Tag Archives: Election 2018

Court invalidates CDs 27 and 35

Posted on August 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We are one step closer to having a new Congressional map. Federal judges have invalidated two Texas congressional districts, ruling that they must be fixed by either the Legislature or a federal court. In a unanimous decision Tuesday, a three-judge … Continue reading →

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Houston city employees file their own lawsuit (again) on spousal benefits

Posted on August 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

A shame it’s had to come to this, but this is where we are. On Thursday, three married couples from Houston filed a lawsuit in federal court aimed at forcing the city to preserve health coverage and other benefits for … Continue reading →

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Fran Watson for SD17

Posted on August 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Awesome news. It’s OFFICIAL! I have launched my campaign for TX State Senate District 17. The campaign slogan is People First. “When the people are part of the legislative process instead of a few leaders in Austin, our laws are … Continue reading →

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The rural/suburban tradeoff

Posted on August 10, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Martin Longman returns to a point he has been making about the way the vote shifted in the 2016 election. Let’s try to be clear about what we mean. Hillary Clinton won a lot of votes in the suburbs from … Continue reading →

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Dallas Observer Q&A with CD32 candidate Colin Allred

Posted on August 10, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

A good read. What was it like transitioning out of football and then into your kind of life of public service? I think any football player always has a hard time coming out of it. The longer you’re in, the … Continue reading →

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July 2017 campaign finance reports: State Senate targets

Posted on August 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib highlights a couple of races of interest. Senate District 8 State Sen. Van Taylor, R-Plano, has not yet announced he’s running for Congress — he is expected to after the special session — but the race to replace … Continue reading →

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

From the “Actions speak louder than words” department

Posted on August 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

RG Ratcliffe of Texas Monthly speaks to former Railroad Commissioner and Texas Education Commissioner Michael Williams about his disapproval of bathroom bills. RGR: You told me political parties over time curdle and spoil, but is there something about the debate … Continue reading →

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Lina Hidalgo for Harris County Judge

Posted on August 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox, our first announced candidate for Harris County Judge: Today, Lina Hidalgo, a young, Harvard and Stanford-educated immigrant, announces her candidacy for Harris County Judge, the top seat on the Harris County Commissioners Court. Ms. Hidalgo and her … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , | 15 Comments

July campaign finance reports – Harris County candidates

Posted on August 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Harris County situation for candidates and campaign finance reports is a bit complicated. Take a look at my January summary and the reports and data that I’ve found for July, and we’ll discuss what it all means on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Dan Patrick hates Texas’ cities

Posted on August 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I have so many things to say about this. City governments, particularly those led by Democrats, are to blame for problems nationwide, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said during a nationally televised interview Friday. “People are happy with their governments … Continue reading →

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Gina Ortiz Jones

Posted on August 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We have our first declared challenger in CD23. U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-Helotes, is getting his first major Democratic challenger for re-election in Texas’ swing 23rd congressional district. Gina Ortiz Jones, a former Air Force intelligence officer, is entering the … Continue reading →

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How the redistricting case could play out

Posted on August 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Michael Li games out how the Texas redistricting litigation may go from the anticipated court ruling to final resolution. So, in short, Texans could end up with a new set of maps (drawn by the Texas Legislature or drawn by … Continue reading →

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Firefighters complain about petition counting process

Posted on August 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, good Lord. Houston firefighters are accusing Mayor Sylvester Turner of standing between them and a voter-approved pay raise by failing to ensure a petition they submitted last month is certified in time to appear on the November ballot. Turner … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Marilyn Burgess to announce for District Clerk

Posted on August 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

In addition to a large slate of judicial offices, there are four countywide executive offices on the ballot next year. Democrats in Harris County have nearly all of the judicial races covered, and Diane Trautman has been in the race … Continue reading →

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

Republican voters are “meh” on the bathroom bill

Posted on August 4, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: The Texas Association of Business conducted surveys in five GOP-controlled legislative districts across the state the week of July 24th. “Texas business has long opposed the bathroom bill because it is unnecessary and will have significant negative … Continue reading →

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Fort Bend DA to retire

Posted on August 4, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The end of an era, and an opportunity for change. Fort Bend County District Attorney John Healey announced Friday that he will not seek re-election, marking an end to what will be 26 years in office, according to a news … Continue reading →

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The economic impact of SB4

Posted on August 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It could be big. Representatives from Texas’ business, local government and higher education sectors argued Tuesday that the state’s new immigration-enforcement law, which is slated to take effect Sept. 1, could do billions of dollars in damage to the Texas … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Dear business community: Dan Patrick is not your ally

Posted on August 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the full Chron story about the latest group of business leaders to call for a stop to the bathroom bill. I want to focus on one key aspect of this: A week after police chiefs from Houston, San Antonio … Continue reading →

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No deal for Dukes

Posted on August 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The die is cast. The Travis County District Attorney’s office on Tuesday said its offer to drop all corruption charges against state Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, in exchange for her agreeing to resign immediately had expired. In a statement sent … Continue reading →

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Let’s do talk about Democratic legislative candidates

Posted on August 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I have so many things to say about this. The hottest new trend in Democratic politics these days is running for Congress — everybody’s doing it. So far, more than 200 Democrats have filed to challenge Republican incumbents and raised … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Dukes offered deal to resign

Posted on August 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Take it, I say. Beleaguered state Rep. Dawnna Dukes has until the end of the day Tuesday to resign from office — and submit to a drug and alcohol assessment — as part of a plea offer in her criminal … Continue reading →

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July 2017 campaign finance reports – City of Houston

Posted on July 31, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s continue our survey of campaign finance reports with reports from the city of Houston. Name Raised Spent Loans On Hand ================================================ Turner 520,430 138,068 0 1,643,519 Stardig 59,470 36,402 0 102,289 Davis 5,500 13,231 0 147,050 Cohen 5,000 8,382 … Continue reading →

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Pushing the NFL Draft angle

Posted on July 31, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Every angle is going to be needed, and this is one that ought to speak to some folks. The Cowboys’ efforts to land the NFL draft and how it could be derailed by the legislative push for a bathroom bill … Continue reading →

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The Observer talks to Kim Ogg

Posted on July 31, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

A good read: You decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana. Jeff Sessions has signaled that he seeks to ramp up the war on drugs. What power does the federal government hold over your policy decisions? I enjoy total … Continue reading →

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More on Jeffrey Payne

Posted on July 30, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib talks to the first declared Democratic candidate for Governor. The Tribune spoke to Payne about his ideas for the state and how he plans on building momentum ahead of the election to mobilize Texans. The following is an … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Paxton’s trial date set

Posted on July 28, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Mark your calendars. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will face trial in December for the first of three criminal charges, a Houston judge ruled Thursday. Jury selection will begin Dec. 1 and testimony will start on Dec. 11 for the … Continue reading →

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There will be no city elections this November

Posted on July 26, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the early version of the story. I’ll add a link to the full story in the morning. The Texas Supreme Court on Monday denied plantiffs’ attempts to expedite their case challenging the [2015 term limits referendum] ballot language that … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2017, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Law enforcement against the bathroom bill

Posted on July 26, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Add another group to an ever-expanding list. Police chiefs from three of the five biggest cities in the state gathered at the Texas Capitol on Tuesday to spurn proponents’ claims that such legislation is needed to protect privacy, arguing that … Continue reading →

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July 2017 campaign finance reports – Congress

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It’s July, and that means it’s campaign finance report season. Everyone has reports due at the end of June, so at every level of government there are reports to look at. I’ll be working my way through them, starting today … Continue reading →

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One side benefit of the continued Republican repeal follies

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It depresses the base. Texas-based Republican political consultant Brendan Steinhauser’s early read of the fallout was that the party has reasons to be worried about next year’s midterm elections. “I think that you will see that if this fails, Republicans … Continue reading →

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Was the Harris County election system hacked?

Posted on July 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Wouldn’t you like to know? Despite widespread alarm over the breadth of Russian cyber attacks on state and local election systems last year, including revelations of Dallas County being targeted, Harris County officials are refusing to say whether hackers similarly … Continue reading →

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Cruz gets a primary challenger

Posted on July 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Meet Stefano de Stefano. With no heavy hitters in the Texas Republican hierarchy emerging to challenge U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz for the party’s nomination in 2018, a Houston energy attorney is stepping forward. Stefano de Stefano, who bills himself as … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Will we have enough candidates for the opportunities?

Posted on July 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

There’s always something to worry about. With the Texas case moving forward, the boundaries of the congressional districts remain in question with the 2018 elections less than 18 months away. The Lone Star State’s primary filing deadline is in six … Continue reading →

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Tom Wakely

Posted on July 21, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

As noted in the update and comments to Wednesday’s post about our first Democratic candidate for Governor, we now have a second such candidate, Tom Wakely. PDiddie brings word of Wakely’s announcement, which he made on Down with Tyranny, a … Continue reading →

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