Tag Archives: Dan Patrick

Beto calls for expanded gambling

Posted on April 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s fine. Good politics, given the polling. Democrat Beto O’Rourke said if he’s elected governor he’s “inclined to support” expanding casino gambling and legal sports betting in Texas, the first time he’s publicly addressed the issue on the trail. During … Continue reading →

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Dan Patrick wants a “Don’t Say Gay” bill for Texas

Posted on April 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Of course he does. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Monday he will prioritize passing Texas legislation that mimics the recently signed Florida bill referred to as the “Don’t Say Gay” law. That state’s controversial law prohibits classroom lessons on sexual orientation or gender identity … Continue reading →

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Hispanic Policy Foundation: Abbott 50, Beto 42

Posted on April 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

More poll data. In the November 2022 gubernatorial election, Greg Abbott leads Beto O’Rourke by 8% (50% to 42%) among likely voters and by 12% (53% to 41%) among the most likely (almost certain) voters. Among both groups, Libertarian Mark … Continue reading →

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Can Beto legalize pot?

Posted on March 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

He’s gonna try. It’s not entirely up to him, though. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke is making Texans a promise: If they elect him as governor, he’ll legalize marijuana. Shortly after his resounding victory in Tuesday night’s primary, O’Rourke asked … Continue reading →

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The Dem runoff for AG is not fully settled

Posted on March 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

First place in the Democratic primary for Attorney General went to Rochelle Garza. Second place is still somewhat of a question. Two days after election day in the March primary, the Democratic race for attorney general is still not settled. … Continue reading →

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Oklahoma’s experience with medical marijuana

Posted on March 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A good read. Inside an old metal building off a quiet stretch of U.S. 77, Josh Blevins walked among rows of fragrant marijuana plants basking below carefully calibrated light. Blevins, a former construction engineer from Texas, bought this former scrap … Continue reading →

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2022 primary results: Statewide

Posted on March 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

That didn’t take long: . JUST IN: Beto O’Rourke wins Texas Democratic primary for governor, @NBCNews projects. http://nbcnews.to/36VOfa3 — NBC Politics (@NBCPolitics) 8:01 PM – 1 March 2022 Literally one minute after polls would have closed in El Paso. You … Continue reading →

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DMN/UT-Tyler: Abbott 45, Beto 38

Posted on February 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

From the DMN, via another source that I can get to. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is leading former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (R-Texas) by 7 points in a new poll tracking November’s gubernatorial race. The survey, conducted by The Dallas … Continue reading →

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2022 primary early voting, Day Four: Dan Patrick contributes to the mail ballot problem

Posted on February 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This fucking guy, I swear to God. Thousands of applications for mail-in ballots submitted by Texas voters have been delayed — and some voters may ultimately not receive ballots — because Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s campaign instructed eligible voters to … Continue reading →

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Houston’s preparations for the next freeze

Posted on February 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We learned from the experience, which I hope will serve us well for the next time. The grid’s near collapse last February had drastic consequences for local governments, none more acute than the challenge water systems confronted in trying to … Continue reading →

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Republican incumbents are probably going to win their primaries

Posted on February 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Take all primary polls with a grain of salt because polling in primaries is especially tricky. That said, here’s the most recent UT/Texas Tribune polling on the primaries, which also includes a general election gubernatorial matchup. Republican incumbents in statewide … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Almost all of the big ones

Posted on February 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The Sunday Chron was full of endorsements, which given the timing and the edition is what you’d expect. Most of them are not particularly remarkable, and I’m not going to spend any time on their recommendations for Beto and Mike … 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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Beto for legalizing weed

Posted on January 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I do think this is a winning campaign theme. At a crowded rally in downtown Austin, Beto O’Rourke ticked off his usual laundry list of campaign promises: stabilizing the power grid, rolling back the state’s new permitless carry law and … Continue reading →

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The Lege will get worse before it gets better

Posted on December 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. More than two dozen members of the Texas Legislature are retiring or running for a different seat next year, creating a slew of vacancies that could push both chambers to become redder … Continue reading →

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Matthew Dowd drops Lt Gov bid

Posted on December 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Sensible. Matthew Dowd, a former George W. Bush political strategist who had launched a bid to be the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 2022, ended his campaign Tuesday, six days before the candidate filing deadline. In a statement, Dowd, … Continue reading →

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It’s the power grid, stupid

Posted on December 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s also a campaign theme. Texas Democrats want to talk about the power grid. Specifically, they want to talk about how it failed in February, how they don’t think enough has been done to fix it and why they believe … Continue reading →

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Fraudit funding

Posted on November 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s bullshit all the way down. GOP leaders on Friday approved shifting $4 million in emergency funds for the Texas secretary of state’s office to create an “Election Audit Division” at the agency, which will spearhead county election audits as … 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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Comings and goings

Posted on October 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Rep. Lloyd Doggett will run in a new district again. Longtime U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, has decided to run for reelection in Texas’ 37th Congressional District, opting to vie for one of Texas’ two new congressional districts — a … Continue reading →

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The Trib on Collier/Dowd

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good story. Mike Collier is willing to bet Texas voters know his name. In fact, he’s confident that when he last ran for lieutenant governor three years ago and came within 5 percentage points of winning, it was because most … Continue reading →

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Senate passes Congressional map

Posted on October 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Start the litigation countdown. Yes, I know, this still has to pass the House, but still. The Texas Senate approved a map Friday that would largely protect incumbents in Congress while reducing the number of districts in which Black and … Continue reading →

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Collier announces

Posted on October 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s officially official, we have a contested primary for Lite Guv. Mike Collier has been itching for a rematch with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick for nearly three years, after coming within 4.9 points of unseating the Republican in 2018. “I … Continue reading →

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Matthew Dowd has entered the Dem primary for Lite Guv

Posted on September 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We have another contested primary for Dems. Matthew Dowd, the chief strategist for George W. Bush’s presidential reelection campaign who later split with the former president publicly, is running for lieutenant governor as a Democrat. Dowd also has worked for … Continue reading →

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Trans kids are still fighting for their right to not be dehumanized

Posted on September 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The toll being taken on them, it’s inhumane. Karen Krajcer and Linzy Foster are two friends familiar with the hallways of the Texas Capitol. During this year’s regular legislative session and two subsequent special sessions that followed, the two mothers … Continue reading →

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Abbott and Patrick whine about State Bar complaint against Paxton

Posted on September 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Poor, poor babies. The state’s top officials came to the defense of embattled Attorney General Ken Paxton, saying a state bar investigation into his professional conduct is “politically motivated” and raises questions about the state’s separation of powers. On Friday, … Continue reading →

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Sine die’d

Posted on September 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Special session 2.0 is over. And what a lousy thing it was. The Texas Legislature adjourned its second special session Thursday evening, ending a nearly 30-day stretch that was called to pass a GOP elections bill after House Democrats carried … Continue reading →

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“Big boy pants”

Posted on September 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Some hot Dutton on Patrick action going on here. Another partisan stalemate has broken out in the final days of the second special session called by Gov. Greg Abbott this year, again imperiling the jobs of 2,100 legislative staffers along … Continue reading →

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Matthew Dowd

Posted on August 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not sure what to make of this. A little more than a week after the January 6 attack on the Capitol, Matthew Dowd announced he was leaving his job as chief political analyst with ABC News after thirteen years with … Continue reading →

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More teenagers are getting vaccinated

Posted on August 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good, but not enough in itself. As a third COVID wave coincides with the back-to-school season, more Texas teenagers are getting the vaccine — but health experts say they need to see shots increase in even larger numbers to protect … Continue reading →

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Voter suppression bill passes out of House committee

Posted on August 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again. A Texas House committee on Monday advanced the GOP-backed voting restrictions bill that first prompted Democrats to stall legislative work during a weekslong quorum break. The 9-5 party-line vote on the revived legislation, Senate Bill 1, is … Continue reading →

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Special Session 2.0: Still no quorum yet

Posted on August 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see how long that lasts. Texas Democrats on Saturday blocked a quorum in the House for the third time this year as the Legislature kicked off its second special legislative session called to pass the GOP elections bill, among … Continue reading →

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Special session 2.0 coming right up

Posted on August 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again. Gov. Greg Abbott announced Thursday that the second special legislative session will begin at noon Saturday — and with an expanded agenda. The 17-item agenda still includes well-known Abbott priorities like the election bill that caused … Continue reading →

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UT and OU make it officially official

Posted on July 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Smell ya later, Big XII. After a week of speculation, the University of Texas at Austin announced Tuesday that alongside the University of Oklahoma it has asked to join the Southeastern Conference starting July 1, 2025. The news came a … Continue reading →

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