Tag Archives: Congress

Republicans have no incentive to worry about redistricting being used against them

Posted on April 23, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I appreciate the thrust of this story, but it omits a key fact. One way to determine if Texas is truly gerrymandered is to compare the total vote share that Republican and Democratic candidates for the U.S. Congress received in … Continue reading →

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DCCC polls Trump in three target districts

Posted on April 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

News flash: Donald Trump is not very popular. Surveys the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee recently conducted found that 41 percent of voters approved of Trump’s job performance in Texas’ 24th congressional district, where Rep. Kenny Marchant serves, while 44 percent … Continue reading →

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One more for CD24

Posted on April 21, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Another contested primary. Democrat Candace Valenzuela, a 34-year-old Carrollton-Farmers Branch school board member, is launching a campaign Monday against Texas GOP Rep. Kenny Marchant, one of the party’s top targets in 2020. She will face an uphill battle for her … Continue reading →

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CD07: Here comes another Bush?

Posted on April 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, goodie. A number of West Houston political insiders are abuzz at the prospect that Pierce Bush, the Houston-based CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star and member of the storied Bush family, might run for the Congressional seat … Continue reading →

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Congressional Republicans seek to halt SOS voter purge inquiry

Posted on April 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I know, I’m as shocked as you are. Republicans are challenging the authority of a U.S. House panel to investigate the Texas effort to purge thousands of suspected non-citizens from voter rolls, contending in letters Monday that a recent request … Continue reading →

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Using Beto 2018 to project Beto 2020

Posted on April 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The NYT recently took a deep dive into the 2018 election data from Texas, and came out seeing a real swing state, partly because of Beto and partly for other reasons. Mr. O’Rourke’s close result wasn’t because of an exceptional … Continue reading →

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Two for CD22

Posted on April 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I expect the primary season for the other competitive Republican-held Congress districts to be busy, and so it begins. Lawyer Nyanza Moore plans to officially announce her candidacy Sunday for Texas’ 22nd Congressional District, where she plans to seek the … Continue reading →

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Here comes the DCCC

Posted on April 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

National Dems really are serious about competing in Texas next year. National Democrats are ratcheting up their Texas offensive yet again ahead of 2020. The chairwoman of U.S. House Democratic campaign arm announced Tuesday morning that her committee will open … Continue reading →

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No, we should not fear a competitive primary for Senate

Posted on April 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This comes up all the time, for both parties. It’s way overblown. Democrats are closer than they’ve been in decades to winning statewide in Texas. But a looming clash between two of the party’s top prospects could blow their shot. … Continue reading →

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Paxton gives the middle finger to House Oversight Committee

Posted on April 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure you’re as shocked as I am. Facing an investigation over the state’s botched efforts to screen its voter rolls for noncitizens, the Texas Attorney General’s Office is declining congressional leaders’ request for information about the review. In a … Continue reading →

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Once again with EMILY’s List and the Senate

Posted on April 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Pretty much the same story as before, but still worth noting. Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro is considering jumping into the Texas Senate race, but he might not have the primary to himself if EMILY’s List gets its way. The influential … Continue reading →

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Failing upward

Posted on April 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Must be nice. The day after David Whitley took office as Texas secretary of state on Dec. 17, he received a 49 percent pay raise thanks to his friend and political patron, Gov. Greg Abbott. In a Dec. 18 letter to the Legislative … Continue reading →

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Wendy for Congress?

Posted on April 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The great 2020 candidate shuffle continues. Wendy Davis says she is not running for U.S. Senate in 2020 and instead is considering a bid for the U.S. House. “I’m looking very seriously at Congressional District 21,” the former Democratic nominee … Continue reading →

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Kulkarni 2.0

Posted on April 6, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Glad to see this. Democrat Sri Kulkarni, an ex-foreign service officer who last year came within five points of unseating U.S. Rep. Pete Olson, announced Thursday he is challenging the Sugar Land Republican anew in Texas’ 22nd Congressional District. Making … Continue reading →

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CD07: Fletcher draws an opponent

Posted on April 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Someone was going to do it. Republican Army veteran Wesley Hunt announced his candidacy Tuesday for Texas’ 7th Congressional District, the seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, D-Houston. Hunt’s candidacy, first reported by ABC 13, comes just three … Continue reading →

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Van de Putte has her eye on Castro’s seat

Posted on April 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

With seemingly-informed speculation that Rep. Joaquin Castro will run for Senate in 2020, someone else will need to run for the Congressional seat he’d be abandoning. That speculation has now begun, with some familiar names in the conversation. Former state … Continue reading →

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Congress to investigate bogus SOS advisory

Posted on March 29, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Elections do have consequences. The U.S. House’s main investigative committee has opened an inquiry into the Texas secretary of state’s review of the voter rolls for supposed noncitizens. In letters sent to top Texas officials on Thursday, U.S. Reps. Elijah … Continue reading →

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Holder talks gerrymandering

Posted on March 28, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The former AG was in town as part of his national activism on the topic. Texas is “ground zero” in a national effort launching Saturday to ensure that every American’s vote counts in upcoming elections, former U.S. Attorney General Eric … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: 2018 Congress

Posted on March 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The 2018 Congressional races were the most expensive, the most hotly and broadly contested, and by far the most attention-grabbing races in the non-Beto division. We hadn’t seen anything remotely like it since the 2004 DeLay re-redistricting year, but we … Continue reading →

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Just a reminder, Will Hurd is still a Republican

Posted on March 19, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

That means he does Republican things. Texas Republican Rep. Will Hurd said he would vote for Donald Trump in 2020 over his friend, former Texas Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke, should he decide to run and win the Democratic Party’s nomination. … Continue reading →

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Kim Olson looking at CD24

Posted on March 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I’m down with this. While retired Air Force Col. Kim Olson, a Democrat who lost the 2018 general election for state agriculture secretary by a respectable 51-46 margin, has shown some interest in challenging GOP Sen. John Cornyn, the Texas Tribune’s … Continue reading →

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Add one more to the list of potential Cornyn opponents list

Posted on March 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Joe Kopser, who made a strong showing in CD21 in 2018, puts himself on the roster of possible not-Beto challengers for John Cornyn in 2020. Call it the other “Beto Effect“. Just months after Democrat Beto O’Rourke outperformed expectations by … Continue reading →

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Cornyn still thinks he may face Beto

Posted on March 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

He could be right, but I would not expect it. Beto O’Rourke has ruled out another run for the Senate, and as he edges closer to a bid for president, Texas Democrats are still searching for someone to challenge Sen. … Continue reading →

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What about Wendy?

Posted on March 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

If not Beto and not Joaquin… Wendy Davis of Texas said Tuesday she is considering a U.S. Senate run in 2020 but is waiting to see whether another high-profile Democrat, Rep. Joaquin Castro, goes through with challenging Republican incumbent John … Continue reading →

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January 2019 campaign finance reports: Congress

Posted on March 4, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We come to the last of our January finance report roundups. The next one will be in April, for Congressional candidates, which will be our first indicator of who among the repeaters and the newcomers has gotten off to a … Continue reading →

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Another reason David Whitley has to go

Posted on February 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

County elections officials feel like they can’t trust him or his office right now. That’s a big deal. As the Texas secretary of state’s office rolled out its botched effort to review the citizenship of nearly 100,000 voters, Betsy Schonhoff … Continue reading →

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There is no longer a ban on federal funds for rail on Richmond

Posted on February 19, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This is about as bittersweet as it gets. There are no plans to build light rail on Richmond, but for the first time in a long time there is nothing stopping Metro from asking for federal funds to help pay … Continue reading →

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Elisa Cardnell

Posted on February 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Meet your first official candidate for CD02. A naval battle just might be on the horizon in one of Houston’s most competitive Congressional districts. On Thursday Navy veteran and science teacher Elisa Cardnell, a Democrat, filed papers with the Federal … Continue reading →

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More looking forward to 2020

Posted on February 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Gonna have some more of that sweet Congressional election action. Smelling blood after picking up two Texas congressional seats in November – along with Beto O’Rourke’s narrow loss in the U.S. Senate race – House Democrats [recently] announced six new … Continue reading →

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MJ Hegar considers a Senate run

Posted on February 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Now we’re getting somewhere. Military veteran MJ Hegar, a former U.S. House candidate, is seriously considering a run for the Democratic nomination to take on U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in 2020. Hegar, who served in the Air Force in Afghanistan, … Continue reading →

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From the “Elections have consequences”, Metro referendum edition

Posted on February 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Sometimes, consequences are good things. METRO will get more federal support for public transportation projects if Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher has anything to say about it. The freshman lawmaker wants to use her new seat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure … Continue reading →

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We’ll know soon enough if Beto is running for President

Posted on February 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Thanks, Oprah. Beto O’Rourke said Tuesday he will decide whether to run for president by the end of the month, signaling his closely watched deliberations over a 2020 run are entering their final stages. The former Democratic congressman from El … Continue reading →

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There sure was a lot of money spent on Congressional races in Texas

Posted on February 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

If we’re lucky, it will be the start of a trend. Never has Texas seen as much money spent on Congressional campaigns as it did in 2018. New campaign finance data shows that the state didn’t just beat its old … Continue reading →

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The first targets for 2020

Posted on January 26, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve already agreed that the 2020 election season has begun, so a little attack advertising over the shutdown seems like a good play National Democrats have five Texas Republican congressmen in their crosshairs as they begin the 2020 election cycle … Continue reading →

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