Tag Archives: fundraising

Meet the new billionaires in charge of Texas

Posted on July 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Somewhat worse than the old billionaires, who were already pretty bad. Gun owners allowed to carry handguns without permits or training. Parents of transgender children facing investigation by state officials. Women forced to drive hours out-of-state to access abortion. This is Texas now: … Continue reading →

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July 2022 campaign finance reports: Harris County

Posted on July 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Happy Mid-Year Campaign Finance Reporting Day to all who celebrate. Today we’ll be looking at the races of interest in Harris County, which thankfully for me has a lot fewer candidates to review than the last time we did this … Continue reading →

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July 2022 campaign finance reports: Congress

Posted on July 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The runoffs are now over, and we’re fully into the fall election season. As before, I’ve consolidated this list down to the elections of interest, which means I’ve dropped CD30 as it was a primary-only affair. I’m also dropping CD10 … Continue reading →

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Beto raises $27 million since Feb 20

Posted on July 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A new record for that sort of thing. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke raised a staggering $27.6 million from late February through June, outraising Republican incumbent Greg Abbott and setting a new record for campaign fundraising in Texas. O’Rourke’s campaign … Continue reading →

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Hollins and Edwards report big Mayoral fundraising numbers

Posted on July 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Yes, we’re going to need to start paying attention to this. Houston’s next mayoral election is not for another 18 months, but the early contenders already are raising heaps of cash. Former Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins has taken in more than … Continue reading →

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Flores wins CD34 special election

Posted on June 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Groan. Republican Mayra Flores prevailed Tuesday in a special election for an open congressional seat in South Texas, marking a major breakthrough for Republicans eager to blaze new inroads in the historically blue region. She beat Dan Sanchez, the leading … Continue reading →

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So what’s going on in the CD34 special election?

Posted on June 9, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We started with this. Early voting continues for the June 14 special election for CD34 open (Lean R) through June 10. Candidates for that special election were required to file pre-special election reports today (Thurs.) if they meet the reporting … Continue reading →

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We’ve seen this movie before

Posted on June 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I appreciate the sentiment, but I know how this ends. Major Republican donors, including some that have contributed to Gov. Greg Abbott’s campaigns, joined other conservative Texans in signing an open letter supporting congressional action to increase gun restrictions in … Continue reading →

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A bunch of well-financed wackos won school board races in Tarrant County

Posted on May 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Not great. All but one of the 11 Tarrant County conservative school board candidates, who were backed this year by several high-profile donors and big-money PACs, defeated their opponents during Saturday’s statewide election, according to unofficial election results. The one … Continue reading →

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Some Dallas-area school board races are really crazy

Posted on May 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We’re going to see more of this, I’m afraid. New political action committees targeting North Texas school board seats are spending big money on conservative rallying cries ahead of Saturday’s elections. Some Richardson voters, for example, received mailers decorated with … Continue reading →

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April 2022 campaign finance reports: Congress

Posted on May 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The primaries are over, and while we do still have some runoffs plus now a weird special election in CD34, we do have a smaller set of races and candidates to review. Given how many I had to cram into … Continue reading →

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More on the oligarch suing Beto

Posted on April 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

From the Observer; I’m picking it up after the initial statements by Beto that got Kelcy Warren’s undies in such a wad: Free-speech advocates and many legal scholars have long decried these sort frivolous lawsuits—known as SLAPPs, or Strategic Lawsuits … Continue reading →

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Amanda Edwards to run for Mayor

Posted on March 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The field is now at three. Amanda Edwards, a former at-large member of Houston City Council and candidate for U.S. Senate, announced Wednesday she is running for mayor of Houston in 2023. Edwards’ return to politics comes two years after … Continue reading →

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Beto responds to oligarch’s lawsuit

Posted on March 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Game on. Democrat Beto O’Rourke is blasting a pipeline company executive and top donor to Greg Abbott’s re-election campaign for filing a defamation lawsuit against him as he tries to unseat the two-term Republican governor. O’Rourke’s attorney filed a legal … Continue reading →

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One of Abbott’s billionaire patrons just sued Beto

Posted on March 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

OMG, this is amazing. The former CEO of one of the nation’s biggest pipeline companies and a major donor to Gov. Greg Abbott is suing Democrat Beto O’Rourke for defamation, slander, and libel for talking about his company’s role in … Continue reading →

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January 2022 campaign finance reports: Congress

Posted on February 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The filing deadline has passed, the primary lineups are set, and we have a new set of races and candidates to review. As was the case in the past two cycles, I’ll follow the contested primaries as well as the … Continue reading →

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Paxton files corrected finance report

Posted on February 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I feel duty-bound to note this. Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is in a hotly contested primary, has filed a corrected campaign finance report after he did not disclose a large portion of his donors from the last six months … Continue reading →

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Trib overview of the Democratic candidates for Lt Governor

Posted on January 31, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a good field, I’ll be happy to support any of them, but boy do I wish they’d all raise more money. Three Democrats are facing off in the lieutenant governor primary for the chance to challenge a veritable Goliath … Continue reading →

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We’ll probably never know who Ken Paxton’s big campaign donors are

Posted on January 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

He has no interest in telling us, and there’s basically no mechanism to make him. Attorney General Ken Paxton recently announced a hefty $2.8 million campaign haul, showing the competition he can still raise big bucks while under FBI scrutiny. … Continue reading →

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Is it time to ditch At Large seats on Houston City Council?

Posted on January 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s one argument for it. The lack of Latinos on the City Council undermines the legitimacy of Houston’s government, experts say, and is something that a prominent Hispanic organization is pushing to change with a lawsuit and ballot proposition. The … Continue reading →

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District G special election final early turnout

Posted on January 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I’m going to start this post with some numbers, to provide context. Election Mail Early E-Day Total Mail% Early% ========================================================== May09 Dist H 647 1,259 2,280 4,186 33.9% 45.5% May18 Dist K 1,737 1,867 1,531 5,135 41.2% 70.2% Jan22 Dist … Continue reading →

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January 2022 campaign finance reports: Harris County

Posted on January 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

You know what January means around these parts. There’s lots of action in Harris County, so that’s where we’ll begin. Here’s my summary of the July 2021 reports as a reminder. Let’s dive in. Lina Hidalgo, County Judge Ahmed Hassan, … Continue reading →

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Beto starts strong on fundraising

Posted on January 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good start, needs more of same. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke raised $7.2 million in the first 46 days of his campaign, while Republican incumbent Greg Abbott raked in $18.9 million over the last six months as his war chest … Continue reading →

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Beto raises $2 million on his first official day as a candidate

Posted on November 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I did say this would be the next story, didn’t I? Beto O’Rourke raised $2 million in the first 24 hours of his run for governor, his campaign tells The Texas Tribune. His campaign called it a record “for any … Continue reading →

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Michelle Beckley files for Lt. Governor

Posted on November 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

And now there are three. Democratic state Rep. Michelle Beckley of Carrollton, who gained national attention for joining lawmakers who fled to Washington, D.C., to block a Republican election bill this summer, is running for lieutenant governor, expanding her party’s … Continue reading →

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Rep. Vicente Gonzalez to switch to CD34

Posted on October 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

And in doing so, he’s probably going to make it harder to hold onto CD15, the swingiest district in the state (as far as we can tell from 2020 data). U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, announced Tuesday he is running … Continue reading →

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October 2021 campaign finance reports: Congress

Posted on October 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Another three months have passed, and so we review the Congressional finance reports again. I fear these reports are about to get a lot more boring post-redistricting, but for now we will plow onward. The July 2021 reports are here, … Continue reading →

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Signs pointing to Beto running for Governor

Posted on September 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, God, yes. Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke is preparing to run for governor of Texas in 2022, with an announcement expected later this year, Texas political operatives tell Axios. Why it matters: O’Rourke’s entry would give Democrats a high-profile candidate with a … Continue reading →

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July 2021 campaign finance reports: Harris County

Posted on July 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

PREVIOUSLY: Congress There will be plenty of crucial races in Harris County in 2022. Because of the Democratic sweep in 2018, all of the countywide offices are held by Dems, meaning this is the first non-Presidential year in which Democrats … Continue reading →

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Day 11 quorum busting post: The Beto factor

Posted on July 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Early on I mentioned how one potentially limiting factor in the Democratic exodus to Washington DC was funding, as housing and feeding 50+ people in the Capitol for up to four weeks would run into some money. Turns out, Beto … Continue reading →

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One million reasons why Greg Abbott thinks the grid is just fine

Posted on July 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Or 2.4 billion reasons, depending on how you want to count it. The Texas electric grid collapse during the February winter storm killed hundreds of Texans and caused an estimated $295 billion in damages, while generating seismic gains for a … Continue reading →

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Day 9 quorum busting post: See you in August

Posted on July 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s your endgame, more or less. Texas House Democrats will not return to the state until after the special session of the Legislature is over, one of the leaders of their walkout confirmed Tuesday. State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San … Continue reading →

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P Bush slightly outraises Paxton

Posted on July 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Meh. Land Commissioner George P. Bush kicked off his attorney general campaign by outraising the incumbent, fellow Republican Ken Paxton, and another primary challenger, former Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman. But Paxton has more money saved up for the … Continue reading →

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Day 3 not as long omnibus quorum busting post

Posted on July 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s jump right in… Who’s paying for Texas Democrats’ trip to DC? Beto O’Rourke has already raised $400K. Beto O’Rourke’s political action committee has raised nearly half a million dollars to support Texas Democrats’ escape to Washington, D.C., he said … Continue reading →

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