Category Archives: Election 2018

Coming home to run

Posted on July 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Another Washington Post story about 2018 Congressional candidates that spends a lot of time on a Texas race. Before Donald Trump was elected president, Laura Moser was a freelance writer delving into a project about alternative religions in America. In … Continue reading →

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Who will run statewide for the Dems?

Posted on July 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

For several statewide offices, it is unclear at this time who might run. Lillie Schechter, the new chairwoman of the Harris County Democratic Party, has watched in recent months as at least seven candidates have come through the doors of … Continue reading →

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Finance reports still slowly coming in

Posted on July 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Lizzie Pannill Fletcher announced today that she raised more than $365,000 in her first seven weeks of the campaign as a Democratic candidate for Texas’ Seventh Congressional District, a seat currently held by Representative John Culberson. Fletcher’s … Continue reading →

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Here come the LGBT candidates

Posted on July 12, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Keep your eyes on these folks. At least four Houstonians are among the numerous LGBTQ Texans eyeing campaigns in 2018 and 2019. One of the Houston candidates has formally announced, and three others are strongly considering runs. “People are fed … Continue reading →

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MJ Hegar in CD31

Posted on July 12, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Very cool. In a Texas congressional district that includes one of the country’s largest military bases, a military hero is betting she can stage a political upset. Air Force veteran MJ Hegar is launching a Democratic challenge against U.S. Rep. … Continue reading →

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First finance reports for Congressional challengers start coming in

Posted on July 11, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Democratic candidate and nonprofit leader Alex Triantaphyllis announced he raised over $450,000 from more than 1,100 contributors since his entrance into the race for Texas’s 7th Congressional District. He will report over $400,000 cash on hand entering … Continue reading →

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June CEC meeting candidate update report

Posted on July 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The June County Executive Committee meeting for the Harris County Democratic Party was a few days ago. There was some official business to take care of, mostly swearing in new precinct chairs, but in addition to the good crowd in … Continue reading →

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WaPo looks at a couple of our Congressional primaries

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This is supposed to be a story about how there’s a lot of people running for Congress as Democrats but (surprise!) they have different opinions about what to emphasize and how to win and stuff like that. Weird, right? Anyway, … Continue reading →

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End Citizens United to back O’Rourke

Posted on June 28, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The 2018 Senate election in Texas remains more than 16 months away, but Rep. Beto O’Rourke picked up his first major organizational endorsement Monday in his long-shot bid to challenge Sen. Ted Cruz. End Citizens United PAC, a progressive … Continue reading →

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Getting underway in Dallas

Posted on June 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Candidate recruitment season is on. For Texas Democrats, the road out of the political wilderness winds through Dallas County. It’s here, in the Republican strongholds of the north, west and east, that Democrats hope to unseat up to seven GOP … Continue reading →

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We have a candidate in CD02

Posted on June 22, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Meet Todd Litton, the first declared Democratic candidate of which I am aware for CD02, which is entirely within Harris County and which is held by Rep. Ted Poe, who has been there since 2004. I don’t know much about … Continue reading →

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Collier makes it official

Posted on June 20, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Mike Collier announces his entry into the race for Lt. Governor. Democrat Mike Collier officially announced his bid for the position in Round Rock Saturday afternoon. A large crowd of supporters came to the Sharon Prete Main Street Plaza to … Continue reading →

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Two (so far) for SD10

Posted on June 19, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s what we learn in this Star-Telegram story about incumbent Sen. Konni Burton’s intent to run for re-election. At least two Democrats already have announced their intention to seek Burton’s seat. Allison Campolo, a research scientist and teaching assistant at … Continue reading →

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El Paso County Judge considering a run for Congress

Posted on June 18, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

She’s not running for re-election, so that seems the most likely next step. El Paso County Judge Veronica Escobar won’t seek re-election, she said Monday, adding she is exploring a run for Congress. “I am looking closely at the congressional … Continue reading →

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David Bradley not running for re-election to SBOE

Posted on June 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good-bye. Beaumont Republican David Bradley, one of the State Board of Education’s most conservative members, announced Monday that he will not seek reelection Monday. First elected in 1996, Bradley said he has gotten tired of rehashing old debates on the … Continue reading →

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Republicans are a little freaked out over Texas Congressional redistricting possibilities

Posted on June 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I referenced this Trib story in last Friday’s post about the state declining to do a special session on redistricting, which at least some members of Congress from Texas would have liked. There was more to this story, which I … Continue reading →

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Matt Rinaldi holds a swing seat

Posted on June 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Just something to keep in mind. State Rep. Matt Rinaldi’s scuffle Monday with Hispanic lawmakers is already putting a bright spotlight on his House district — and whether he can hold on to it in 2018. Rinaldi, an Irving Republican, … Continue reading →

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Dayna Steele is in for CD36

Posted on June 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Hooray! Hilton at 10:30 a.m. It was during the Women’s March on Washington, one day after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, that Steele said she was inspired to take action. Following a few months of research, including conversations with her family … Continue reading →

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Two more campaigns launched in CD07

Posted on May 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Two from the inbox. First, from Tuesday: Laura Moser, writer and founder of the resistance tool Daily Action, formally launched her congressional campaign for District 7 at a happy hour on Monday in Houston, Texas. “It’s time to send someone to … Continue reading →

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Dowd declines to run for Senate

Posted on May 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Not a surprise. Matthew Dowd, a political commentator and former strategist for George W. Bush, announced Wednesday that he will not challenge U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in 2018. Dowd had been considering an independent run against Cruz, who is … Continue reading →

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It’s already crowded in CD07

Posted on May 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Gonna need a scorecard to keep track of all the players. On Wednesday, two Texas Democrats are launching separate campaigns for Congress in a district that’s served as a Republican stronghold since the congressional days of former President George H.W. … Continue reading →

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Castro will not run for Senate in 2018

Posted on May 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Well, that’s settled. U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, has decided not to challenge U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in 2018. He announced the decision in an email to supporters Monday, saying he wants to remain focused on his work … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Congressional districts

Posted on May 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Legislative Council now has full data from the 2016 elections on its site, so this seemed like as good a time as any to take a look at the data from Congressional districts. I’m much more limited in … Continue reading →

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What will Joaquin do?

Posted on April 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Getting to be close to decision time. After U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro wrapped up speaking here Wednesday, completing the latest stop on his statewide tour ahead of a potential Senate run, one man in the crowd turned to another and … Continue reading →

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Very early speculation about Congressional campaigns

Posted on April 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib rounded up all the scuttlebutt about who may be running for various Congressional districts next year. I’ve picked out a few to comment on. CD07: National Democrats are interested in Houston attorney Collin Cox and Alex Triantaphyllis, the … Continue reading →

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Texas Lyceum poll on Trump and 2018

Posted on April 20, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox, the promised Day Two results: Statewide poll numbers released today by the Texas Lyceum, the state’s premier, non-partisan, nonprofit statewide leadership group, show U.S. Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Houston (Lyceum Class of 2004) isn’t guaranteed another … Continue reading →

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Would a contested primary for Senate be bad for Dems in 2018?

Posted on April 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. A primary showdown between two well-liked and well-funded Democrats would add an extra layer of time and money for [Rep. Beto] O’Rourke and potentially [Rep. Joaquin] Castro – and could make it … Continue reading →

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Castro will decide this month

Posted on April 12, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We should know soon if there are two Democratic challengers to Sen. Ted Cruz. After Joaquin Castro exhorted a room full of Dallas-area activists Sunday to mobilize against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018, a man asked the San Antonio … Continue reading →

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O’Rourke’s “calculated gamble”

Posted on April 11, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib takes a look back at Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s successful for for Congress in 2012 to see what we might learn about his current campaign for the Senate. In announcing Friday his challenge to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, … Continue reading →

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Steeleworkers unite

Posted on April 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

So there I was perusing the Campaign Events section of the weekly HCDP email blast, when I spotted this Facebook event and damn near fell out of my chair. Have coffee with the candidates for US House District 36! On … Continue reading →

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Three candidates so far for CD07

Posted on April 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

One of the interesting things to come out of the early days of the Dear Leader regime is the number of candidates for office in 2018 who have already made themselves known. We all know that CD07 is on the … Continue reading →

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Beto-mania

Posted on April 4, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Rep. Beto O’Rourke made his first visit to Houston as a Senate candidate over the weekend. Senate hopeful and U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke introduced himself to Houston on Sunday as a potential check on President Donald Trump, urging voters to … Continue reading →

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Here comes Beto

Posted on April 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

He says he’s going to run a different kind of campaign. We’ll see what that means. No Texas Democrat has won a U.S. Senate seat in nearly thirty years or any statewide office since 1994. It is hard to find … Continue reading →

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O’Rourke to announce for Senate today

Posted on March 31, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here he comes. U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke will launch a campaign to challenge U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018 on Friday, according to a colleague with direct knowledge of the El Paso Democrat’s thinking O’Rourke’s campaign team sent an email … Continue reading →

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