Tag Archives: primaries

Two GOP State Reps seek Senate promotions

Posted on September 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Item One: State Rep. Cindy Burkett, R-Sunnyvale, launched a challenge Tuesday to state Sen. Bob Hall of Edgewood, setting up a Republican primary clash in North Texas. “I am proud of what I have accomplished for Texas and for all … Continue reading →

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Will we have maps in time for March primaries?

Posted on August 28, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe. It’s up to the courts. State officials insisted Friday they expect to stop the court challenges on appeal, and reverse Texas’ losing streak on the voting-rights lawsuits, legal experts predicted Texas could end up back under federal supervisions of … Continue reading →

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Two Paxtons are not better than one

Posted on August 26, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, good grief. Angela Paxton, the wife of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, is considering a run for state Senate, according to people familiar with her thinking. Paxton has her sights set on Senate District 8, which is currently held … Continue reading →

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Let’s play two?

Posted on August 17, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, God, please, no. Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday put blame on the House — particularly Speaker Joe Straus — for the shortcomings of the special session and left the door open to calling another one. “I’m disappointed that all … Continue reading →

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How the redistricting case could play out

Posted on August 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Michael Li games out how the Texas redistricting litigation may go from the anticipated court ruling to final resolution. So, in short, Texans could end up with a new set of maps (drawn by the Texas Legislature or drawn by … Continue reading →

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Cruz gets a primary challenger

Posted on July 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Meet Stefano de Stefano. With no heavy hitters in the Texas Republican hierarchy emerging to challenge U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz for the party’s nomination in 2018, a Houston energy attorney is stepping forward. Stefano de Stefano, who bills himself as … Continue reading →

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Redistricting trial wraps up

Posted on July 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Now we wait. The state of Texas faced a healthy dose of judicial skepticism on Saturday as its lawyers laid out final arguments in a trial over whether lawmakers intentionally discriminated against minority voters in enacting current Texas House and … Continue reading →

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“America’s future is Texas”

Posted on July 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s that long story in the New Yorker that everyone is talking about. It covers basically the entire legislative session with a bunch of preliminary background info, most of which is very familiar to all of us, so I’m just … Continue reading →

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The anti-vaxxers had another good legislative session

Posted on June 26, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Sure would be nice if we could put a stop to this. It was mid-April, more than halfway through the legislative session, and Texans for Vaccine Choice was finally getting the fight it had been spoiling for. On April 11, … Continue reading →

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Bathroom bills and business interests

Posted on May 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Monthly’s Dave Mann reviews the Republican schism over the bathroom bill and comes to the same conclusion as I have. At the moment, the Legislature—and the Republican party, for that matter—has settled into an uneasy stalemate between Patrick’s right-leaning … Continue reading →

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Two election-related bills to watch

Posted on February 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the Texas Election Law Blog: For this legislative session, Representative Mike Lang has filed two bills to further a couple longstanding goals that have been planks in the Texas Republican Party’s party platform; namely (1) enforcing voter registration by … Continue reading →

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Patrick will run for re-election in 2018

Posted on January 12, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

In case you were worried that he was planning to “spend more time with his family”, or whatever. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick formally announced Monday he’s running for re-election, looking to finally quell speculation he’s interested in higher office. “Put … Continue reading →

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Beto O’Rourke talking about the Senate

Posted on November 13, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Another Democratic Congressman is thinking about trying for an upgrade. U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, an El Paso Democrat, told The Texas Tribune he is considering running for the U.S. Senate. “I am,” the sophomore congressman said when Tribune CEO Evan … Continue reading →

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Taking on Ted

Posted on August 19, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Rep. Mike McCaul isn’t saying that he will, but he isn’t saying that he won’t, either. U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, is not ruling out challenging U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in 2018, but he’s emphasizing that he is not … Continue reading →

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AG asked to investigate Hill County ballot irregularities

Posted on July 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Weird, but we’ll see. The Texas Attorney General’s office has been asked to launch an investigation into allegations that multiple people voted illegally in the 2016 Republican primary elections in Hill County, despite local officials’ claims that the discrepancies were … Continue reading →

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Cain retains lead in HD128 after recount

Posted on June 4, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It’s all over. After a recount, Briscoe Cain remains the winner in his Republican primary challenge to state Rep. Wayne Smith of Baytown. Cain, an attorney from Deer Park, edged out Smith, a longtime incumbent, by 23 votes last month … Continue reading →

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Two runoff recounts in the works

Posted on May 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not over yet in HD128. In a reversal, state Rep. Wayne Smith is now pursuing a recount in his narrow loss in Tuesday’s Republican primary runoff. Deer Park attorney Briscoe Cain beat Smith, a longtime incumbent from Baytown, by … Continue reading →

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Republican primary runoff results

Posted on May 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Harris County results Statewide results Trib liveblog Your new State Senators are Bryan Hughes, who defeated his former House colleague David Simpson, and Dawn Buckingham, who defeated former Rep. Susan King. Hughes is a Dan Patrick buddy, who will fit … Continue reading →

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Primary runoff day is today

Posted on May 24, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart strongly urges voters to visit www.HarrisVotes.com to find their designated Election Day polling location for the May 24, Primary Runoff Election.   There, voters can also find their personal sample ballot and … Continue reading →

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Final runoff early voting numbers

Posted on May 22, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Here are your final early voting numbers for the Republican and Democratic primary runoffs in Harris County. Note that in both cases, mail ballots have accounted for the majority of the total so far: On the Dem side, there have … Continue reading →

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Last day of early voting is today

Posted on May 20, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Early voting for the primary runoffs is going on right now, but today is the last day for it. See here for the locations – the time is 7 AM to 7 PM – and take advantage of your last … Continue reading →

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Overview of the Harris County GOP Chair runoff

Posted on May 17, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This is the Republican runoff I’m most interested in. Two years after wresting control of the Harris County Republican Party, Paul Simpson is facing an unexpected runoff challenge from political newcomer Rick Ramos in a race that again pits establishment … Continue reading →

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Early voting for primary runoffs begins today

Posted on May 16, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the Inbox: “The Primary election season is not over. There are several important races that remain to be decided by voters, locally and statewide,” stated Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart whilereminding voters that the Early Voting period for the … Continue reading →

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Cruz says he will run for re-election in 2018

Posted on May 12, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, goody. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is officially running for re-election in 2018. Cruz filed paperwork Wednesday afternoon to seek a second term, adding some clarity to his political future just over a week after he ended his presidential … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Remember the runoffs

Posted on May 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron makes their endorsements for the primary runoffs, which will happen on May 24, with early voting from the 16th to the 20th. Let me sum up: Republican Member, Railroad Commissioner: Gary Gates Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place … Continue reading →

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Whither Ted?

Posted on May 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

he has to go back to the Senate, where nearly everybody hates him. With his concession speech behind him and his multimillion-dollar presidential campaign already winding down, Ted Cruz will soon return to the U.S. Capitol and the job he … Continue reading →

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Texas-filed birther lawsuit against Ted Cruz dismissed

Posted on April 14, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise. A Houston federal judge tossed out a lawsuit Wednesday that challenged Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s eligibility to run for president. U.S. District Judge Gray H. Miller dismissed the suit with prejudice, meaning that Houston lawyer Boris Schwartz cannot … Continue reading →

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Runoff watch: Leftovers

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Three last races that didn’t fit into any other categories. SBOE District 6 – Democratic Jasmine Jenkins and Dakota Carter, the two candidates that actually campaigned for this office in this three-way race, finished one and two in the voting … Continue reading →

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Runoff watch: Railroad Commissioner

Posted on March 21, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

So yeah, the Railroad Commissioner runoff is a bit of a mess, on both sides. I’m going to let the Trib summarize the problem. In his campaign for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission, former state Rep. Wayne Christian … Continue reading →

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Reps. Green and Green want investigation of voting machine shortage

Posted on March 17, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. Two Houston congressmen are asking the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate whether unequal distribution of voting machines and polling locations in Harris County disenfranchised minority voters during the March 1 primary … Continue reading →

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Simpson prevails in SD01 primary

Posted on March 17, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

All elections are now officially resolved, at least at the state level. Two state representatives are set to face off for an open seat in the Texas senate after the third place candidate said Monday he will not request a … Continue reading →

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Runoff watch: Judicial races

Posted on March 16, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

There are three District Court race runoffs on the Democratic side, and two Court of Criminal Appeals runoffs for the Republicans. There are also a few Justice of the Peace runoffs, but I’ll deal with them in another post. 11th … Continue reading →

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Runoff watch: Legislative races

Posted on March 14, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I’m going to spend a few posts looking at the runoff elections that will be on the ballot this May. Primary runoffs are completely different than regular primaries, mostly because the races involved are low profile and only the hardest … Continue reading →

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One recount settled

Posted on March 13, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

One down, one to go. Challenger Hugh Shine secured victory Thursday in the Republican primary for Texas House District 55, defeating incumbent state Rep. Molly White by 104 votes after a recount, according to Bell County GOP chairwoman Nancy Boston. … Continue reading →

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