Tag Archives: Election 2020

Ted Cruz, meet the Lincoln Project

Posted on January 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

No shortage of material here. The Lincoln Project co-founder Rick Wilson said that now that former President Trump is out of office, he intends to turn the super PAC’s attention to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). Wilson told the Texas politics-focused … Continue reading →

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A few words from Rep. Filemon Vela

Posted on January 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Worth your consideration. U.S. Rep. Filemón Vela sees his new leadership role in the Democrats’ national campaign arm as being “the voice of caution, reason and taking the middle ground” as the party seeks to hold power through the 2022 … Continue reading →

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The “Resign, Ted” caucus

Posted on January 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

They’re not going to get what they’re asking for, but they can still get something. More than 70 Texas organizations are calling for the resignations of Sen. Ted Cruz, Attorney General Ken Paxton and the 16 Texas representatives who voted … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: HCDE

Posted on January 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Introduction Congressional districts State Rep districts Commissioners Court/JP precincts Comparing 2012 and 2016 Statewide judicial Other jurisdictions Appellate courts, Part 1 Appellate courts, Part 2 Judicial averages Other cities District Attorney County Attorney Sheriff Tax Assessor County Clerk There are … Continue reading →

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The financial benefit of filing seditious lawsuits

Posted on January 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Ladies and gentlemen, your Attorney General: Campaign contributions to embattled Attorney General Ken Paxton all but dried up last fall after senior staff accused the Republican of abusing his office to help a friend and political donor. But Paxton’s fortunes … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 42 Comments

Ethics complaint filed against Cruz and Hawley

Posted on January 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Likely to have little to no effect, but one has to express one’s disapproval in as many appropriate manners as one can. Seven Democrats in the U.S. Senate have filed an ethics complaint against U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, for … Continue reading →

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Nowhere to go but up with COVID vaccines

Posted on January 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Starting from scratch. Newly sworn in President Joe Biden and his advisers are inheriting no coronavirus vaccine distribution plan to speak of from the Trump administration, sources tell CNN, posing a significant challenge for the new White House. The Biden … Continue reading →

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A brief summary of what the next two years will be like

Posted on January 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

What will Republicans do without Trump? “The Republican Party is at a crossroads like it’s never been before, and it’s gonna have to decide who it is,” said Corbin Casteel, a Texas GOP operative who was Trump’s Texas state director … Continue reading →

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Census apportionment shenanigans to be officially curtailed

Posted on January 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

As it should be. The Trump administration’s protracted efforts to keep some immigrants from being counted when congressional seats are divvied up after the 2020 census ended with the former president’s departure from the White House, but President Joe Biden’s … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: County Clerk 2020 and 2018

Posted on January 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Introduction Congressional districts State Rep districts Commissioners Court/JP precincts Comparing 2012 and 2016 Statewide judicial Other jurisdictions Appellate courts, Part 1 Appellate courts, Part 2 Judicial averages Other cities District Attorney County Attorney Sheriff Tax Assessor We weren’t supposed to … Continue reading →

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It’s going to be lawsuit season again

Posted on January 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not looking forward to it, but it’s better than the alternative. President-elect Joe Biden has big plans for his first 100 days in office, when he’s vowed to roll back the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, push policies addressing climate change … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Presidential results by Congressional district

Posted on January 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

From Daily Kos Elections, the breakdown of how Presidential voting went in each of Texas’ 36 Congressional districts: Two districts did in fact flip on the presidential level: Trump lost the 24th District in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs while recapturing … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS rejects TDP petition on vote by mail

Posted on January 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Back to the lower court, I think. The U.S. Supreme Court turned away a Democratic bid to force universal vote-by-mail in Texas, leaving intact a state law that lets people cast no-excuse absentee ballots only if they are 65 or … Continue reading →

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Legislative diversity report 2021

Posted on January 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a tiny bit more diverse, but not by much. In a perennial takeaway of The Texas Tribune’s demographic analysis, the Texas Legislature remains mostly white and male. When the 2021 legislative session begins Tuesday, 3 of every 5 lawmakers … Continue reading →

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House adopts its rules

Posted on January 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Here you go. The Texas House unanimously adopted rules Thursday that will require members to wear masks in the chamber and during committee hearings and allow them to cast votes on legislation from outside the House floor. But the chamber … Continue reading →

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The five-ninths rule

Posted on January 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

All hail the new “smaller than three-fifths” rule. The Texas Senate on Wednesday approved a fundamental alteration of its rules, ending the minority party’s ability to block legislation it unanimously opposes in the Republican-controlled upper chamber. In a 18-13 vote, … Continue reading →

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How bad will the attack on voting be this session?

Posted on January 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Hard to say, but there’s no reason to be particularly optimistic. As the country’s political polarization reaches a boiling point — illustrated vividly Wednesday by the violent takeover of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of the president who believed his … Continue reading →

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Why would he condemn something he supported?

Posted on January 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We know who and what Ken Paxton is. Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton is the only state attorney general to decline to join letters over the past week condemning the Capitol riot. In a Jan. 12 letter, 50 state … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Tax Assessor 2020 and 2016

Posted on January 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Introduction Congressional districts State Rep districts Commissioners Court/JP precincts Comparing 2012 and 2016 Statewide judicial Other jurisdictions Appellate courts, Part 1 Appellate courts, Part 2 Judicial averages Other cities District Attorney County Attorney Sheriff Tax Assessor Ann Harris Bennett is … Continue reading →

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What is the direction of voting by mail?

Posted on January 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It was different in 2020, but that doesn’t mean it’s permanently different. Democratic voters in Texas were more likely to cast their ballots by mail than Republican voters in the last election. Today, that may sound like a forgone conclusion, … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Sheriff 2020 and 2016

Posted on January 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Introduction Congressional districts State Rep districts Commissioners Court/JP precincts Comparing 2012 and 2016 Statewide judicial Other jurisdictions Appellate courts, Part 1 Appellate courts, Part 2 Judicial averages Other cities District Attorney County Attorney Behold your 2020 vote champion in Harris … Continue reading →

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You can’t escape your culpability, Ted

Posted on January 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The stench will be on you forever, Ted. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz has sharpened his criticism of President Donald Trump, saying the president’s rhetoric “certainly contributed to the violence that occurred” as Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol on Wednesday. But … Continue reading →

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On prosecuting the insurrectionists

Posted on January 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This is a good start. While federal prosecutors in the nation’s capital will likely tackle the bulk of criminal charges for the perpetrators of Wednesday’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, Ryan K. Patrick is among a growing number of U.S. … Continue reading →

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The Republican war against Harris County

Posted on January 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

To be fair, it’s not just Harris County that’s in the crosshairs, it’s the big urban counties, and cities in general. But it’s real and it’s dangerous and it’s anti-democratic. Republicans in the Texas Legislature are gearing up to bar … Continue reading →

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What to do about Ted and Kenny?

Posted on January 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

You wouldn’t think it would be possible for Ted Cruz to become more loathesome, but if you think that you seriously underestimate him. Two nights before the Electoral College certification in Congress, Ted Cruz was in vintage form. The junior … Continue reading →

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Impeach him again

Posted on January 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This is Donald Trump’s fault. All of it, though he did have plenty of assistance. Impeach him again, convict him this time, and then arrest him on the way out the door. There had been a call for censure before … Continue reading →

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Dems go two for two in Georgia

Posted on January 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s hard to talk about anything else, given the violent debacle in Washington yesterday, but the two Democratic Senate candidates in Georgia won their runoff elections, giving control of the Senate to the Democrats, and putting an emphatic final exclamation … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: County Attorney 2020 and 2016

Posted on January 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Introduction Congressional districts State Rep districts Commissioners Court/JP precincts Comparing 2012 and 2016 Statewide judicial Other jurisdictions Appellate courts, Part 1 Appellate courts, Part 2 Judicial averages Other cities District Attorney The office of County Attorney gets less attention than … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: District Attorney 2020 and 2016

Posted on January 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Introduction Congressional districts State Rep districts Commissioners Court/JP precincts Comparing 2012 and 2016 Statewide judicial Other jurisdictions Appellate courts, Part 1 Appellate courts, Part 2 Judicial averages Other cities We move on now to the county executive office races for … Continue reading →

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Ted Cruz says “Look at me! Look at meeeeeeeeeeeee!”

Posted on January 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Also, “Look at me!” Continuing to pursue unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and some of his fellow GOP senators announced they would vote to reject the certification of Electoral College votes for the presidential election … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, The making of the President | Tagged , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

So is anyone going to try to collect Dan Patrick’s reward money?

Posted on January 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a nice little research paper for you: On November 10, 2020, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick put out a press release stating, in relevant part, “[S]tarting today [I] will pay up to $1 million to incentivize, encourage and reward … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit bats aside Gohmert appeal

Posted on January 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

In case you were wondering… . The Fifth Circuit cuts everything short on the stupid Gohmert suit with these brutal disposition. A very conservative panel btw. — Raffi Melkonian (@RMFifthCircuit) 07:32 PM – 02 January 2021 . I’m sitting here … Continue reading →

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Gohmert lawsuit tossed

Posted on January 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. A judge dismissed a lawsuit from Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, that was aimed at Vice President Mike Pence, seeking to put the authority to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s election win in the vice president’s hands. U.S. District Court … Continue reading →

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Census Bureau will miss deadline that would allow for apportionment shenanigans

Posted on January 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The Census Bureau will miss a year-end deadline for handing in numbers used for divvying up congressional seats, a delay that could undermine President Donald Trump’s efforts to exclude people in the country illegally from the count if the … Continue reading →

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