Tag Archives: Election 2016

Mike Floyd for Pearland ISD

Posted on March 17, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

What were you doing when you were 18 years old? Probably not running for school board. Michael Floyd isn’t your typical high school senior. The Dawson High School student says he’s been involved in politics since he was in fourth … Continue reading →

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The updated bill for recapture and detachment

Posted on March 12, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here are the numbers as we now face them. Houston ISD voters will face a choice of either paying the state’s $77.5 million recapture fee, or risk losing $98.4 million in tax revenue over the next fiscal year, according to … Continue reading →

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Two unsatisfying articles about the 2016 Democratic sweep in Harris County

Posted on March 10, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Democratic sweep in Harris County has drawn some national attention, as writers from the left and right try to analyze what happened here last year and why Hillary Clinton carried the county by such a large margin. Unfortunately, as … Continue reading →

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Back to Buzbee

Posted on March 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like we’re not done with this yet. Prominent Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee on Monday accused Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg of “playing politics,” saying prosecutors are trying to revive a DWI case against him that has already been … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Dallas county elections

Posted on March 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

One more look at Dallas County, this time with the county-level judicial races. I like to use these partly because they’re a pretty good proxy for partisan preference, and partly because they provide a straight up two-party comparison, which is … Continue reading →

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Our first look at Senate district data

Posted on February 28, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib looks at the data we now have. In the state Senate, one Republican — Don Huffines of Dallas — is now representing a district that Clinton easily won, while two more — Konni Burton of Colleyville and Joan … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Cutting ICE

Posted on February 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Another campaign promise gets fulfilled. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez has ended a controversial partnership with federal immigration authorities that trained a team of county deputies to determine the immigration status of jailed suspects and hold those selected for deportation. … Continue reading →

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On those “improper” votes

Posted on February 22, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s be clear about this. Texas election officials have acknowledged that hundreds of people were allowed to bypass the state’s toughest-in-the-nation voter ID law and improperly cast ballots in the November presidential election by signing a sworn statement instead of … Continue reading →

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Latino turnout was up in 2016

Posted on February 21, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

That’s what the numbers say. Nearly 30 percent more Texas Latinos went to the polls in 2016 than in 2012, reducing the participation gap with other Texas voters and signaling to some observers that elections will become increasingly competitive in … Continue reading →

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As goes Tarrant

Posted on February 19, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib ponders the one big urban county that is not like the others. Among the state’s five biggest counties, Tarrant is the only one that hasn’t backed a Democratic presidential candidate in the past decade. The 2016 presidential election … Continue reading →

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The people who would have been denied the opportunity to vote in 2016

Posted on February 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

There were a lot of them. At least 16,400 Texans who voted in the November election wouldn’t have been able to cast ballots if the state’s voter identification law had been in full effect, state voting records show. […] Through … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Texas Dems look to 2018

Posted on February 13, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I have a few things to say about this. A tight-knit group of Texas Democratic leaders traveled to the state capital [in late January] to begin preliminary conversations about the 2018 midterm races. According to over a dozen interviews with … Continue reading →

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Recapture re-vote will happen

Posted on February 11, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Mark your calendars for May 6. On Thursday, the board voted 5-3, with one abstention, to put another referendum on recapture on the May 6 ballot. Placing a second referendum on the May ballot will cost the district $800,000, according … Continue reading →

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Is the end near for straight-ticket voting?

Posted on February 10, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It could be. Partisan efficiency experts might love the time-saving charms of straight-ticket voting, but a number of the state’s top elected officials are ready to outlaw the practice. Straight-ticket, or one-punch, voting allows people to cast a ballot for … Continue reading →

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HISD Board to discuss recapture re-vote today

Posted on February 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We should find out today if a re-vote on recapture is in our future. At their monthly meeting Thursday, trustees for the Houston Independent School Board will consider putting recapture back on the ballot. […] In November, HISD voters rejected … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Dallas County statewides

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Last time we looked at the Presidential numbers in Dallas County legislative districts (plus CD32). Today we follow up with a look at the statewide races. I’m going to throw a lot of numbers at you, so please bear with … Continue reading →

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DCCC says it will aim for three Texas Congressional seats

Posted on February 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see what this means in practice. The House Democratic campaign arm, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, announced Monday morning that the party intends to target two longtime GOP incumbents that, until recently, have long been considered locks for re-election: … Continue reading →

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“The Short, Tumultuous Tenure Of Corpus Christi Mayor Dan McQueen”

Posted on February 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This is just amazing. After just 37 days in office, Dan McQueen announced his resignation as the mayor of Corpus Christi via Facebook last Wednesday. “Consider this my resignation. I resign immediately,” he wrote in the Facebook post, according to the … Continue reading →

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A re-vote on recapture?

Posted on February 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This is very interesting. After reconsideration of an 18-year-old law, state education officials are adjusting their school finance calculations in a way that could save several dozen school districts roughly $100 million — while costing the state the same amount … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Dallas County Presidential numbers

Posted on January 31, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

News flash: Hillary Clinton won every Dallas County State Rep district. See for yourself: Dist Trump Clinton Johnson Stein ======================================== CD32 117,758 127,824 5,751 1,056 HD100 8,405 33,647 647 217 HD102 24,768 30,291 1,312 287 HD103 8,710 28,689 683 205 … Continue reading →

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So what will the Justice Department do with voter ID now?

Posted on January 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We don’t know yet. Hours after President Donald Trump was inaugurated, the Department of Justice filed to postpone a hearing on the Texas Voter ID law. The request was granted. The DOJ had previously argued that the law intentionally discriminated … Continue reading →

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Abbott goes authoritarian

Posted on January 26, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose this shouldn’t surprise me, but it is still shocking, even in the world we now inhabit. Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday that he and state lawmakers will pursue legislation that would “remove from office any officeholder who promotes … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS will not review voter ID ruling

Posted on January 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

For now. The Supreme Court issued orders from its January 19 conference this morning. After granting review in two cases from that conference last week, the justices did not add any new cases to their merits docket today. But there … Continue reading →

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Marching

Posted on January 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

In Austin. Up to 50,000 activists swarmed the Capitol grounds on Saturday to fight for women’s rights on the heels of Trump’s inauguration. The high-spirited crowd joined more than a million protesters nationwide. The Austin march was so large that … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Voter ID hearing postponed

Posted on January 22, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I fear this is a portent of things to come. Within hours of Donald Trump being sworn in as president Friday, a Corpus Christi federal court postponed a scheduled hearing in the Texas Voter ID case until next month at … Continue reading →

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Still more HCDP Chair hopefuls

Posted on January 20, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox, from precinct chair Sterling Camp: 10 Possible County Chair Candidates I’ve been emailed that Keryl Douglas, former executive director of Houston NAACP, will be running for County Chair. The list grows to 10. Tomaro Bell Robert Collier … Continue reading →

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Dukes indicted

Posted on January 19, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Boom. A grand jury has indicted state Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, on abuse-of-office charges, the Travis County District Attorney’s office said Wednesday. She could face up to 28 years in jail and fines of up to $138,000. The first indictment … Continue reading →

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What I’m looking for in the next HCDP Chair

Posted on January 18, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Following up on yesterday’s post, here are a few issues I’ve been thinking about regarding the position of HCDP Chair. 1. Focus on voter registration My main takeaway from this past election is that Harris County is now fundamentally blue, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2017 | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Professional Integrity

Posted on January 17, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I like this. Former judge David Mendoza has been tapped to lead the newly created division of professional integrity for the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. He will be advising the 700 employees in the district attorney’s office – including … Continue reading →

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Sung and Vilaseca sworn in at HISD

Posted on January 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The HISD Board is back at full strength. As Anne Sung and Holly Flynn Vilaseca took their oaths of office and became Houston ISD’s newest Board of Education trustees on Thursday, their husbands swaddled their months-old babies in one hand … Continue reading →

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Where we begin with school finance

Posted on January 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

A nice overview from the Trib on school finance, where the problems are many and the budget situation is non-optimal. The current system is held together by a number of short-term fixes that have not been updated or reformed in … Continue reading →

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The coming legislative border battle

Posted on January 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again. House Republicans on Wednesday said they aren’t backing away from recent efforts to secure the southern border despite an incoming president who made beefed-up immigration enforcement a hallmark of his campaign. And as a final admonishment … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Texas Congressional districts

Posted on January 13, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From Daily Kos: Texas’s GOP-drawn congressional map was designed to create 24 safely red seats and 11 safely Democratic districts, with only the 23rd District in the western part of the state being truly competitive. In 2012, Mitt Romney carried … Continue reading →

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Sheriff Gonzalez’s staff

Posted on January 13, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Sheriff Ed Gonzalez combines diversity with experience in his braintrust. New Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez has tapped a diverse wave of law enforcement veterans to fill his top command staff, sharply increasing the number of minority leaders and naming … Continue reading →

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