Tag Archives: Election 2018

Judicial Q&A: Margaret Poissant

Posted on January 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

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Interview with Ali Khorasani

Posted on January 16, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s day two of CD02, the soon-to-be-former district of Rep. Ted Poe. Today’s candidate, Ali Khorasani represents a couple of themes we have seen in this year’s crop of contenders: He’s under 40, and he’s a scientist. A graduate of … Continue reading →

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Finance reports start coming in

Posted on January 16, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

And once again, CD07 is the big story. The winner in the money chase so far is nonprofit executive Alex Triantaphyllis, who raised over $255,000 in the fourth quarter of 2017, bringing his total raised for the election to over … Continue reading →

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County will try to repair criminal court building

Posted on January 16, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck with that. After twice closing the 20-story downtown criminal courthouse due to flood damage since it was completed in 2000, Harris County leaders are planning to repair the shuttered building so the next time it floods it can … Continue reading →

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Interview with J. Darnell Jones

Posted on January 15, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Today we move into CD02, which has been since 2004 the home of Rep. Ted Poe. Like Harris County overall it moved in a Democratic direction in 2016, though it was still Republican overall. It’s on the radar this year … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Brennen Dunn

Posted on January 15, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

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Two upcoming candidate forums

Posted on January 15, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Mark your calendars, Part I, for the CD2 Democratic Primary Candidate Forum. CD2 Democratic Primary Candidate Forum Hosted by Humble Area Democrats, Kingwood Area Democrats, Spring Democratic Club, and Democracy for Houston Tuesday, January 23 at 6 PM – 9 … Continue reading →

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Interview with Lizzie Pannill Fletcher

Posted on January 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

And so we come to the end of our week-long odyssey through the Democratic field in CD07. Next week, we shift focus to CD02, which will not require publishing interviews on weekend days. Lucky number seven in the Democratic lineup … Continue reading →

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The price of disrespect

Posted on January 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Greg Abbott makes another endorsement. Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday endorsed the Republican challenger to Galveston state Rep. Wayne Faircloth, a move that is expected to deepen simmering divisions within the state Republican party. In a new video, Abbott called … Continue reading →

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Interview with Ivan Sanchez

Posted on January 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The field in CD07 was stable for quite some time, with six of the seven filers posting finance reports from both Q2 and Q3 last year. Then in the waning days of the filing period, a new challenger emerged. That … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS will take up Texas redistricting appeal

Posted on January 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

As the man once said, hold onto your butts. Further extending a drawn-out legal battle, the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a case over whether Texas’ congressional and House district boundaries discriminate against voters of color. The … Continue reading →

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Interview with Joshua Butler

Posted on January 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We’re more than halfway through the Democratic field in CD07, and we’ll be keeping it going through the weekend. I’m not sure what I’d have done if there were more than the seven candidates there are. Good thing I don’t … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Charles Collins

Posted on January 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

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Interview with James Cargas

Posted on January 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

One of the themes of this year’s election is the large number of people who are new to electoral politics getting involved. That has led to a huge number of first-time candidates throwing their hats into every ring imaginable. That’s … Continue reading →

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How many more women are we likely to have in Congress next year?

Posted on January 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Probably at least two, and more are possible. No freshman woman has come to Congress from Texas since Granger’s election 1996, with the exception of former U.S. Rep. Shelley Sekula Gibbs, who served as a placeholder for less than two … Continue reading →

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Yet another ruling against North Carolina’s Congressional map

Posted on January 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Because redistricting litigation is always of interest. A panel of federal judges struck down North Carolina’s congressional map on Tuesday, condemning it as unconstitutional because Republicans had drawn the map seeking a political advantage. The ruling was the first time … Continue reading →

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Interview with Alex Triantaphyllis

Posted on January 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

There are a lot of reasons why CD07 has drawn so much national attention. It’s a district Hillary Clinton won in 2016 despite being held by Republicans forever – this was Poppy Bush’s seat back in the day, for goodness’ … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Michele Chimene

Posted on January 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

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And then there were nine

Posted on January 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

One Democratic gubernatorial hopeful is now off the ballot. Demetria Smith, a Democrat who had hoped to challenge Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in the 2018 gubernatorial race, has been determined ineligible to run. Smith, who attended a San Angelo forum … Continue reading →

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Interview with Laura Moser

Posted on January 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Today is Day Two of my weeklong tour of CD07, which is not only one of the better pickup opportunities in Texas but also a regular feature in national stories about the 2018 environment and the map that Democrats are … Continue reading →

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Lupe Valdez kicks off her campaign

Posted on January 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s get moving. Lupe Valdez, the former Dallas County Sheriff, formally launched her Democratic bid for governor on Sunday, touting a campaign aimed at representing all Texans and listing a broad range of topics she plans to address as election … Continue reading →

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Interview with Jason Westin

Posted on January 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Today we kick off interview season for the 2018 Democratic primaries. There are a lot of races and a lot of candidates, and I will bring you as many as I can. This week is all about CD07, with seven … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Stanley Santire

Posted on January 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

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Lots of female candidates running this year

Posted on January 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s that kind of year. Inside a classroom at a community college in downtown Dallas, a group of two dozen women took turns sharing their names, hometowns and what they hoped would be their future titles: Congresswoman. Dallas County judge. … Continue reading →

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Interview season begins tomorrow

Posted on January 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We’re a month into primary season, and we’re also six weeks out from the start of early voting. You know what I did over Christmas vacation? I interviewed a bunch of candidates, that’s what. You will begin to see the … Continue reading →

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Julian Castro’s new PAC

Posted on January 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Good to see. Former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro will launch a political action committee on Tuesday that aims to support Democratic Party efforts to take control of the U.S. House and groom younger candidates. Castro’s … Continue reading →

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So what’s up with the Farenthold ballot situation?

Posted on January 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib provides an update. So how did the Texas Republican Party manage to remove Farenthold from the primary ballot? The short answer is that they violated the election code, according to state officials. But the Texas Secretary of State’s … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Kathy Vossler

Posted on January 5, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

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Cruz poll claims big lead over O’Rourke

Posted on January 5, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Make of this what you will. Texas U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, the Democrats’ top hope of toppling Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018, starts the year at a significant polling disadvantage, according to a new survey released Tuesday by … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Armen Merjanian

Posted on January 4, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

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Record number of LGBT candidates running this year

Posted on January 4, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

OutSmart does the math. A record 40 openly LGBTQ people will run for public office in Texas in 2018, according to an extensive review by OutSmart. That’s roughly twice as many as in any previous election cycle in the state’s … Continue reading →

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The elections we may get in 2018

Posted on January 3, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We know there are going to be a lot of contested elections up and down the ballot in 2018, both primaries and the November general, for state, county, and federal office. There are also at least four possible elections I … Continue reading →

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No Paxton trial till prosecutor pay case resolved

Posted on January 3, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not on the court calendar at this time. Attorney General Ken Paxton’s fraud trials have been put on hold as the lawyers pursuing the criminal charges against him fight for years of back pay. Judge Robert Johnson has taken … Continue reading →

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Davila lawsuit over ballot access rejected

Posted on January 3, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

So much for that. Amidst claims of illegal signature gathering and improper mailers in an East End justice of the peace race, a visiting senior judge ruled against a Houston Independent School Board trustee in her suit against the county … Continue reading →

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