Tag Archives: Election 2018

Interview with Aisha Savoy

As you know, I have published a series of interviews with candidates in the special election for Houston City Council District K, to fill the vacancy left by the untimely death of CM Larry Green. As you also know, sometimes … Continue reading

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Abbott does want a special election in CD27

Well all righty then. Gov. Greg Abbott wants to hold a special election to replace former U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Corpus Christi, as soon as possible.That’s according to a letter he sent Thursday to Attorney General Ken Paxton, seeking guidance on whether … Continue reading

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Some people sound very threatened by that Quinnipiac Texas Senate poll

This is almost funny. In its first-ever Texas poll, Quinnipiac University deemed the Senate race “too close to call” in reporting that 47 percent of Texas voters surveyed back Cruz and 44 percent support O’Rourke, an El Paso congressman. The … Continue reading

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An article about Congressional race in Texas that doesn’t mention CD07

Who knew that was even legal? Several of the most truly competitive House races in the country are in Texas, which could wind up providing Democrats three or more of the 24 flipped seats that they need for control of … Continue reading

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Interview with Pat Frazier

We wrap up our interview series in District K with Pat Frazier, who is the one person in this race that has run for this seat before, back in 2011. Frazier is an educator and community activist with a long … Continue reading

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Quinnipiac: Cruz 47, O’Rourke 44

Pretty good poll result, with the ever-present proviso that it’s just one result. The closely watched U.S. Senate race in Texas is too close to call, with 47 percent for Republican incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz and 44 percent for U.S. … Continue reading

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Interview with Elisabeth Johnson

Elisabeth Johnson has a long background in politics and community activism, having worked on the Bill White for Governor campaign in 2010 as a field organizer in Dallas and with the Texas Organizing Project and Working America to help pass … Continue reading

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Are Texas Republicans really worried about Trump for November?

I mean, I guess they are. They’ve seen what has happened around the country, in other elections and other red places. I don’t know how worried they are, or how worried they should be. This is a Red State where … Continue reading

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Interview with Larry Blackmon

We return now to the interviews for the special election in District K. Most of the nine candidates in this race are first-timers, but two are not. Larry Blackmon is one of those two, having run in the open At … Continue reading

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The math on redistricting

It’s not just that Republicans drew themselves a favorable map. It’s that they drew a durable favorable map. Thanks to those very effective Republican redistricting maps, Texas Democrats would have to improve their statewide election results by more than 10 … Continue reading

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Interview with Cecil Webster

I’m going to take one brief diversion from the District K special election interviews to bring you this interview for the HD13 special election, which is also happening on May 5. I’ve written about Cecil Webster before, as he is … Continue reading

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Chron overview of CD07 runoff

Don’t know how much there is here we didn’t already know, but this is the marquee local runoff, so it gets the attention. On paper, there is little to separate attorney Lizzie Pannill Fletcher and writer-activist Laura Moser, the two … Continue reading

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Cruz’s lesser fundraising haul

It’s not that little, Ted. Really. When U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke announced his latest fundraising haul earlier this month – a stunning $6.7 million – it was widely expected to surpass what his rival, Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, brought … Continue reading

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On Latino primary participation

Time for some numbers. The predictions about Harris County Latinos becoming more engaged in the recent mid-term primary were right: The number of Latino voters who cast their ballot more than doubled compared to the previous primary of the same … Continue reading

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Orlando Sanchez is not happy with the dominatrix investigation

This case is going to challenge headline and blog post title writers for the foreseeable future. Two elected Harris County officials squared off Tuesday over a bizarre case in which a top treasury official was charged in a $35,000 check … Continue reading

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Interview with Martha Castex-Tatum

We continue on with interviews in the District K special election, to succeed the late Council Member Larry Green. Today we have Martha Castex-Tatum, who has served in CM Green’s office as the Director of Constituent Services since 2015. She … Continue reading

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Interview with Lawrence McGaffie

We continue with interviews in the special election for District K to succeed the late CM Larry Green. Today I am talking with Lawrence McGaffie, an ordained minister and Army veteran who is the founder of the Inspire the Lead, … Continue reading

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Interview with Anthony Freddie

As we know, the special election to succeed the late Council Member Larry Green in District K is on May 5. Early voting for this election begins April 23, which is to say two weeks from now. In those two … Continue reading

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The most interesting story related to the County Treasurer’s office you may ever read

Oh, yeah. A top administrator at the Harris County Treasurer’s Office charged with stealing money from a county credit union told investigators he was using the funds to pay off a dominatrix he met online who was trying to blackmail … Continue reading

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Farenthold resigns

So long, Ducky. U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Corpus Christi, resigned on Friday. The decision marks the capstone of a tumultuous few months for the four-term congressman, who has been dogged by sexual harassment allegations and an ongoing ethics investigation. “While … Continue reading

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It’s going to be redistricting time for Texas at SCOTUS soon

Here’s an update. In their latest brief to the U.S. Supreme Court, the voting and minority rights groups challenging Texas’ political maps painted Republican state lawmakers as “opportunistically inconsistent in their treatment of appearance versus reality.” Pointing to the lawmakers’ … Continue reading

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The CD02 primary runoff

Oh, yeah, that’s happening. Kevin Roberts already overcame a $6 million onslaught from self-funding multimillionaire Kathaleen Wall to keep his hopes of winning a seat in Congress alive. Now the Republican’s challenge is beating retired Navy SEAL Dan Crenshaw, a … Continue reading

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Valdez and White in the runoff

The DMN provides a snapshot of where we are in the one Democratic statewide primary runoff. Former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez and Houston investor Andrew White have disparate strategies for winning the nomination. Valdez, who finished first with a … Continue reading

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Beto’s big haul

Wow. U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-El Paso, raised over $6.7 million for his U.S. Senate bid in the first quarter of 2018, according to his campaign, a staggering number that poses a new category of threat to Republican incumbent Ted … Continue reading

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The Ted Cruz brand

It takes all kinds. While some Republicans may fret about Trump’s shaky approval ratings or their party’s brand among disappointed conservatives, Cruz seems to occupy his own space in the political firmament. Launching his 2018 reelection campaign in Houston on … Continue reading

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Precinct analysis: HCDE Precinct 1

After the last precinct analysis post, I got an email from Danny Norris, one of the two candidates in the runoff for HCDE Position 6, Precinct 1, asking if I intended to look at this race. My answer at the … Continue reading

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Who are you calling lazy?

This makes me laugh. On paper, Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas) appears to be a shoo-in for reelection. He‘s served nine terms in what’s been a GOP stronghold for decades, hasn’t had a serious challenger in years and sits on one … Continue reading

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JP Hilary Green resigns

Wise decision. The Harris County justice of the peace accused of paying prostitutes for sex, abusing drugs while on the bench and sexting a bailiff officially resigned this week – although her attorney says it has nothing to do with … Continue reading

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Pete Gallego is in for SD19

We now have two intended candidates for what we hope will be a special election. Another candidate signaled plans to enter the race for Senate District 19 on Wednesday, about a month after the San Antonio Democrat who currently holds … Continue reading

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Endorsement watch: Ana’s army

Two weeks ago, I noted an email sent out by Rep. Carol Alvarado containing a long list of current and former elected officials as well as other prominent folks who had endorsed her candidacy for SD06, for when Sen. Sylvia … Continue reading

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Still discussing flood bonds

It’s complicated. Harris County officials Tuesday said the “clock is ticking” on its call for a bond referendum for $1 billion or more in flood control projects, as requirements to provide matching funds for federal grants being disbursed in Hurricane … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2018, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The field is set in District K

Here’s the District K special election webpage, and now that the filing deadline has passed and the list of candidates has been updated, here are your contenders for this seat: Candidate Contact Information in alphabetical order Larry Blackmon | 6167 Ludington, … Continue reading

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Judge in Dallas County ballot lawsuit need not recuse himself

Round One goes to the Dems. The Dallas County Republican Party on Monday failed in an attempt to have a judge removed from a case that could disqualify 82 Democratic Party candidates from the general election ballot. Kerrville’s Stephen Ables, … Continue reading

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Precinct analysis: One of these things is not like the others

Let’s finish up our look at the primary precinct data with a peek at the Republican side of things. As a reminder, my analysis of the Democratic Senate primary is here, my analysis of the Governor and Lt. Governor races … Continue reading

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