Tag Archives: Senate

Dan Patrick says he’s for slightly expanded background checks

Posted on September 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says he’s “willing to take an arrow” and defy the National Rifle Association by pressing Texas to close one loophole in gun-purchaser background checks. On Friday, Patrick said it’s “common sense” to tighten … Continue reading →

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A reminder about the local legislative races

Posted on September 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s review the facts together. State Rep. Jon Rosenthal wasn’t supposed to win his Texas House seat last year. He was too much of a Democrat for the swath of northwest Harris County that had long elected Republicans. But in … Continue reading →

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Yet another story about suburbs shifting away from Republicans

Posted on August 31, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Collect the whole set! Texas is currently experiencing two trends that are favorable to Democrats: increasing urbanization, and big demographic shifts. The Texas Tribune recently reported that Hispanics are expected to become the largest demographic group in the state by 2022, with … Continue reading →

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HD148 update

Posted on August 28, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

From TX Elects: HD148 special: Houston physician Terah Isaacson established a campaign committee for a potential run for the seat being vacated by Rep. Jessica Farrar (D-Houston) as a Democrat. Houston resident Lui LaRotta established a campaign committee for the … Continue reading →

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Our all-important metro areas

Posted on August 27, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Another look at the trouble Republicans face in Texas now. The key to Texas’ political future is whether it finally follows the geographic realignment that has transformed the politics of many other states over the past quarter century. Across the … Continue reading →

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The psychological shift

Posted on August 23, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. [Democratic operative Jason] Stanford has a theory about how [Texas Democratic] angst started. He says it began with the 1996 U.S. Senate race in Texas. Democrats were recovering from losing two years … Continue reading →

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Here comes beer to go

Posted on August 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Hooray! Starting Sept. 1, Texans will be able to leave brewery taprooms with a case of their favorite craft beer, and order wine and beer for delivery, thanks to two laws passed by the Legislature this year. Brewers and beer … Continue reading →

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We have a new SOS

Posted on August 21, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Yippie. After losing his last chief election officer over a botched review of the state’s voter rolls, Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday appointed a new secretary of state: Ruth Ruggero Hughs. Ruggero Hughs is moving from the Texas Workforce Commission, … Continue reading →

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Beto is still not running for Senate

Posted on August 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Sorry, y’all. Beto O’Rourke will return to the presidential campaign trail Thursday for the first time since the Aug. 3 massacre of 22 people at a Walmart in his hometown by a suspect who told police he was hunting “Mexicans” … Continue reading →

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Once again with GOP anxiety

Posted on August 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I recommend Xanax. Or, you know, marijuana. I’ve heard that’s good for anxiety. Republicans have long idealized Texas as a deep-red frontier state, home to rural conservatives who love President Donald Trump. But political turbulence in the sprawling suburbs and … Continue reading →

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Tzintzún Ramirez gets off to a quick start

Posted on August 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Impressive. Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez raked in more than $200,000 in the 24 hours after she announced her run for Senate, her campaign said today — giving her a quick start as she tries to catch up to the several other … Continue reading →

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Back to the Beto question

Posted on August 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

As in, should Beto abandon his run for President and come back to Texas to make another run for Senate? The Chron says Yes. There are times, it seems, in most presidential campaigns when the facades get stripped away like … Continue reading →

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Five for Senate

Posted on August 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez is in. Leading Latina organizer Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez is launching a campaign for U.S. Senate, entering a Democratic primary to oust Republican John Cornyn that has steadily grown throughout the summer. The daughter of an immigrant mother, … Continue reading →

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Emerson’s weird polls

Posted on August 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a poll, so we do the thing. A new poll has former Vice President Joe Biden leading Beto O’Rourke in the Texas presidential primary and toppling Donald Trump in a head-to-head showdown. The survey, conducted by Emerson College for … Continue reading →

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That UT-Tyler poll

Posted on August 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose I have to talk about this. A poll conducted by the Center for Opinion Research at the University of Texas at Tyler showed [Beto O’Rourke] leading among Texas voters in the Democratic presidential primary. The survey showed O’Rourke … Continue reading →

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An update on election security

Posted on July 31, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Nothing to see here. Russian hackers probed election systems in all 50 states, a new Senate report confirmed Thursday. The report comes one day after former special counsel Robert Mueller told Congress that the Russian government is working to meddle … Continue reading →

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The crowded Senate primary

Posted on July 28, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s all good. Two days after longtime state Sen. Royce West launched his U.S. Senate campaign here, one of his primary rivals swung through the city with an unequivocal pitch. “I’m the fighter that it’s gonna take to beat John … Continue reading →

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Royce West makes it official

Posted on July 23, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

He’s in. State Sen. Royce West made it official Monday: He’s running for U.S. Senate, joining a crowded and unsettled Democratic primary in the race to unseat Republican John Cornyn. “I’m battle tested,” West told supporters at a campaign launch … Continue reading →

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July 2019 campaign finance reports: Congress

Posted on July 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s move over to Congress and the Senate, where there are several new candidates, with more on the way. The January roundup is here, which closed out the 2017-18 election cycle, and the April report is here. For comparison, the … Continue reading →

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West sets up Senate campaign committees

Posted on July 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This would seem to end the suspense, if there were any suspense remaining. State Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, appears to be in for the U.S. Senate race. He has an announcement planned for Monday in Dallas, but on Friday, paperwork was … Continue reading →

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Amanda Edwards joins the Senate race

Posted on July 19, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

And then there were three, with a fourth likely to follow and a fifth out there as a possibility. Houston City Councilwoman Amanda Edwards announced Thursday morning she is running for U.S. Senate, joining an increasingly crowded primary to challenge … Continue reading →

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We’ll have a much better idea of who the candidates are soon

Posted on July 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

There are a lot of people filing to run for Congress as Democrats. It remains to be seen how many of them are viable. Three times as many Democrats have already filed to run for Congress in Texas this year … Continue reading →

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The field for Senate may keep growing

Posted on July 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Another possible contender for the Democratic nomination for US Senate. A group of progressive Democratic operatives is looking to draft one of the state’s top organizers of the Latino vote into running for U.S. Senate, a move that could further … Continue reading →

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Does the partisan redistricting ruling change anything in Texas?

Posted on July 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe, but if so it will be indirect. Robert Henneke, general counsel for the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank, said the ruling was a clear sign that the high court wanted to discourage federal judges from micromanaging … Continue reading →

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Royce West looks ready to announce

Posted on July 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Mark your calendars. Royce West is one step closer to running against Republican incumbent Sen. John Cornym. The Dallas Democrat has announced a news conference for July 22, where he’s widely expected to launch a campaign for Senate. The longtime … Continue reading →

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Ed Emmett is not a fan of SB2

Posted on July 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

So he opines. At its core, SB 2 continues state leaders’ war against local governments. For years local governments have had to make up for the state’s underfunding of public education. But the state’s top elected officials, Gov. Greg Abbott … Continue reading →

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Another cure for partisan redistricting

Posted on July 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

From the Brennan Center, written before SCOTUS lit a match to judicial remedies for partisan redistricting, and even more relevant now. Congressional redistricting is broken. In most states, districts are drawn by partisan lawmakers, and the manipulation of district boundaries … Continue reading →

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A look at the Constitutional amendments we will see this November

Posted on July 6, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

There are ten of them, including a couple I will vote against as hard as I can. House Joint Resolution 4 would let the Texas Water Development dole out dollars from a flood infrastructure fund — created by Senate Bill … Continue reading →

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Bell says he’s in for Senate

Posted on July 4, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We have a competitive primary now. Former U.S. Rep. Chris Bell is running for the Democratic nomination for Senate, joining what could be a crowded field of candidates looking to oust incumbent Republican John Cornyn. Bell on Tuesday filed a … Continue reading →

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The real goal of SB2

Posted on June 30, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s take a look at the quotes from the supporters of SB2, the new law that will impose revenue caps on all Texas cities, to see what they say about it. “They’re going to have to start looking at spending … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit planned over cable franchise fee bill

Posted on June 25, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I sure hope Houston gets involved in this. Fort Worth and cities across Texas stand to lose millions of dollars due to a new law that slashes fees telecom providers pay to them. But before the savings go into effect … Continue reading →

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The battle for the Lege is gonna be lit

Posted on June 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Fasten your seat belts. While the Texas Senate appears safe for Republicans, Clinton’s comments underscored the emphasis that some Democrats — both in Texas and outside it — are already putting on the fight for the majority in the state … Continue reading →

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Royce again

Posted on June 23, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The “Royce West for Senate” thing is officially a thing. State Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, met this week with U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., as he nears a decision on whether to run for U.S. Senate — a … Continue reading →

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The lamentations of Big John

Posted on June 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

You guys, he may finally lose a race. I’m serious! There is no ghostwritten Cornyn memoir. His ego does not seem to live and die on how many times he appears on Sunday morning talk shows. And he’s never launched … Continue reading →

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