Tag Archives: Congress

State files opposition to motion for new Congressional maps

Posted on April 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From Texas Redistricting: The State of Texas has filed its opposition to redistricting plaintiffs’ request for an order that would permanently block the current Texas congressional map and require a redraw of the map for the 2018 election. The state … Continue reading →

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Here comes Beto

Posted on April 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

He says he’s going to run a different kind of campaign. We’ll see what that means. No Texas Democrat has won a U.S. Senate seat in nearly thirty years or any statewide office since 1994. It is hard to find … Continue reading →

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Harris County’s growth slows

Posted on March 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We’re still growing, we just didn’t grow as fast last year as we had in previous years. After eight straight years of boom – adding more new residents than any county in the nation – Harris County in 2016 felt … Continue reading →

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Stockman indicted

Posted on March 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

And here the troubles begin. Former U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman and a former congressional aide were indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury on charges they stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from charitable foundations to fund campaigns and pay … Continue reading →

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A tale of two Congressmen

Posted on March 28, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Rep. Ted Poe has a status update. U.S. Rep. Ted Poe, a Republican from Humble, announced Sunday afternoon he is resigning from the hardline Republican group that helped sink GOP attempts to repeal former President Obama’s 2010 health care law. … Continue reading →

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Stockman’s first day in court

Posted on March 26, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, this is going to be so much fun. Appearing carefree and relaxed with his wife by his side, former U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman told reporters outside a court hearing downtown Friday that he expected “to be vindicated” on allegations … Continue reading →

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Motion filed to block current Congressional map

Posted on March 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the Lone Star Project. Moments ago the Plaintiffs in the ongoing Texas congressional redistricting case filed a joint motion asking the San Antonio Federal District Court for an injunction to block the use of the current congressional map during … Continue reading →

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More on the Stockman arrest

Posted on March 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I’m just going to leave this here. Former U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman, a Republican whose district stretched from Houston to Beaumont, allegedly conspired with two staffers to bilk conservative foundations out of at least $775,000 in donations meant for charitable … Continue reading →

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Seems like it’s just a matter of time before Beto O’Rourke announces his Senate campaign

Posted on March 22, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Soon. Eyeing a takedown of Ted Cruz, U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke may be on the verge of declaring his candidacy for a 2018 Senate race, the next best gauge whether Texas Democrats are enjoying the resurgence they claim. O’Rourke, D-El … Continue reading →

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Of course Obamacare repeal would have a big negative effect on Texas

Posted on March 20, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I mean, duh. As many as a half-million Texans could become uninsured under the Republican plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, wiping out at least half the gains the state has made in reducing the number of uninsured residents … Continue reading →

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Steve Stockman gets busted

Posted on March 18, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Well, lookie here. Former U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Texas, has been charged with violating federal election law. Stockman conspired with former congressional employees to funnel money intended for a charity to his campaign, according to a sworn statement from an … Continue reading →

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So what does that redistricting ruling really mean?

Posted on March 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib has a good explainer. So will the Legislature redraw the congressional map? And if so, when? Here’s where it gets tricky. Friday’s order made it clear that the 2011 map cannot stand, but it did not order anyone … Continue reading →

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A really dumb “Trump and the train” article

Posted on March 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. Texas is closer than ever to building the first high-speed train in the United States, thanks to President Donald Trump’s fascination with these transportation projects and a well-timed pitch to his administration. Now developers nationwide are looking to the … Continue reading →

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Court rules several Congressional districts were illegally drawn

Posted on March 12, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Bam! Some of Texas’ 36 congressional districts violate either the U.S. Constitution or the federal Voting Rights Act, a panel of federal judges ruled Friday. In a long-delayed ruling, the judges ruled 2-1 that the Texas Legislature must redraw the … Continue reading →

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Beto O’Rourke profile

Posted on February 26, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the WaPo, via the Trib, a profile of Rep. Beto O’Rourke, who may or may not be a candidate for Senate against Ted Cruz next year: Democrats might look at O’Rourke — a small-business owner with hipster credentials, a … Continue reading →

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The “border adjustment tax” is a sales tax increase by another name

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

That’s a feature, not a bug. Retailers across Texas and the country are warning that a proposed border adjustment tax would increase the cost of imports and, by extension, the price of food, clothing and other consumer goods. Texas companies, … Continue reading →

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Texas Dems look to 2018

Posted on February 13, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I have a few things to say about this. A tight-knit group of Texas Democratic leaders traveled to the state capital [in late January] to begin preliminary conversations about the 2018 midterm races. According to over a dozen interviews with … Continue reading →

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How all that activism is being received

Posted on February 11, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Monthly looks at the recent spate of rallies and visits to Texas elected officials’ events and offices to see what’s up. John Simpson and Mark Leech had never participated in a protest before last month. In fact, the couple—who … Continue reading →

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DCCC says it will aim for three Texas Congressional seats

Posted on February 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see what this means in practice. The House Democratic campaign arm, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, announced Monday morning that the party intends to target two longtime GOP incumbents that, until recently, have long been considered locks for re-election: … Continue reading →

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Trump and the train

Posted on January 28, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This could be interesting. A privately-funded bullet train between Dallas and Houston and a passenger rail line connecting suburban North Texas are among a litany of transportation projects considered priorities by President Donald Trump’s administration, according to The Kansas City … Continue reading →

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More flood mitigation coming

Posted on January 27, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This is ambitious. After local leaders stood on the banks of Brays Bayou to celebrate a creative agreement that is expected to speed up work on a long-delayed effort to lessen the risk of flooding in southwest Houston, some angry … Continue reading →

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Kerner announces intention to run in CD07

Posted on January 21, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

In other candidate news, it has come to my attention that at Monday night’s Meyerland Democrats meeting, former HCDE Trustee Debra Kerner announced her intention to run against Rep. John Culberson in CD07. Kerner was elected to an At Large … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Texas Congressional districts

Posted on January 13, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From Daily Kos: Texas’s GOP-drawn congressional map was designed to create 24 safely red seats and 11 safely Democratic districts, with only the 23rd District in the western part of the state being truly competitive. In 2012, Mitt Romney carried … Continue reading →

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Rep. Sam Johnson to retire

Posted on January 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

One of Texas’ longest-serving members of Congress will call it quits next year. U.S. Rep. Sam Johnson announced Friday morning that he will not seek re-election to represent his Plano-based seat in Congress. Johnson, a Vietnam War veteran, made the … Continue reading →

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Effort to expedite redistricting ruling denied

Posted on January 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the Lone Star Project: Earlier today, Federal District Court Judge Xavier Rodriguez denied the motion filed by the Texas congressional and State House redistricting plaintiffs calling on the three-judge federal district court in San Antonio to rule on the … Continue reading →

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Motion filed to compel redistricting ruling

Posted on January 4, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the Lone Star Project: The major plaintiffs challenging the Texas congressional and State House boundaries filed a joint motion earlier today to compel the three-judge federal district court in San Antonio to finally issue a decision on their claims … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Brazoria County

Posted on December 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I had some time to spare, so I spent it with the canvass reports from Brazoria County. You know, like you do. Here’s what I was able to learn. Trump Clinton R Avg D Avg Weber Cole ======================================================= Votes 36,572 … Continue reading →

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Obama signs Cornyn flood mitigation bill

Posted on December 22, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The title to this post is a bit of an overbid, but this is still a good thing. President Obama on Monday signed into law a bill that could help expedite the long process of constructing a hurricane protection system for … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Don’t be mesmerized by the Clinton/Trump numbers

Posted on December 20, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the DMN: Donald Trump may have carried Texas and clinched the White House in November, but support for the Republican presidential nominee waned in parts of the Dallas area — news that, in a typical election year, could spell … Continue reading →

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You can’t stop the faithless electors

Posted on December 12, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

So says Carolyn Shapiro, associate professor at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, where she is co-director of the Institute on the Supreme Court of the United States. Earlier this week, in a New York Times op-ed, Texas presidential elector Chris … Continue reading →

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An awful lot of Texans could lose health insurance

Posted on December 11, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It sure will suck to be them. New public-health studies warn that hasty congressional action toward repealing the Affordable Care Act could have dire consequences for the poor and uninsured both in Texas and nationwide. The dismantlement of portions of … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: District courts

Posted on November 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Today we will look at the Harris County-specific judicial races, by which I mean the district courts plus two County Court benches. I’m going to begin with something a little different, which is a look at the distribution of how … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Hillary in Harris County

Posted on November 14, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s get started with the precinct data, shall we? Here’s a Chron story from the day after the election about how things looked overall in the county. The country’s most populous swing county turned a shade bluer Tuesday, when Hillary … Continue reading →

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Dems sweep Harris County

Posted on November 9, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Hillary Clinton had a 100K lead in early voting in Harris County, and increased her lead as the night went on. The only countywide Republican who was leading early on was Mike Sullivan, but later in the evening, at the … Continue reading →

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