Tag Archives: Senate

Six file in SD30

Posted on August 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

One of these folks will be a State Senator. The most prominent contenders for the solidly red seat are state Rep. Drew Springer of Muenster and fellow Republican Shelley Luther,the Dallas salon owner who was jailed earlier this year over her … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Andy Hopper, CD04, Chris Watts, Congress, Craig Carter, Drew Springer, Election 2020, Jacob Minter, John Ratcliffe, Pat Fallon, SD30, Senate, Shelley Luther, special election, Texas | Comments Off

Republicans try and fail to remove Libertarian candidates from the ballot

Posted on August 27, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From Patrick Svitek: . Texas appeals court rejects last-minute lawsuits by @NRCC, @TravisGOP to kick Libertarian candidates off November ballot for not paying filing fees: http://search.txcourts.gov/SearchMedia.aspx?MediaVersionID=fee8c1fc-f70a-4d57-baf0-5775ccdea786&coa=coa03&DT=Opinion&MediaID=9242cd19-73c0-441c-bc1f-786be9ec000f — Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) 12:00 AM – 26 August 2020 The Third Court of … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged CD03, CD21, Chrysta Castaneda, Congress, Election 2008, Election 2020, filing fee, Green Party, Kim Brimer, lawsuit, Libertarian Party, MJ Hegar, NRCC, Railroad Commission, SD10, Senate, Texas, The Lege, Third Court of Appeals, Travis County, Van Taylor, Wendy Davis | 12 Comments

The state of the Democratic bench

Posted on August 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s deeper now, and it could keep getting deeper after this year. The speaking turns may have been brief and the spotlight not as bright, but Texas Democrats got a glimpse at their national convention this week of their emerging … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged Beto O'Rourke, CD03, CD05, CD07, CD16, CD32, Colin Allred, Congress, Election 2016, Election 2018, Election 2020, Harris County, Joaquin Castro, Ken Paxton, Lance Gooden, Lina Hidalgo, Lizzie FLetcher, Senate, Sid Miller, Texas, The Lege, Van Taylor, Veronica Escobar, Victoria Neave, Wayne Christian | 5 Comments

Special election set for SD30

Posted on August 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Can’t wait till November, apparently. Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday announced the special election to replace state Sen. Pat Fallon, R-Prosper, will be Sept. 29, setting off a sped-up race to fill his seat ahead of the next legislative session … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged CD04, Chris Watts, Congress, Drew Springer, Election 2020, John Ratcliffe, Pat Fallon, SD30, Senate, Shelley Luther, Shelley Sekula Gibbs, Speaker's race, special election, Texas, The Lege | 1 Comment

Weekend voting litigation news

Posted on August 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I have two news items about voting-related lawsuits. Both of these come via the Daily Kos Voting Rights Roundup, which has been increasingly valuable to me lately, given the sheer number of such lawsuits and the fact that some news … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged absentee ballots, Bryan Slaton, Cathie Adams, CD21, Chris Hollins, Chrysta Castaneda, Congress, coronavirus, David Collins, DCCC, DSCC, early voting, Election 2020, emergency powers, Emily Gilby, filing fee, Green Party, Greg Abbott, Harris County Clerk, Katija Gruene, lawsuit, Mi Familia Vota, MJ Hegar, NAACP, petitions, Railroad Commission, Rick Green, Ruth Hughs, Secretary of State, Senate, Steven Hotze, Terrell Blodgett, Texas, Texas College Democrats, Texas Young Democrats, The Lege, Third Court of Appeals, Tom Wakely, Travis County, voter suppression, Wendy Davis | 1 Comment

As goes Tarrant, 2020 edition

Posted on August 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Hello, old friend. Shortly after Democrat Beto O’Rourke launched his campaign to unseat U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018, he made several visits to Tarrant County in North Texas to press the message that if he could flip this county, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Beto O'Rourke, Beverly Powell, CD06, CD24, Congress, demography, Donald Trump, Election 2004, Election 2008, Election 2012, Election 2016, Election 2020, Joe Biden, Konni Burton, polls, President, redistricting, SD10, Senate, Tarrant County, Texas, The Lege | 2 Comments

Dan Patrick’s Confederate posturing

Posted on August 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Whatever else you can say about Dan Patrick, he’s always on brand. n response to a letter by Democratic state senators urging the removal of Confederate monuments and symbols at the Texas Capitol, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick blamed Democrats on … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People, That's our Lege | Tagged Confederacy, Dan Patrick, Senate, Texas | 9 Comments

Further thoughts on the Dems defenestrating the Green candidates

Posted on August 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

But first, the Chron story about yesterday’s legal action. An appellate court on Wednesday blocked three Green Party candidates from the November ballot because they failed to pay candidate filing fees. The candidates are David Collins, who was running for … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged CD21, Charles Waterbury, Chrysta Castaneda, Congress, David Collins, DCCC, DSCC, Election 2010, Election 2020, filing fee, Green Party, Kat Swift, Katija Gruene, lawsuit, Libertarian Party, MJ Hegar, Railroad Commission, Senate, Supreme Court, Texas, The Lege, Third Court of Appeals, Tom Wakely, Travis County, Wendy Davis | 18 Comments

What is the level of Latino support for Trump in Texas?

Posted on August 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We have some contradictory evidence this week. First, from Texas Elects: President Trump leads presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden, 48%-41%, among “all voters” and by a slightly smaller 49.5%-44% margin among voters who indicated they were “extremely likely to vote,” … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Donald Trump, Election 2020, Joe Biden, John Cornyn, Latino voting, MJ Hegar, polls, President, Senate, Texas, Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation | 11 Comments

More challenges to Green Party candidates

Posted on August 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From Patrick Svitek: . @ChrystaForTexas, @wendydavis sue to remove their Green Party opponents from the ballot, saying they didn’t pay filing fees on time: http://search.txcourts.gov/SearchMedia.aspx?MediaVersionID=6f9426d1-7b86-4718-b99a-8356e5d806a6&coa=coa03&DT=Brief&MediaID=297d5426-ee45-4039-8bfc-dc8891686f76 The Green Party candidate in Davis’ race is @Wakely2020, who was the 2016 Democratic nominee … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged Amy Clark Meachum, CD21, Charles Waterbury, Chrysta Castaneda, Congress, David Collins, DCCC, DSCC, Election 2020, filing fee, Green Party, Katija Gruene, lawsuit, Libertarian Party, MJ Hegar, Railroad Commission, Senate, Supreme Court, Texas, The Lege, Third Court of Appeals, Tom Wakely, Travis County, Wendy Davis | 5 Comments

Green Party candidate for Supreme Court withdraws

Posted on August 18, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not an election without a bit of ballot drama. Charles Waterbury, the Green Party candidate for Texas Supreme Court chief justice, has dropped out of the race after an opponent questioned his eligibility to run. Waterbury’s withdrawal notice was … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Amy Clark Meachum, ballot access, Charles Waterbury, David Collins, Democratic primary, Election 2014, Election 2016, Election 2020, Green Party, judicial races, Katija Gruene, Libertarian Party, Martina Salinas, Nathan Hecht, Railroad Commission, Senate, Supreme Court, Texas | 8 Comments

Despite it all, voter registration keeps increasing

Posted on August 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

You love to see it. Not even the worst pandemic to hit Texas in a century was enough to stem the surge in voter registrations that has remade the state’s electorate over the past four years. Just since March, Texas … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Battleground Texas, Beto O'Rourke, Bexar County, Brazos County, Comal County, Congress, coronavirus, Dallas County, Election 2016, Election 2018, Election 2020, Harris County, Harris County Tax Assessor, Hays County, Jolt Initiative, Powered by People, President, Senate, Texas, The Lege, Travis County, turnout, voter registration, Williamson County | 3 Comments

We don’t need a vote to expand Medicaid

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a fundamental truth that needs to be addressed in this. On Tuesday, Missouri became the 38th state to expand Medicaid, opening healthcare to over 230,000 Missourians. It joins a lengthy list of GOP-led states in expanding healthcare, including Nebraska, … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged Celia Israel, Constitution, constitutional amendments, coronavirus, Election 2020, Election 2022, Governor, health insurance, Idaho, John Bucy, John Zerwas, Medicaid, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, petitions, Senate, Texas, The Lege | 2 Comments

Fallon fallout

Posted on August 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. After Sen. Pat Fallon’s impressive though not unexpected victory this weekend in the insider’s race to be the GOP nominee for Congressional District 4 – being vacated by Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe – rumors are flying … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Carol Alvarado, CD04, CD29, Congress, Election 2018, Election 2020, HD145, HD79, Joe Pickett, John Ratcliffe, Pat Fallon, runoff, SD06, SD30, Senate, Speaker's race, special election, Sylvia Garcia, Texas, The Lege | 2 Comments

Latino voter engagement 2020

Posted on August 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We have a poll for that. Latinos in Texas say they are much more motivated to vote this November than they were in 2016, with gun safety being a big factor after the shooting in El Paso a year ago, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged BradyPAC, Election 2020, Everytown, Gabrielle Giffords, gun control, John Cornyn, Latino Victory Project, Latino voting, Michael Bloomberg, MJ Hegar, polls, President, Senate, Texas | Comments Off

Another lawsuit against Abbott over emergency orders

Posted on August 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This one is a bit more serious due to the lack of Hotze and Woodfill, but it’s still not a great way to have the debate about this issue. Five Republican Texas lawmakers are suing Gov. Greg Abbott over the … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Bill Zedler, Bob Hall, Constitution, contact tracing, coronavirus, emergency powers, Governor, Greg Abbott, Kyle Biedermann, lawsuit, Mike Lang, MTX, Senate, special session, Steve Toth, Supreme Court, Texas, Texas Department of State Health Services, Texas Disaster Act, The Lege | 2 Comments

Hegar to get a boost

Posted on August 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee announced Tuesday that it will spend at least $1 million to help MJ Hegar in her challenge to U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. The DSCC said it will be the first time the committee … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged advertising, Beto O'Rourke, Donald Trump, DSCC, Election 2018, Election 2020, fundraising, Joe Biden, John Cornyn, MJ Hegar, polls, President, Senate, Ted Cruz, Texas | 15 Comments

Morning Consult: Biden 47, Trump 46

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like maybe we’ll get a regular dose of these. Democrats enter the peak of the campaign season with advantages that make their path to regaining control of the Senate easier for strategists and handicappers to envision alongside a Joe … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, The making of the President | Tagged Beto O'Rourke, Donald Trump, Election 2018, Election 2020, Joe Biden, John Cornyn, MJ Hegar, polls, President, Senate, Ted Cruz, Texas | 4 Comments

A slightly less rosy view of Democratic prospects

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the latest race ratings from Texas Elects: Texas Election Source has updated 27 race ratings based on the latest polling, July campaign finance reports and primary runoff results. Twenty of those races moved one column toward the Democrats’ advantage. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Akilah Bacy, Ann Johnson, CD02, CD03, CD05, CD06, CD07, CD10, CD14, CD15, CD17, CD21, CD22, CD23, CD24, CD25, CD26, CD31, CD32, CD34, Congress, Court of Criminal Appeals, Election 2018, Election 2020, fundraising, HD102, HD105, HD107, HD108, HD112, HD113, HD114, HD115, HD117, HD118, HD121, HD122, HD126, HD129, HD132, HD133, HD134, HD135, HD136, HD138, HD14, HD144, HD150, HD17, HD23, HD26, HD28, HD29, HD31, HD32, HD34, HD41, HD45, HD47, HD52, HD54, HD64, HD66, HD67, HD70, HD74, HD84, HD85, HD89.HD106, HD92, HD93, HD94, HD96, HD97, Joanna Cattanach, John Cornyn, Lacey Hull, Matt Shaheen, Morgan Meyer, polls, Railroad Commission, Sarah Davis, SD11, SD12, SD19, SD20, SD21, Senate, Sharon Hirsch, Supreme Court, Texas, The Lege | 1 Comment

July 2020 campaign finance reports: State races, part 1

Posted on July 31, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m going to take a look at the July finance reports from the various state races, which I will split into three parts. Part one will be statewide, SBOE, and State Senate, part two will be State House races from … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Amy Clark Meachum, Brett Busby, campaign finance reports, Chrysta Castaneda, Election 2020, fundraising, Gisela Triana, Jane Bland, Jeff Boyd, Jim Wright, judicial races, Kathy Cheng, Lani Popp, Larry Taylor, Marsha Burnett-Webster, Michelle Palmer, Nathan Hecht, Pete Flores, Railroad Commission, Rebecca Bell-Metereau, Robert Morrow, Roland Gutierrez, Ryan Sitton, SBOE, SD11, SD19, Senate, Staci Williams, Supreme Court, Susan Criss, Texas, Tom Maynard, Will Hickman | 2 Comments

Matt Glazer: A way to end surprise medical bills

Posted on July 31, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: The following is a guest post that was submitted to me. I occasionally solicit guest posts, and also occasionally accept them from people I trust.) At a young age, I had to deal with medical issue after medical issue. … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged Bill Cassidy, Congress, coronavirus, guest post, health care, health insurance, John Cornyn, Matt Glazer, Senate, Ted Cruz, Texas | 2 Comments

What a Democratic House means for redistricting

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Rick Casey makes a point about what a Democratic-majority State House will and won’t be able to do in 2021, in particular with redistricting. I would put the Democrats’ chances of taking back the State House of Representatives as better … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Census, Congress, Election 2002, Election 2020, Election 2022, FLIP the Texas House, Legislative Redistricting Board, redistricting, Senate, special session, Texas, The Lege, Tom DeLay, Trey Martinez-Fischer | 3 Comments

Rep. Rodriguez concedes in SD14

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

No runoff after all. Former Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt will succeed former state Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, in the Texas Senate after state Rep. Eddie Rodriguez said Monday he is dropping out of the race. Eckhardt and Rodriguez, both … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Eddie Rodriguez, Election 2020, runoff, Sarah Eckhardt, SD14, Senate, special election, Texas, The Lege | Comments Off

How to lose a Congressional seat

Posted on July 27, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

As things stand right now, Texas will gain three Congressional seats in the 2021 reapportionment, as Texas continues to be the fastest-growing state in the country. There is one thing that can stop that, however: Donald Trump. President Donald Trump … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged ACLU, Alabama, California, Census, Congress, Donald Trump, Election 2020, Election 2022, Florida, immigration, lawsuit, Minnesota, Ohio, Phil King, redistricting, Senate, Texas, The Lege | 2 Comments

CD03 poll: Taylor 43, Seikaly 37

Posted on July 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I expect we’ll see a fair amount of Congressional district polling this cycle. There is a single-digit race underway for Texas’ traditionally red 3rd Congressional District, according to a new poll from the new Democratic nominee’s campaign. The nominee, Lulu … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Beto O'Rourke, CD03, CD06, CD07, CD21, CD32, Chip Roy, Colin Allred, Congress, Donald Trump, Election 2016, Election 2018, Election 2020, Joe Biden, Lizzie FLetcher, Lulu Seikaly, polls, President, Senate, Stephen Daniel, Texas, Wendy Davis | 2 Comments

July 2020 campaign finance reports: Congress

Posted on July 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations, everyone. Not only have we made it to the other side of another quarterly reporting period, we have also successfully navigated the primary runoffs. My next quarterly finance report post for Congress will thus be shorter, as this is … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Adrienne Bell, campaign finance reports, Candace Valenzuela, Carol Ianuzzi, CD01, CD02, CD03, CD06, CD07, CD08, CD10, CD14, CD17, CD21, CD22, CD23, CD24, CD25, CD26, CD31, CD32, Christine Eady Mann, Colin Allred, Congress, coronavirus, David Jaramillo, DCCC, Democratic primary, DNC, Donna Imam, Election 2018, Election 2020, Elizabeth Hernandez, fundraising, Gina Ortiz Jones, Hank Gilbert, Jan McDowell, Jana Sanchez, Joe Biden, Joe Kopser, Julie Oliver, Kim Olson, Lizzie FLetcher, Lorie Burch, Lulu Seikaly, Mike Siegel, MJ Hegar, President, Pritash Gandhi, Rick Kennedy, Royce West, runoff, Sean McCaffity, Senate, Sima Ladjevardian, Sri Kulkarni, Stephen Daniel, Texas, Todd Litton, Wendy Davis | 3 Comments

A deeper dive into the Texas polls

Posted on July 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From Decision Desk: Whenever there is a new poll of Texas released, there are a ton of hot takes on Twitter. Old believers of Texas as the great blue whale for the Democrats move to dismiss the poll, saying that … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Beto O'Rourke, Donald Trump, Election 2016, Election 2018, Election 2020, Joe Biden, John Cornyn, MJ Hegar, polls, President, Senate, Ted Cruz, Texas | 5 Comments

Quinnipiac: Biden 45, Trump 44

Posted on July 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Just another poll showing Joe Biden in the lead in Texas, though you have to scroll way down in the Quinnipiac press release to get to that. With Texas as one of the biggest hot spots in the coronavirus pandemic, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, The making of the President | Tagged Barack Obama, Beto O'Rourke, Donald Trump, Election 2012, Election 2016, Election 2018, Election 2020, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, John Cornyn, Mitt Romney, MJ Hegar, polls, President, Senate, Ted Cruz, Texas | 4 Comments

More pressure on Biden to really compete in Texas

Posted on July 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Fine by me. With President Donald Trump’s poll numbers sliding in traditional battlegrounds as well as conservative-leaning states, and money pouring into Democratic campaigns, Joe Biden is facing rising pressure to expand his ambitions, compete aggressively in more states and … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, The making of the President | Tagged Congress, Donald Trump, Election 2020, Filemon Vela, Georgia, Joe Biden, polls, President, Senate, Texas, The Lege | 1 Comment

We still need that equality bill in the Lege

Posted on July 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

That SCOTUS ruling was huge, but there’s still a lot of work to be done. LGBTQ Texans marked a major victory Monday when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that federal civil rights law prevents employment discrimination on the basis of … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged Attorney General, Dan Patrick, Election 2020, Election 2022, gay rights, Greg Abbott, Jessica Gonzalez, Ken Paxton, Lambda Legal, Lite Gov, Sarah Davis, SCOTUS, Senate, Supreme Court, Texas, The Lege, Todd Hunter, transgender rights | Comments Off

Dems could possibly win a lot of Congressional races in Texas

Posted on July 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It started with this: what does a biden win in texas look like? here’s how a D+1 nailbiter might turn out, if we use 2016 and 2018 as a guide → (hint: biden would win 9 currently R-held districts and … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Beto O'Rourke, Candace Valenzuela, CD02, CD03, CD06, CD07, CD10, CD21, CD22, CD23, CD24, CD25, CD31, CD32, Colin Allred, Congress, Donald Trump, Donna Imam, Election 2016, Election 2018, Election 2020, Gina Ortiz Jones, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Julie Oliver, Lizzie FLetcher, Lulu Seikaly, Mike Siegel, polls, President, redistricting, Senate, Sima Ladjevardian, Sri Kulkarni, Stephen Daniel, Ted Cruz, Texas, The Lege, Wendy Davis | 7 Comments

Some brief runoff thoughts

Posted on July 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

You know the drill here… – The Election Night Results page at the SOS shows 955,735 votes total in the Democratic Senate runoff. That number is likely to increase a bit over the next few days, as we’ll see shortly. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged absentee ballots, CD23, Congress, coronavirus, Democratic primary, Early Voting Ballot Board, Election 1990, Election 2020, face masks, MJ Hegar, primaries, recount, Royce West, runoff, Secretary of State, Senate, Texas, turnout | Comments Off

2020 primary runoff results: Statewide

Posted on July 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It was a tight race all night, but it looks like MJ Hegar will win. MJ Hegar was holding a 5-percentage-point lead over Royce West on Tuesday night in the Democratic primary runoff for U.S. Senate, according to unofficial results. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Chrysta Castaneda, Democratic primary, Donald Trump, Election 2020, Joe Biden, John Cornyn, MJ Hegar, polls, Railroad Commission, Royce West, runoff, Senate, Texas | 14 Comments

2020 primary runoff results: SBOE, Senate, House

Posted on July 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Again, bullet points. Get used to it. SBOE6 Dem: Michelle Palmer had a 65-35 lead after early voting, and that was pretty much all there was to it. SBOE5 GOP: It’s much more boring and sedate, but the Republican candidate … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Akilah Bacy, Anna Eastman, Bryan Slaton, Dan Flynn, Democratic primary, Eddie Lucio, Election 2020, Election 2022, Harold Dutton, HD02, HD100, HD119, HD138, HD142, HD148, HD26, HD59, HD67, Jacey Jetton, Jasmine Crockett, JD Sheffield, Jerry Davis, Lani Popp, Liz Campos, Lorenzo Sanchez, Lorraine Birabil, Michelle Palmer, Penny Shaw, primaries, redistricting, Robert Morrow, Roland Gutierrez, runoff, Sarah DeMerchant, SBOE, SD19, SD27, Senate, Shelby Slawson, Texas, The Lege | Comments Off

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