Tag Archives: Congress

On enthusiasm and fundraising

Posted on July 3, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

RG Ratcliffe engages the “can Lupe Valdez be competitive” question. Valdez will almost certainly lose to Greg Abbott in November. Yet if she inspires Hispanic voters to turn out, she could help Democratic candidates in tight down-ballot races and make … Continue reading →

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Cloud wins in CD27

Posted on July 1, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

No runoff needed. Republican Michael Cloud appears likely to win the special election to fill former U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold’s seat, which would spare the GOP a runoff in the 27th District. With 89 percent of precincts reporting, Cloud was … Continue reading →

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The CD27 special election is almost upon us

Posted on June 28, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s on Saturday, to be specific. Voters in the 27th Congressional District are preparing to go to the polls for a third time this year on Saturday for a sleepy special election in which both parties are working to rally … Continue reading →

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UT/Trib: Cruz 41, O’Rourke 36, part 2

Posted on June 27, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We pick up where we left off. Republican Ted Cruz leads Democrat Beto O’Rourke 41 percent to 36 percent in the general election race for a Texas seat in the U.S. Senate, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS upholds Texas redistricting

Posted on June 26, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Screw this. Extinguishing the possibility that Texas could be placed back under federal electoral supervision, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday pushed aside claims that lawmakers intentionally discriminated against voters of color when they enacted the state’s congressional and state … Continue reading →

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MJ Hegar introduces herself

Posted on June 24, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s her opening video: Fair to say it made a good impression, and USA Today, Daily Kos, Slate, Business Insider, and Political Animal all gushed about it. Nancy LeTourneau, who wrote that latter article, used it as a springboard to … Continue reading →

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Dem primary loser in CD06 files “vote fraud” lawsuit

Posted on June 23, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

That sound you hear is me banging my head on my desk. Democrat Ruby Woolridge has filed a lawsuit challenging her 717-vote primary runoff loss for the 6th Congressional District to Jana Lynne Sanchez. In the lawsuit, Woolridge claims that … Continue reading →

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Our typically feckless state leaders

Posted on June 21, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Way to set an example for the rest of us, y’all. Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick frequently talk tough about illegal immigration, but they refuse to publicly support the Trump administration’s “zero-tolerance” policy that’s spurred outrage for … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS punts on non-Texas redistricting cases

Posted on June 19, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The Magic 8 ballSCOTUS says Reply hazy, try again later in the two partisan gerrymandering cases before it. On Monday, the court punted two major political redistricting cases: Gill v. Whitford, a challenge to Wisconsin’s Republican gerrymander, and Benisek v. Lamone, a … Continue reading →

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No set-aside for Stockman

Posted on June 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Sorry, Stevie. A Texas federal judge has declined to set aside a jury’s conviction of former U.S. Rep. Stephen Stockman, R-Texas, who was found guilty in April of funneling what were solicited as charitable contributions into accounts that funded political … Continue reading →

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The June elections

Posted on June 15, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

You may not realize this, but there are multiple elections going on right now around Texas. I’m aware of three: 1. The Klein ISD Tax Ratification Election: Our shared vision in Klein ISD is that every student enters with a … Continue reading →

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Where CD02 and CD07 stand

Posted on June 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The race in CD02 gets a little attention from the Chron. The demographic elements that make the 7th Congressional District in Houston one of the hottest midterm elections in the nation also run through a neighboring area that has some … Continue reading →

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State Rep. Larry Gonzales steps down

Posted on June 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

One more legislative special election coming. State Rep. Larry Gonzales, R-Round Rock, is resigning early, saying “it’s time to get on with the next phase of my life.” Gonzales, a member since 2011 and a Capitol staffer before that, had … Continue reading →

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Checking in on the Congressional forecast

Posted on June 5, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Now that our November lineups are finalized, I thought I’d check in once again on the 2018 Congressional race forecast, from G. Elliott Morris of The Crosstab. I last wrote about this in December, at a time when the generic … Continue reading →

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DCCC poll: Culberson 47, Fletcher 45

Posted on June 4, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Game on. The U.S. House race between GOP incumbent John Culberson and Democratic challenger Lizzie Pannill Fletcher is generally expected to be closer than most in this traditionally Republican enclave of west Houston and the Harris County suburbs. Now an … Continue reading →

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Stockman remains in custody

Posted on June 2, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

So sorry. A federal judge ruled for the second time that former U.S. Congressman Steve Stockman is a flight risk and ordered him to remain in federal custody while he awaits sentencing in an elaborate $1.25 million fraud scheme. Chief … Continue reading →

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Stockman asks for his verdict to be set aside

Posted on May 31, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Never know till you ask, right? Attorneys representing former U.S. Rep. Stephen Stockman, R-Texas, who was found guilty in April of funneling what were solicited as charitable contributions into accounts that instead funded political campaigns and personal expenses, have asked … Continue reading →

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Pot versus Pete

Posted on May 30, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I love this story. Marijuana reform activists have created a new super PAC aimed exclusively at defeating Texas Republican Rep. Pete Sessions, the House Rules Committee chairman who has blocked cannabis reform legislation from reaching the House floor. Marijuana Policy … Continue reading →

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It’s all about the millennials

Posted on May 29, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

From Colin Allred: When Colin Allred, a 35-year-old former NFL linebacker-turned-congressional candidate, addressed two dozen student volunteers at a rooftop restaurant last week, he promised them that he knows millennials are more than avocado toast-eating social media obsessives. “People think … Continue reading →

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The Republicans’ risk factors in 2018

Posted on May 28, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The Cook Report’s Dave Wasserman comes up with a system for evaluating Republican Congressional incumbents who may have some trouble in their future. Armed with fresh FEC data, we have created a table listing seven “risk factors” to gauge Republican … Continue reading →

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Blake Farenthold is a gift that keeps on giving

Posted on May 25, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, Blake. Nearly a month after abruptly resigning from Congress in the wake of revelations over lewd and verbally abusive behavior, former Corpus Christi Rep. Blake Farenthold had been angling for several days to get a lobbying job at a port … Continue reading →

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2018 primary runoff results: Congress and Legislature

Posted on May 23, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

All results are here. I began drafting this around 9:30 when there were still a bunch of precincts out, but with the exception of the tossup in CD25, all of the Congressional races were pretty clear by then: CD03: Lorie … Continue reading →

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The Trib on CD22 and Fort Bend

Posted on May 21, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

A closer look at a lower-profile but highly interesting primary runoff. At a glance, volunteers at Sri Kulkarni’s campaign headquarters are no different than those for congressional campaigns across the country — huddling over laptops, tapping voters’ numbers into their … Continue reading →

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Runoff races, part 4: Republicans

Posted on May 16, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Again, not going to spend too much time on this, but here are the US House and State House races for which there are Republican primary runoffs: Dist Candidate March% ========================= CD02 Roberts 33.03% CD02 Crenshaw 27.42% CD05 Gooden 29.97% … Continue reading →

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Farenthold finds a trough

Posted on May 16, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s the circle of life. Former Republican U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold has accepted a lucrative position lobbying for a port in his ex-Texas district — mere weeks after resigning in disgrace amid fallout from using public funds to settle a … Continue reading →

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Primary runoff early voting begins today

Posted on May 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Early voting for the May 22 Primary Runoff Elections will take place from Monday, May 14 to Friday, May 18. During that period, Harris County voters may vote at any of the 46 polling locations throughout the county. … Continue reading →

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Runoff races, part 1: Congress

Posted on May 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I looked at most of these races after the filing deadline here and here. Here’s a reminder about who’s still in. CD03 Lorie Burch – Finance report Sam Johnson – Finance report First round: Burch 49.61%, Johnson 28.68% Burch was … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Runoff time

Posted on May 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron goes for Lizzie Fletcher in CD07. United States Representative, District 7: Lizzie Pannill Fletcher Democrats have a serious chance of knocking Republican Congressman John Culberson out of the seat he has occupied since 2001. The 7th Congressional District … Continue reading →

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A primary runoff threefer

Posted on May 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s getting chippy in CD02. What started off as a relatively cordial campaign between two Republicans who want to represent parts of Houston in Congress has gotten downright testy as early voting looms. Eight weeks ago, Dan Crenshaw and Kevin … Continue reading →

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The crossover question

Posted on May 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

From G. Elliott Morris, reviewing the recent AZ-08 special Congressional election: The second thing to learn from AZ-08 helps explain the first: if Democrats aren’t winning because of differential turnout (or, not solely because of differential turnout), why are they? … Continue reading →

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Interview with Mike Siegel

Posted on May 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Early voting for the primary runoffs begins in a week, running from Monday through Friday, with Tuesday the 22nd being the vote-at-your-precinct-location day. I’ll have more information about that later, but for now I have one more interview to present. … Continue reading →

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Farenthold tells Abbott to go pound sand

Posted on May 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Well, what did you expect? Blake Farenthold — a disgraced former Texas congressman who resigned last month — will not fund the special election to replace himself, he told Gov. Greg Abbott in a letter Wednesday, the Houston Chronicle reported. Abbott … Continue reading →

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Interview with Sri Preston Kulkarni

Posted on May 1, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The other contender in the Democratic primary runoff for CD22 is Sri Preston Kulkarni, who led the field in March with just under 32%. A graduate of UT, Kulkarni was commissioned as a Foreign Service Officer after college and served … Continue reading →

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Interview with Letitia Plummer

Posted on April 30, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, I did not do interviews in all of the contested Democratic primaries this year. There were just too many of them, with too many candidates, for me to be able to get to them all in the … Continue reading →

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