Tag Archives: Election 2015

January campaign finance reports – HISD trustees

Posted on January 26, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Four HISD Trustees are up for re-election this year. There are nine Trustees in all, and they serve four-year terms, so in a normal year either four or five are up for re-election. As things stand right now, all four … Continue reading →

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First three runoff dates are set

Posted on January 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Greg Abbott completes a bit of business left to him by Rick Perry. Gov. Greg Abbott has scheduled runoffs from the Jan. 6 special elections for Feb. 17, according to his office. The decision officially sets head-to-head match-ups in state … Continue reading →

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By the way, Dave Wilson also hates transgender people

Posted on January 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I mean, no surprise, right? What’s more, he puts his money where his mouth is. Now, anti-LGBT activist Dave Wilson is circulating another petition that would place a charter amendment on the ballot to repeal trans protections in both HERO … Continue reading →

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Bell makes his announcement tomorrow

Posted on January 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Making official what we had long known. Former Democratic congressman Chris Bell will announce his mayoral bid this Sunday afternoon in Sam Houston Park, becoming the first candidate in a crowded field to officially kick off a run to lead … Continue reading →

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January campaign finance reports – San Antonio

Posted on January 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, while we wait for the Mayoral field to shape up here in Houston, there’s already a hot open-seat race going on in San Antonio, featuring now-former State Rep. Mike Villarreal, State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte (who … Continue reading →

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Garcia appears to be in for Mayor

Posted on January 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Not official yet, but stories like this don’t get run without justification. Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia is sending every possible message that he intends to run for mayor this year, aggressively increasing his political operations and signaling to some … Continue reading →

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January campaign finance reports – PACs

Posted on January 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Mayoral reports Controller reports Council reports There are a lot of PACs that play in Houston’s elections. It’s hard to keep up with all of them, and I say this as someone who reads far more campaign finance reports than … Continue reading →

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HERO petition repeal trial starts

Posted on January 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It could actually be over before it really starts, though I would not expect that. For the next three to four weeks, the Harris County Civil Courthouse will be the stage for the trial over Houston’s controversial equal rights ordinance. … Continue reading →

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January campaign finance reports – Council

Posted on January 21, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Mayoral reports Controller reports Four Council members are term limited this year. Two, CMs Stephen Costello and Oliver Pennington, are running for Mayor. The other two, CMs CO Bradford and Ed Gonzales, do not have any announced plans at this … Continue reading →

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Plano equality opponents turn in their petitions

Posted on January 21, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Yesterday was the deadline for the opponents of Plano’s equal rights ordinance to turn in petitions to force a repeal referendum, and the haters of Plano duly did so. Opponents of Plano’s Equal Rights Ordinance say they’ve met the deadline … Continue reading →

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January campaign finance reports – Controller wannabes

Posted on January 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Like the Mayoral race, the 2015 race for City Controller is wide open, as incumbent Ronald Green is term-limited. There are three candidates of which I am aware so far – HCC Trustee and former At Large city Council member … Continue reading →

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January campaign finance reports – Mayoral wannabes

Posted on January 19, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I wrote yesterday about the start of the 2015 campaign season in Houston, and how it’s started a bit early thanks to the ruling in the lawsuit filed by Trebor Gordon that invalidated the blackout period. This week also marked … Continue reading →

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Feldman’s parting memo

Posted on January 18, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Outgoing City Attorney David Feldman shares his thoughts on the state of the city’s campaign finance rules as he makes his exit. City Hall began its attempt to use a federal court ruling declaring its own election rule unconstitutional to … Continue reading →

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And they’re off

Posted on January 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Gentlemen, start your fundraising engines. The Twitter handles have been rechristened, the first attacks have been fired and the “DONATE!” buttons have gone live. The yearlong slugfest for mayor of Houston has begun. In what is expected to be Houston’s … Continue reading →

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City does a 180 on campaign finances

Posted on January 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Not all losses in court are created equal. City officials will argue that the city’s election ordinance is unconstitutional as part of a strategy to strengthen their position in a lawsuit that could shape the early stages of this year’s … Continue reading →

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Bilski and Schubert advance in HD13

Posted on January 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From the Secretary of State: State Representative District Becky Berger REP 1,076 10.72% Carolyn Cerny Bilski REP 4,318 43.45% Leighton Schubert REP 3,259 32.79% Cecil R. Webster, Sr. DEM 1,283 12.91% This race now joins the other three in requiring … Continue reading →

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The haters are gathering petitions in Plano

Posted on January 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

God help us all. Opponents of Plano’s new ordinance banning discrimination against gays and transgendered people have drawn support from Pastor Rafael Cruz, father of Sen. Ted Cruz. “This is an attack on Judeo-Christian beliefs in America,” Cruz told a … Continue reading →

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On playing small ball

Posted on January 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Campos reacts to Mayor Parker’s future statewide plans. And here again is my small ball take from a few weeks ago: It is time for small ball instead of the big inning. In baseball, small ball is a strategy where … Continue reading →

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Injunction granted against Houston fundraising blackout period

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a whole new ballgame out there. A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked a law limiting when candidates in Houston municipal elections can raise money, prompting a scramble to contact donors sooner than campaigns had intended. The injunction, two … Continue reading →

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HD13 special election news roundup

Posted on January 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The special election in HD13 to succeed Sen. Lois Kolkhorst is next Tuesday. Early voting ends today, and there’s not much news out there to find. HD13 is a rural district with only small-paper coverage – one of those papers, … Continue reading →

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Mayor Parker keeps looking forward

Posted on January 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Always in motion is the future, at least for Mayor Parker. Mayor Annise Parker left open the idea on Sunday that she would endorse one of the dozen candidates positioning to possibly succeed her, though she said she hoped to … Continue reading →

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All special elections will go to runoffs

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From the Bexar County Elections webpage: STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT 26 VOTE FOR 1 Votes Pct (WITH 322 OF 322 PRECINCTS COUNTED) Al Suarez (DEM) . . . . . . . . 644 3.39 Alma Perez Jackson (REP) . . … Continue reading →

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Special Election Day for SD26, HD123, and HD17

Posted on January 6, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

At long last, we have some endorsements. The Express News recommends TMF for SD26. Martinez Fischer has demonstrated distinctive leadership that makes him the clear-cut choice for the Senate. Early in his career, Martinez Fischer stirred the pot ineffectively. The … Continue reading →

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Don’t forget about Pasadena

Posted on January 5, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

There’s still a lawsuit in the works regarding their 2013 redistricting referendum that switched their Council from an eight-member all-district makeup to six districts and two At large seats, all at the behest of Mayor Johnny Isbell. Pasadena is preparing … Continue reading →

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Special elections roundup

Posted on January 4, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I haven’t seen any newspaper endorsements in the special elections that will conclude on Tuesday. I can tell you that the Texas Parent PAC has endorsed Diego Bernal in HD123 and John Cyrier in HD17. In the absence of further … Continue reading →

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Laurie Robinson to run in At Large #4

Posted on January 2, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From Texpatriate: Laurie Robinson, a local businesswoman, will run for the Houston City Council next year. Specifically, as Houston Chronicle reported Theodore Schleifer reported on Twitter, she will seek out At-Large Position #4. The seat is currently held by Councilmember … Continue reading →

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Interview with Ty McDonald

Posted on December 31, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The discussion of the special elections going on this week and culminating on January 6 has been dominated by Bexar County, home of two of the three races, including the Senate race, but the HD17 election is important in its … Continue reading →

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Interview with Trey Martinez-Fischer

Posted on December 30, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Continuing with my sprint-to-the-finish-line week of special election interviews, today we have a conversation with State Rep. Trey Martinez-Fischer, one of five candidates vying to succeed Sen. Leticia Van de Putte in SD26, the higher profile and much more expensive … Continue reading →

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Tommy Adkisson joins SA Mayoral race

Posted on December 30, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

And then there were three major candidates. Bexar County Precinct 4 Commissioner Tommy Adkisson became the latest candidate to enter the 2015 San Antonio mayor’s race Sunday as he announced his bid to lead the Alamo City. […] His announcement … Continue reading →

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Interview with Diego Bernal

Posted on December 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

For the second biennium in a row, there are legislative special elections going on during what many of us think of as the Christmas break. That’s not so great for the people involved in those campaigns, since it’s hardly a … Continue reading →

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First city campaign finance lawsuit action this week

Posted on December 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

As you may recall, City Council candidate Trebor Gordon filed a lawsuit last month alleging that the city of Houston’s campaign fundraising blackout period was illegal. This week, a federal judge is expected to rule on a request for a … Continue reading →

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Perry sets HD13 special election date

Posted on December 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

For all the writing I’ve done about the various legislative special elections, I’d almost forgotten that this one was still out there. Just hours after Lois Kolkhorst was sworn in as the newest state senator Monday, Gov. Rick Perry called … Continue reading →

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Lane Lewis announces for At Large #1

Posted on December 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. Harris County Democratic Party chair Lane Lewis will run for an at-large city council position, he told Democratic activists Wednesday evening. Lewis, who has led the county’s party operation since 2011, is running to succeed Stephen Costello in At-Large … Continue reading →

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On game rooms and gambling

Posted on December 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like Fort Bend County wants to follow in the footsteps of Harris County when it comes to dealing with game rooms. Last weekend, Fort Bend County sheriff’s deputies raided the H-90 Game Room on U.S. 90A east of Richmond, … Continue reading →

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