Tag Archives: Senate

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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Will Ken Paxton ever be prosecuted?

Posted on June 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

At this point, I’d have to say it’s very unlikely. After mulling the question for nearly six months, the nine Republican judges on Texas’ highest criminal court will not reconsider their 2018 ruling that threatens to imperil the criminal case … Continue reading →

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Ten Best and Ten Worst 2019

Posted on June 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s that famous biennial list from Texas Monthly. The Best House Speaker Dennis Bonnen Representative Joe Moody Representative James White Representative Donna Howard Representative Dade Phelan Representative Victoria Neave Senator Kirk Watson Representative Tom Oliverson The Worst Lieutenant Governor Dan … Continue reading →

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What about Royce?

Posted on June 19, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Gromer Jeffers examines the question of whether State Sen. Royce West will jump into the Democratic primary for US Senate in 2020. For several months, there’s been speculation that Democrats, against the wishes of some party leaders and donors, will … Continue reading →

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How good a stepping stone is Mayor of Dallas?

Posted on June 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Stephen Young notes that being Mayor of Dallas has not been particularly helpful to others’ ambitions. If he’s anything, Dallas mayor-elect Eric Johnson is an ambitious guy. He’s got degrees from Harvard, Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania, and took … Continue reading →

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Our vaccine exception rates keep going up

Posted on June 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

A small change to the law in 2003 has had a big effect over time. As measles cases hit a 25-year high in the United States, Texas medical experts fear the state could see the next outbreak of a vaccine-preventable … Continue reading →

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A starter agenda for when we have a Democratic state government

Posted on June 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve been pondering the recent legislative session, which as we have discussed wasn’t great but also wasn’t nearly as bad as some other recent sessions have been. The qualification for all this is that the key defining factor for our … Continue reading →

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Republicans are worried about Texas, part 583

Posted on June 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

When was the last time you head about a Republican-oriented mass voter registration effort? Wealthy Republican donors are preparing a multimillion-dollar effort to register more than 1 million new GOP voters in Texas for 2020 amid anxiety that President Trump … Continue reading →

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Checking in on the national political atmosphere

Posted on June 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox, via G. Elliott Morris’ weekly email blast: Are Democrats doing as well as they were in 2017-2018? The plural of “anecdote” is not “data”, but that’s what special elections and the generic ballot are for. These numbers … Continue reading →

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In which I plead for a boon from national writers

Posted on June 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Dear national political writers: The former Texas congressman and one-time Senate hopeful has attended at least 67 Iowa town halls, driven nearly 3,000 miles across the state, and hired dozens of staffers there. He’s tall, white, charismatic, and handsome—traits that should serve … Continue reading →

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Could Beto-Cornyn still happen?

Posted on June 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

According to that same Quinnipiac poll, some people would like for it to happen. Most Texas Democrats say they’d prefer for former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke to abandon his campaign for president and instead take on Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. … Continue reading →

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It was Abbott all along

Posted on June 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Who was behind that botched voter purge that caused now-former Secretary of State David Whitley to not get confirmed by the Senate? Greg Abbott, that’s who. Two top officials at the Department of Public Safety named Gov. Greg Abbott’s office … Continue reading →

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Who cares about new mothers?

Posted on June 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Not the Lege. The new mothers contracted infections. They overdosed on drugs. Their hearts failed. They committed suicide. The women died in different ways, but all perished within a year of giving birth. Rising rates of maternal mortality spurred Texas … Continue reading →

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Lege passes on helping with the Census

Posted on June 2, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Typically short-sighted. But in a time when the census is tinged with partisan politics — mostly over Trump’s proposed inclusion of a citizenship question — Texas lawmakers adjourned without taking action to ensure a complete count. State Representative César Blanco, … Continue reading →

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Whitley lands on his feet

Posted on June 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Were you surprised? Former acting Secretary of State David Whitley, who resigned Monday after failing to be confirmed by senators following his botched oversight of an investigation that questioned the citizenship of nearly 100,000 voters in Texas, has landed back … Continue reading →

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How Texas Republicans did not make their case to women this session

Posted on June 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

They did have a not-excessively-misogynist session, but see if you can spot what’s missing in this recap and preview story. Texas could have tried to beat Alabama to become the first state in the nation to ban all abortions this … Continue reading →

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Will the next SOS be any better than David Whitley?

Posted on May 30, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Anything is possible, but don’t count on it. Voting rights advocates are celebrating Whitley’s forced departure, but said they have no illusions that his successor will be any more committed to upholding voting rights for all Texans. “There is certainly … Continue reading →

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Adios, David Whitley

Posted on May 28, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Sine die and see ya. The ill-fated tenure of Texas Secretary of State David Whitley has come to an end. The Texas Senate gaveled out Monday without confirming the state’s top election official, who served for less than half a … Continue reading →

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Pickle ’em if you got ’em

Posted on May 27, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

A victory for home foodies. In a victory for home cooks across Texas, the Legislature has expanded the state’s definition of the word “pickle,” allowing for pickled beets, carrots and other produce to be easily sold at farmers’ markets alongside … Continue reading →

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More info on the school finance bill

Posted on May 25, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s what we know. Before final negotiations, the House’s version of HB 3 cost $9.4 billion, and the Senate’s cost a whopping $14.8 billion, according to Texas Education Agency calculations. The final cost is around $11.6 billion, according to lawmakers, … Continue reading →

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One simple thing the Republicans could do to maybe get David Whitley confirmed

Posted on May 25, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This is a long story about how Democratic Senators are being very careful to either be in attendance at all times or get a commitment that there won’t be a vote on Secretary of State David Whitley in the event … Continue reading →

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Deal apparently reached on school finance

Posted on May 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We await the details. Texas’ top three political leaders declared Thursday that the Legislature had reached agreements on its three main 2019 priorities: A two-year state budget, a comprehensive reform of school finance and legislation designed to slow the growth … Continue reading →

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We may actually get beer to go this session

Posted on May 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Well, what do you know? The Texas Senate restored a measure Wednesday allowing breweries to sell beer to go from their taprooms to a bill allowing the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission to continue operating. It also approved a measure that … Continue reading →

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We’re going to vote on making an income tax double secret illegal

Posted on May 23, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s definitely time for sine die. Texas voters will decide in November if they want to bar the imposition of an income tax, following approval of the constitutional amendment by the state Senate on Monday. The Texas House had approved … Continue reading →

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Senate approves one medical marijuana bill

Posted on May 23, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

A pleasant surprise. Marijuana advocates were handed an unlikely victory Wednesday after the Texas Senate advanced a bill greatly expanding the list of debilitating medical conditions that can legally be treated by cannabis oil in the state. Although the upper … Continue reading →

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A strange way to improve ballot access

Posted on May 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Hard not to see partisan motives in this. A bill on track to reach Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk appears designed to make it easier for Green Party candidates and harder for Libertarian candidates to get on the Texas ballot in … Continue reading →

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Daylight Saving Time lives

Posted on May 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, thank goodness. A House-approved plan to stop Texans from having to change clocks twice a year and let them pick either daylight saving or standard time year-round is dead. On Monday, author Rep. Lyle Larson said he was “very … Continue reading →

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Undead “religious liberty” bill passes House

Posted on May 21, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This is why people caution that no bill is truly dead at the Lege until sine die. Over the tearful opposition of the Legislature’s first-ever LGBTQ Caucus and several failed attempts at a procedural block, the Texas House passed a … Continue reading →

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There’s always time for an attack on Planned Parenthood

Posted on May 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This one comes with an attack on local control, so it’s a twofer. Texas and its local governments would no longer be able to partner with abortion providers or their affiliates — even for services like sexual health education and … Continue reading →

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Bullet train dodges more bullets

Posted on May 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

More good news for Texas Central. The Dallas-Houston high-speed rail project dodged a bullet this week when lawmakers hashing out the state budget released their decision to strike a provision that could have delayed the project. A committee of Texas … Continue reading →

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An early review of the Senate campaign so far

Posted on May 19, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I have thoughts about this. When U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro announced earlier this month that he would not run for U.S. Senate in 2020, the San Antonio Democrat cleared up one major question hanging over his party’s primary. But the … Continue reading →

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So long, red light cameras

Posted on May 19, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Like ’em or not, they’re on their way out, barring a veto from Greg Abbott. The Republican-led push to rid Texas intersections of red-light cameras moved one step closer to becoming law after the state Senate signed off on a … Continue reading →

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