funded opponent in Attorney General Ken Paxton. The strong gains Trump made among Latinos in South Texas over the issues of cost of living and immigration are reversing over the issues of … cost of living and immigration. There’s a populist revolt over data centers and Flock cameras. Gas is expensive. Everyone is mad.

But it’s not just the conditions. There’s something more fundamentally different this time in Democrats’ approach. What struck me as I was talking to Democrats about this cycle is that, unlike in previous runs that had their hopes up, they’re not relying on vibes to do their work for them. The past failures and overhyping has chastened them and offered much to learn from, and they may well be learning it: They’re not promising a new era of Democratic Party rule in Texas. They’re just focused on winning this race, this time, and not squandering the opportunity that has fallen into their laps.

Democrats’ future—not just in terms of winning control of the Senate in 2026, but in terms of staying competitive with Republicans in the long run—depends on their learning to win in red states. Have they finally cracked the code?

Read on and see what you think. I can’t say I learned anything I didn’t already know, but this was a thorough look at the state of play and how we got here. If you’ve got a friend, maybe from out of state, asking the question about why is this time different or whatever, send them this link. In some ways it’s the flip side of other recent posts, but they’re fundamentally about the same thing: We see what we’re seeing, but we feel like we’ve been here before. What are we supposed to make of that?

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Trump admin asks for reconsideration of Big Bend border wall construction ruling

Posted on October 11, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Get outta here.

The Trump administration on Thursday asked a federal judge to allow construction on border walls and other infrastructure to continue across the Big Bend region of West Texas.

The move comes less than a week after U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone ordered the immediate pause of all Big Bend area border construction and the use of federal waivers accelerating the project, which claim the region is an “area of high illegal entry.”

In a court filing Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection asked the judge to suspend the previous order as the administration takes its case to the Supreme Court.

The Center for Biological Diversity, the Friends of the Ruidosa Church and a local river guide are suing the federal government over the project. The plaintiffs and several expert witnesses testified in a hearing in Cardone’s courtroom last week about the harm the project will bring to the region — historically the least-trafficked sector along the entire southwest border.

In Thursday’s filing, the administration said Cardone’s order blocking construction was “unprecedented,” illegal and would lead to costly delays for the government’s border plans. The filing asks that the judge issue an opinion explaining why she ordered the construction pause next week.

CBP estimates it will “incur at least $462,800 per day” during the pause and that costs to pull workers and equipment out of the region and then send them back could amount to $7 million across the five Big Bend projects, the government’s filing said.

“The government’s compelling interests plainly outweigh whatever environmental, aesthetic and recreational injuries plaintiffs and their members may incur if the district court’s injunction remains in place,” the administration wrote.

The government also argued in Thursday’s filing that any construction impacts to Big Bend National Park are “speculative” at this point because CBP is “actively considering” reducing the scope of the original border barrier project due to input from the National Park Service and other stakeholders.

Dustin Rynders, an attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project representing the plaintiffs in the case, said in a statement to Marfa Public Radio that the government’s “hail mary” petition follows an “embarrassing” performance at the hearing, where it didn’t call any witnesses and provided no evidence of high illegal entry in the Big Bend region or harm from a temporary construction pause.

“The government is reasserting arguments it has already made to the same judge,” Rynders said. “The judge has already heard and rejected these arguments, and we are confident she will do the same now.”

“We look forward to continuing to fight for Big Bend and our clients as the case progresses,” he added.

See here for the background. This would go to SCOTUS next for various wonky legal reasons, and there is an appeal in the works, because of course there is. I don’t have anything to add here, just keeping an eye on it and rooting for the good guys.

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That jet-setting Ken Paxton lifestyle

Posted on October 10, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

We should all be able to live like this.

In the fast lane, from LA to Tokyo

When Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched his campaign for Senate last year, he skipped the local pageantry.

Instead, records show, the conservative firebrand announced his bid on Fox News, cleared his calendar and booked a hotel in Augusta, Georgia, during the storied Masters golf tournament, a trip that cost Texas taxpayers at least $25,000.

The trip reflected a transformation that has unfolded over Paxton’s 11 tumultuous years as Texas’ top law enforcement official: His focus has increasingly extended beyond state lines. As he steadily built a national political profile and became a star in President Donald Trump’s MAGA universe, Paxton traveled frequently and spent less time in Texas, according to an Associated Press review of state and campaign records.

Since assuming office in 2015, Paxton left about 730 workdays blank on his official calendars and took over 275 out-of-state trips to places such as the California wine country, Caribbean resorts and European tourism hot spots. The travel cost Texas taxpayers a minimum of $1.9 million to cover expenses charged by his security detail, records show. It is unclear how Paxton has financed much of his portion of the travel.

The pattern became more pronounced as Paxton became a ubiquitous presence in conservative media and filed a stream of partisan lawsuits to oppose Democratic President Joe Biden’s agenda, endearing himself to Trump. Early in his tenure, his official calendars were packed with job-related duties. In 2021, more than 90 workdays were blank — a number that reached 112 in 2024, the last full year the AP had records for.

Texas does not require the attorney general to report his day-to-day whereabouts, and other state records do not often reveal the length or purpose of the out-of-state travel. Texas, however, keeps records for the monthly expenses incurred by his security detail. Those records show reimbursements for travel outside Texas spiked from about $30,000 in 2015 to nearly $400,000 in 2024.

[…]

Paxton’s evolution into a national political figure can be seen in his official calendars, according to records. Early in his tenure, his schedule was packed with the typical duties of a state attorney general.

For example, during his first year in office, he routinely met with state lawmakers, greeted constituents, delivered speeches and huddled with deputies for strategy meetings.

Over the last five years, the calendars contained few listings of such activities, appearing to confirm what two former deputies told impeachment investigators in 2023: He often skipped meetings and was indifferent to many of his job’s day-to-day duties, which were delegated to his top deputies.

“I didn’t have a whole lot of contact with Attorney General Paxton,” Mark Penley, a former deputy attorney general, told impeachment investigators in 2023. “He was gone a lot, he was traveling, he was out.”

Over a two-year period ending in 2024, Paxton flew to the Caribbean, Israel, India, Taiwan, South Africa, made three trips to Europe and hit five different ski towns in the Rockies, including numerous visits to Park City, Utah, among other destinations, records show.

In the summer of 2022, a year in which he was running for reelection, Paxton embarked on a multistop European tour that included visits to Italy, Albania, Greece and Malta, as previously reported by the Dallas Morning News. Paxton also stopped at an Idaho resort town and at Trump’s Bedminster golf club in New Jersey, where he held a fundraiser. His travel that year cost the public roughly $230,000 to reimburse members of his security detail, records show.

While the number of blank days included in Paxton’s calendars trended upward during his tenure, other patterns emerged, too.

In 2022, for example, Paxton’s calendar contained just 79 blank days, but included 96 days in which the only listed activities were interviews he scheduled with conservative media outlets.

The following year his schedule contained more conservative media interviews — 122 — than the 98 events related to the day-to-day operations of his office, records show.

Just wild stuff. He’s basically a travel and lifestyle influencer now, and he’ll likely be able to keep it up after losing in November. Might find it easier to travel, without any nosy people gawking at his calendar. But he might find it harder to get the sugar daddies to finance it all, if he’s not in a position of power. I for one would like to test that hypothesis.

This story was reported last week, I just didn’t get to publishing my post about it until now. Since then, the Trib and ProPublica have built on that work to provide more analysis. I’ll post about that tomorrow.

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It’s time to put some limits on school district takeovers

Posted on October 10, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

This is a good start.

After hearing from over 80 people on the state takeover of Houston ISD, a group of educators, lawmakers and academic experts is recommending changes to state intervention in local school districts, including a higher threshold for takeovers and guardrails on state-appointed leadership.

The 14-member Commission on the HISD Takeover led focus groups, heard testimony from families, educators, and community members, and developed findings for an 81-page report released Thursday.

In testimonies attributed to anonymous community members, the commission found that since the state installed Mike Miles as superintendent, HISD has “diminished the curriculum,” “demeaned educators,” and “dismantled relationships” connecting educators, students and families.

The group — co-chaired by Democratic lawmakers state Sen. Molly Cook and state Rep. Lauren Ashley Simmons and Colin Bossen, senior minister at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston — also worked with members of Community Voices for Public Education, which opposes the takeover.

“We really felt that it was our moral obligation to kind of get a sense of what was really going on and to really put together something that would stand in the historical record as a counternarrative to the state’s and Miles’ narrative,” Bossen said.

The commission recommended that the Texas Legislature, which meets again in January 2027, reconsider the threshold triggering a state takeover. Currently, a single campus with five years of low ratings can trigger a state takeover of an entire district, under a 2015 state law.

Daniel Dawer, a doctoral candidate in educational leadership and policy at the University of Texas at Austin, called it “a very different calculus” for the state’s largest school district — with more than 270 campuses at the time of the 2023 takeover — compared to smaller districts.

“I think that we all agree that something should happen if schools are under-performing for an extended period of time,” Dawer said. “Like everybody agrees, even the participants in our testimony agree, that something should happen to improve and address these longstanding issues. So, our thinking in this recommendation is that Texas’ takeover law is unique in the country in allowing the state to intervene in an entire district based on the performance of a single campus. And the design of that policy puts large school districts like Houston in the crosshairs.”

The commission recommended guardrails for the Texas Education Commissioner, state-appointed board of managers and state-appointed superintendent. For example, the appointed superintendent could be required to hold a certification, according to the report. (Miles is not certified.)

While academic performance triggered HISD’s takeover, the state-appointed board has pursued non-academic policy changes, including ones related to district finances, property sales and naming rights to district property, said public education advocate Ruth Hoffman-Lach, who served as the commission’s clerk. The takeover law allows a board of managers to have the same power as a board of elected trustees.

“When this is an unelected board and they’re not answerable to anybody, and you’re giving them free rein to just decide willy-nilly what properties they’re going to keep and what they’re going to sell and who they’re going to sell it to — that is really problematic,” said Hoffman-Lach, also a member of CVPE.

The commission found that HISD’s appointed board approved more than 120 policy changes between April 2025 and June 2026, and only 38 of these were required by law or based on recommendations from the Texas Association of School Boards.

“Frankly, that has nothing to do with whether kids are getting a better education,” Hoffman-Lach said. “This is changes over like how much money people can donate to the district without having it be approved, and who gets to decide what to rename a building. None of that has anything to do with improving kids’ education.”

I’d add that Miles has made significant changes to many schools that were well outside his mandate. Given that he has no oversight and never cared about engaging the public, it borders on abuse of power. All this when there are questions about the claimed academic gains and the district’s long-term finances, as well as little to no evidence in the academic record that state takeovers of school districts actually do any good. Whatever comes of all this will be left to the rest of us to deal with once Mike Miles finally skips town.

You can see a copy of the report in the article (gift link), or you can see it here. The Trib adds some details.

Rep. Christina Morales, another Houston Democrat, along with education researchers and Houston community members also helped with the report.

“Our elected trustees have been removed and replaced with people we do not know and we do not trust,” Morales said. “We have no way to hold these unelected board members accountable.”

The commission detailed a breakdown in community relationships, a “hostile” environment for teachers, and unsustainable financial stewardship during the HISD takeover as Texas takes over more districts, many of which are mimicking elements of Houston Superintendent Mike Miles’ school reforms.

When state lawmakers convene for session next year, Cook plans to introduce legislation to raise the threshold for what triggers a takeover to 10% of a district’s campuses failing ratings. Five consecutive F ratings on the academic accountability system at one campus can prompt the intervention now, a standard she described as an unfair burden on larger school districts.

“We don’t want failing schools, but automatically taking over the largest school district in Texas because of one failing school is not a fair measuring stick,” Cook told the Tribune.

Cook said her proposal would require a takeover to end when struggling campuses get acceptable grades for two consecutive years, giving the Texas Education Agency commissioner less leeway than he has now.

Among the commission’s other recommendations were giving local communities a say in when the takeover ends through a local referendum, and setting guardrails in Texas law for the state-appointed board of managers and superintendent.

Managers already set guardrails for superintendents to varying degrees. In Fort Worth, for example, the state-appointed board is considering guardrails for Superintendent Peter Licata that include getting teacher feedback on the scripted lessons he implemented as part of the takeover.

The Houston report proposes requiring managers to partner with locally elected trustees who currently have no authority during an intervention.

During a Texas Tribune panel Wednesday, Fort Worth state Rep. Nicole Collier said she plans to propose legislation that would establish a “continuity board” to ensure trustees are more involved.

“We need to look at what happens to our elected trustees,” Collier said. “They just push them to the side, and then they say, ‘Oh, we’re good now. You can come back.’ Well, that’s not going to be a smooth transition. They need to have buy-in in the whole process.”

The push to limit the unchecked power of Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath and his appointees comes as Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa has run on a platform to end state takeovers. Hinojosa had also vowed to fire Morath on her first day in office.

Oh, and did we also mention the rapidly declining enrollment at HISD, consistently above Miles’ estimates, which contribute to that financial instability? I would temper my criticism of Mike Miles at least a little if he’d be up there in Austin badgering the Legislature to properly fund school districts, especially since one of the cornerstones of his program is throwing a lot of resources at the schools that need them. Which, as I’ve said many times before, is an idea I support, except that he cuts resources from other schools to try to make the math work. That is a state problem, which both the state and Mike Miles have been uninterested in addressing. Thankfully, we all can do something about it this fall. Houston Public Media has more.

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Harris County misdemeanor bail reform ruling survives again

Posted on October 10, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Good.

A federal judge on Monday denied a request by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and four Harris County Criminal Court-at-Law judges to vacate a landmark settlement on misdemeanor bail reform in the county.

U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal’s ruling preserves the 2019 ODonnell consent decree, which allows most people facing misdemeanor charges in the state’s most populous county to be released from jail prior to trial without having to pay cash bail. The consent decree settled a 2016 class action lawsuit after a federal court found Harris County’s misdemeanor cash bail system exacerbated poverty while not “meaningfully” promoting public safety or ensuring court appearances.

In 2023, the 5th U.S. Circuit of Appeals overturned a similar case that challenged Dallas County’s cash bail system as well as aspects of its previous ODonnell decision under a legal doctrine known as the Younger abstention, which largely bars federal courts from intervening in pending state criminal proceedings.

Paxton asked Rosenthal in August 2025 to end the consent decree, pointing to the appeals court’s ruling. He also argued that the county’s bail reform conflicts with two state laws: Senate Bill 6 from 2021, which requires those accused of violent crimes to pay cash to get out of jail, and Senate Bill 9 from 2025, which limits who is eligible for low-cost or cashless bail.

Paxton’s move also came a day after President Donald Trump issued an executive order looking to end cashless bail.

Harris County Criminal Court-at-Law Judges Paula Goodhart, Jessica Padilla, Leslie Johnson and Linda Garcia joined the attorney general’s push to vacate the consent decree later that year.

“Under the Decree, almost every type of class A and B misdemeanor charge is treated the same, even though some cases involve serious conduct, some arrestees have extensive criminal histories, or other circumstances may show that a person could pose a danger to the victim or community,” the judges’ filing said.

Rosenthal denied their requests in Monday’s ruling, saying they were not made “within a reasonable time” because they came years after the appeals court’s ruling.

See here and here for some background. Despite the evidence of success for this reform, this is going to get appealed to the Fifth Circuit, and from there we abandon all hope. There’s also a legitlative threat to watch out for in the meantime – Greg Abbott wants nothing more than for the big urban counties to lock up more people, at their taxpayers’ expense. You can do something about that, and you can also do something about three of the four judges who are among the appellants, as they are on the ballot this fall. Paula Goodhart is retiring from Court at Law #2, Jessica Padilla (#14) and Leslie Johnson (#3) are on the ballot – Linda Garcia’s Court at Law #16 will be up in 2028. Vote for Matthew Perez in #2, Carlos Aguayo in #3, and Yahaira Quezada in #15, to make this problem a little smaller going forward. Houston Public Media has more.

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TSU polls Fort Bend County

Posted on October 9, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Solid, very solid.

The Barbara Jordan Public Policy Research and Survey Center at Texas Southern University conducted a representative survey of 1,200 registered voters in Texas’s Fort Bend County (located immediately southwest of Houston) who are likely to cast a ballot in the November 2026 general election (margin of error of +/- 2.83%). The survey (in English and Spanish) was fielded between September 29 and October 2, 2026 by contacting registered voters via SMS text messages through which the respondents were directed to an online survey platform. The
likelihood of a respondent voting in the November 2026 general election was determined using a likely voter screen and information on past election participation.

[…]

In the Nov. 2026 election for the position of County Judge of Fort Bend County, Democrat Dexter McCoy (49%) leads Republican Daniel Wong (40%) by 9 percentage points, with 11% undecided.

In the Nov. 2026 Texas U.S. Senate election, 56% of Fort Bend County likely voters intend to vote for Democrat James Talarico, 38% for Republican Ken Paxton and 2% for Libertarian Ted Brown, with 4% undecided. Talarico leads Paxton by 18 percentage points.

In the Nov. 2026 Texas Gubernatorial election, 53% of Fort Bend County likely voters intend to vote for Democrat Gina Hinojosa, 42% for Republican Greg Abbott and 2% for Libertarian Pat Dixon, with 3% undecided. Hinojosa leads Abbott by 11 percentage points.

In the Nov. 2026 Texas Railroad Commissioner election, 50% of Fort Bend County likely voters intend to vote for Democrat Jon Rosenthal, 35% for Republican Bo French and 3% for Libertarian Arthur DiBianca, with 12% undecided. Rosenthal leads French by 15 percentage points.

In the 2024 Texas U.S. Senate election, Democrat Colin Allred bested Republican Ted Cruz by 7.6 percentage points in Fort Bend County, with Cruz winning statewide by 8.5 points.

In the 2022 Texas Governor election, Democrat Beto O’Rourke bested Republican Greg Abbott by 4.8 percentage points in Fort Bend County, with Abbott winning statewide by 10.9 points.

And I will add, in 2018, Beto beat Ted Cruz in Fort Bend by 12.1 points while losing statewide by 2.6 points. The next best Dem, and the closest comp to the Governor’s race numbers, was Justin Nelson, the AG candidate, who beat Ken Paxton in Fort Bend County by 10.5 points while losing statewide by 3.5 points. Talarico is well ahead of Beto’s pace, while Hinojosa is slightly ahead of Nelson’s. Let’s just say I feel good about the statewide chances if this is indicative of what will happen in Fort Bend.

I found this on Twitter, though I didn’t take note of where. The Texan was the only news story I found for this poll via Google. There’s toplines and some crosstabs as well as some questions on other issues at the link above. My favorite data point was this: Among Asian-American voters, of whom there’s enough to be a decently sized subsample, Talarico led 56-36, while Jon Rosenthal led 55-32. (Hinojosa led 49-44.) You think those folks are aware of what Bo French had to say about UT’s student population and the like?

Also of note, among Latino voters Talarico led 46-40 and Hinojosa trailed 44-46; Rosenthal also trailed, 37-42. I don’t know if this is a weird artifact of Fort Bend County or an outlier in the “how Latinos will be voting this year” question. It’s a significant one if it’s that.

A couple of other poll items. First, another statewide poll.

New polls commissioned by Public First Action on Texas and Michigan statewide races

Texas Senate: Talarico 47, Paxton 44, Brown 4
Texas guv: Abbott 46, Hinojosa 44, Dixon 4

Michigan Senate: El-Sayed 48, Rogers 43
Michigan guv: Benson 50, James 45

Conducted by Guidant

Click over to see the embedded polling memos, whose type was too small for me to bother with. I’ve never heard of the pollster but the first comment on that tweet identified it as a Republican firm. Whatever, it’s all in line with everything else, and if even the Republican pollsters say James Talarico is winning, who am I to argue?

And finally:

In the same way as the recent CD09 poll, this is more interesting as a data point for the Senate race, in that if it’s close to accurate, it bodes very well for the statewide race. It’s certainly consistent with the statewide polling we’ve seen – frankly, if we didn’t see occasional stuff like this, that would cast some doubt on the statewide numbers. Add it to the pile.

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Maybe Ken Paxton should just stop talking

Posted on October 9, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

For his own good.

Spilling tea wherever he goes

Ken Paxton is less than a month out from the conclusion of a D.C.-outsider campaign for a Texas U.S. Senate seat that he privately admitted is being run by Washington.

“I’ve never been in a race where I felt less control over the campaign and, like, what issues are going to matter because it’s all coming — you know — from D.C.,” Paxton said during a small fundraising event last month, according to an audio recording obtained by POLITICO from a person in the room who does not support Paxton, and verified by another attendee.

“I don’t control message or what we’re doing.”

The lunch, hosted Sept. 24 in Washington by Chris Brinson and Susan Hirschmann of the D.C.-based lobbying firm Williams & Jensen, was attended by about a dozen people including Scott Kopple, VP of government relations at defense contractor BWXT.

Amazing. Here’s the recording itself:

See here for the last time this happened, a week ago. There are many people for whom I’d at least feel some twinge of sympathy. Ken Paxton is not one of them. I hope he takes this opportunity to fully comprehend how fervently, and deservedly, he is disliked. That could be the first step towards some kind of rehabilitation arc, or it could just be something that lives inside his brain and bugs the hell out of him for the rest of his life. Either is fine by me.

This is also a good example of what has been observed as the lack of candidate quality in states like Texas that have been reliably red for a long time coming back to bite them in a dismal year for them. John Cornyn probably has the self-awareness and discipline to be more careful about what he says in front of people he doesn’t know and trust. He also still has adequate experience interacting with a broader array of people. And with any luck, Ken Paxton will soon have the opportunity to get back out there into the real world and beef up those skills.

UPDATE: I drafted this on Tuesday, and then by Thursday there were two more audio leaks from the same source. Who, again, was someone in attendance at a Paxton fundraiser. I can’t wait to hear the inevitable less-filtered airing of grievances from people connected to that cursed campaign after the election is over.

UPDATE: My God.

Whoever this leaker is, I thank them for their service.

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Appeals court upholds district court ruling on prosecutor reporting requirements

Posted on October 9, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Good.

A Texas appeals court sided with Dallas County’s district attorney, saying that requiring prosecutors to report certain information to the state’s attorney general is invalid and prohibited.

The Texas Fifteenth Court of Appeals on Oct. 1 affirmed a Travis County district court’s judgment, which said that according to state statute, the attorney general does not have authority and cannot create a rule to impose reporting requirements.

“Nine months ago, we issued an opinion concluding the Attorney General lacked rule-making authority … and in part affirmed a temporary injunction barring enforcement of the rules…” the Appeals Court opinion stated. “We now affirm the trial court’s final summary judgment granting declaratory and injunctive relief.”

Criminal District Attorney John Creuzot and DAs from other counties last year sued Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office for requiring report submissions that prove local attorneys are prosecuting violent criminals.

Paxton initiated the new rule in March 2025 “to rein in rogue district attorneys” from counties with more than 400,000 residents.

Similar to an employee performance review, it required county DA offices to submit detailed reports and give the state AG’s office access to certain case files.

The rule targeted mostly-Democrat counties, including Dallas, Bexar, El Paso, Harris and Travis.

See here, here, and here for the background, and here for the court’s order. Which can basically be summarized as “nothing has changed since the last time, so samesies”. One should take every opportunity to celebrate Ken Paxton getting an L, so we gather here to do just that. He could appeal to SCOTx, but the all-Abbott-appointed 15th Court of Appeals brushed him aside, and I don’t see any obvious reason why he’d do any better with them.

On that note, by the way, the 15th Court of Appeals, which was created specifically to take certain appellate cases away from appeals courts that have Democrats on them and which still has just the three Abbott-appointed justices, has ruled against the state in a number (*) of highly politicized cases. This has led to a non-trivial amount of tantrum-throwing by Ken Paxton and the wingnut-grievance industrial complex. This is both music to my ears, and a significant piece of evidence in support of my thesis that in addition to everything else, Ken Paxton is a lousy lawyer, who mostly succeeds when he can shop around for a favorable court. This is not an endorsement of the 15th Court justices – they’re still Abbott appointees, vote blue – but it does show how crappy a lot of those cases were. The justices do deserve kudos for, you know, evaluating these cases on their merits and not on their politics. Imagine what we could do if we had better judges on certain federal courts as well.

(*) SCOTx did overrule them on this one, and the Historically Underutilized Business Program case was about the Comptroller, not the AG. My broader point still stands.

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Judicial Q&A: Sarah Beth Landau

Posted on October 8, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates. I ran a series of these for candidates in contested primaries, and now these are for the rest of the candidates. I am running these responses in the order that I receive them from the candidates. Much more information about Democratic candidates, including links to interviews and judicial Q&As, can be found on Erik Manning’s spreadsheet.

Sarah Beth Landau

1. Who are you and what are you running for?

My name is Sarah Beth Landau. I am running for the open seat of Chief Justice of the Fourteenth Court of Appeals. The current chief is retiring at the end of the year.

2. What kind of cases does this court hear?

The intermediate court of appeals is the garbage disposal of the Texas justice system. Over 90% of cases end at the court of appeals because, unlike the Texas Supreme Court and the Court of Criminal Appeals that choose what cases they hear, the court of appeals has to hear all the cases appealed to the court. The court hears civil, criminal, juvenile, family, and probate cases from 10 counties around Houston. It includes everything except death penalty cases – those go directly to the Court of Criminal Appeals.

3. Why are you running for this particular bench?

I served as a justice on the First Court of Appeals for six years. (The two courts of appeals that serve the Houston area do the same work and cover the same jurisdiction.) There were changes that I had wanted to make to the court that I thought would benefit the court, the litigants, their lawyers, and the wider public, but it would be a lot easier to make those bigger changes as a chief justice with responsibility over court administration. As a justice, I brought brief writing software to the court to make our opinions easier to understand, I opened the court to weddings for the public, and I overhauled the law student intern program to be a boot camp for first-generation lawyers, among other things.

As Chief Justice, I would like to figure out a way for those law student interns to get paid, for the Houston Bar Association to rate judicial candidates by objective criteria as “highly qualified,” “qualified,” or “not qualified” to help voters make informed decisions more easily, for the court website to be user friendly, and to stop the random closure of the court to the public without warning. I would also like to bring the court into the community more by partnering with commissioner’s court and other public institutions for free events open to the public. I think we can do all this and get our cases decided swiftly and correctly.

4. What are your qualifications for this job?

If elected, I would have the broadest experience of any justice on either court, almost as broad as the court’s jurisdiction itself. I am now in civil trial and appellate practice, but my experience includes civil and criminal, trial and appellate, government service and private practice, and state and federal work. I even tried a family law case earlier this year.

My return to private practice has been a gift in that I see how things operate for litigants in the trial courts. There are opportunities to make things run better and smoother that I would not have been aware of had I been on the bench for the last two years instead.

I also have the resume for the job. I clerked for a federal judge after graduating from Columbia University School of Law. I spent four years in civil litigation practice at Vinson & Elkins before turning to a career in public service. At the Federal Public Defender’s Office, I represented indigent people accused of federal crimes at the trial and appellate level. I’ve handled over 400 appeals and presented dozens of oral arguments in federal court. I spent two years in the appellate section of the Harris County Public Defender’s Office, specializing in juvenile appeals and winning most of them. Since leaving the bench, I have done trial and appellate work for Roberts Markland, LLP, handling everything from defamation to premises liability to religious freedom in state and federal courts.

5. Why is this race important?

There is not one Democrat on this Court after the 2024 election. We need some balance. Sometimes judges do not allow the parties their day in court. Other times, they are the only thing holding the system together. Just a few weeks ago, the court of appeals denied a challenge to a redistricting in Galveston that happened after the primary election in March 2026 without even asking for a response from Galveston County. The Texas Supreme Court disagreed and held that a primary election and corresponding general election are one election for redistricting purposes. There are many cases that do not make the news but affect people’s lives in ways both big and small. We need someone with the smarts, compassion, and vision to do the job.

6. Why should people vote for you in November?

I have the experience and passion to reimagine what the court does and how it does its work. I truly believe that this role is not a job but a calling for me. It’s what I was meant to do. Having seen the law from so many vantage points, I can implement what I have learned to make the court work better for everyone and hopefully educate the public in the process.

PREVIOUSLY:

Judge Damiane Dianne Curvey, 280th Family District Court
Judge M. Monica Singh, Harris County Civil Court at Law #4
Judge Cory Sepolio, 269th Civil District Court
Samantha Davis, 313th Juvenile District Court
Judge Melissa Morris, 263rd Criminal District Court
Judge Toria J. Finch, Harris County Criminal Court at Law #9
Judge Linda Marie Dunson, 309th Family District Court
Judge Kelley Andrews, Harris County Criminal Court at Law #6
Judge Angela Lancelin, 245th Family District Court
Judge Shannon Baldwin, Harris County Criminal Court at Law #4
Julie Countiss, First Court of Appeals, Place 4
Judge Lori Chambers Gray, 262nd Criminal District Court
Judge Teresa Waldrop, 312th Family District Court
Judge Veronica Nelson, 482nd Criminal District Court
Justice Amy Guerra, First Court of Appeals, Place 5
Okey Aniyam, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 3
BreAnna Schwartz, 497th Criminal District Court
Judge Jason Cox, Harris County Probate Court #3
Justice Chari Kelly, Supreme Court Justice, Place 2
Holly Taylor, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 9
Judge Raul Rodriguez, Harris County Criminal Court at Law #13

From the primaries:

Judge Kristen Hawkins, Supreme Court Justice, Place 7
Sarah Beth Landau, Chief Justice of the Fourteenth Court of Appeals
Judge Tanya Garrison, 157th Civil District Court
Julia Maldonado, 183rd Criminal District Court
Judge Brian Warren, 209th Criminal District Court
Judge Josh Hill, 232nd Criminal District Court
Judge Leah Shapiro, 315th Juvenile District Court
Judge James Horwitz, Harris County Probate Court #4
Ebony Williams, Harris County Civil Court at Law #2
Judge Andrew Wright, Harris County Criminal Court at Law #7

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