Tag Archives: primaries

This is what voter suppression looks like

Posted on January 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I have four things to say about this. A Harris County man fears new voting laws may prevent him from voting by absentee ballot for the first time in his lifetime. Kenneth Thompson, 95, has been checking his mail daily … Continue reading →

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Three very early primary thoughts

Posted on January 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

1. After the exceedingly small number of mail ballots requested and cast in the District G special election, the primaries will be our next test of the SB1 effect on voting by mail. I will be interested to see if … Continue reading →

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The SD10 redistricting lawsuit gets off to a rousing start

Posted on January 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I did not see this coming. In a sworn declaration submitted as part of an ongoing federal court challenge, a senior Republican state senator with redistricting experience said he believes his party violated federal voting laws when it drew new … Continue reading →

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SD10 lawsuit gets its hearing

Posted on January 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The last possible obstacle to a March primary, and the first redistricting lawsuit to get a merits hearing. A federal district judge in El Paso on Tuesday will preside over one of several challenges against the state of Texas and … Continue reading →

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January 2022 campaign finance reports: Harris County

Posted on January 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

You know what January means around these parts. There’s lots of action in Harris County, so that’s where we’ll begin. Here’s my summary of the July 2021 reports as a reminder. Let’s dive in. Lina Hidalgo, County Judge Ahmed Hassan, … Continue reading →

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Lots of mail ballot applications are being rejected now

Posted on January 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is a feature, not a bug. Hundreds of Texans seeking to vote by mail in the upcoming March primary elections are seeing their applications for ballots rejected by local election offices trying to comply with stricter voting rules enacted … Continue reading →

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Former Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton sues a blogger

Posted on January 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Obviously, a story like this is going to attract my attention. A former Texas oil and gas regulator has accused a blogger of helping derail his 2020 reelection campaign by falsely claiming he had an extramarital affair. In a lawsuit filed last month … Continue reading →

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An early look at the primary for Commissioners Court, Precinct 4

Posted on December 31, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I have a few thoughts about this. With a new Harris County precinct map in place, Democrats may have their best chance in a dozen years of capturing Precinct 4. That’s set up a fierce, three-way contest in the Democratic … 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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Just be glad you’re not a Republican primary voter in Potter County

Posted on December 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This is, and I cannot stress this enough, batshit crazy. The Potter County Republican Party plans to conduct its own election during the Texas primary on March 1, independent of the county election administration. People voting in Republican races on … Continue reading →

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Filing update: Not that Rick Perry

Posted on December 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m going to let this speak for itself. Rick Perry is running for governor — but not that Rick Perry. The Republican Party of Texas updated its list of candidate filings Monday — hours before the deadline for the March … Continue reading →

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Justice Department sues Texas over redistricting maps

Posted on December 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Add it to the queue. The Department of Justice is suing Texas over its new redistricting maps, alleging that lawmakers intentionally discriminated against Latino and Black voters while redrawing the state’s political districts this year. The lawsuit, filed in federal … Continue reading →

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Filing update: Judge Hidalgo makes it official

Posted on December 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

She has filed for re-election, in case you had thought there was some other possibility. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced her 2022 re-election campaign Friday afternoon as she filed paperwork at the Harris County Democratic Party headquarters. Although progress … Continue reading →

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A brief filing update

Posted on November 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Just a few observations as we head out of the holiday season and into what I expect will be the busier part of the filing period. I’m using the Patrick Svitek spreadsheet, the SOS candidate filing resource, and the candidate … Continue reading →

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Louie Gohmert will run for AG

Posted on November 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I got nothing. U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler, announced Monday he is running for attorney general, challenging fellow Republican Ken Paxton, in the already crowded primary. “Texas I am officially running to be your next Attorney General and will enforce … Continue reading →

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Filing season is officially open

Posted on November 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We wait all year for this. This Saturday marks the start of the battle for control in Texas politics, a key landmark for the upcoming 2022 elections. Democratic and Republican candidates will start filing for their candidacies for the March … Continue reading →

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Joy Diaz

Posted on November 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

A bit of “potential candidate” news is tucked into this story about the current state of the Democratic statewide slate. If Democrats had a mantra, it would probably be something like “diversity and inclusion.” So it’s kind of strange that … Continue reading →

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Sometimes, you really do have to hand it to Louie Gohmert

Posted on November 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Of all the Louie Gohmerts in the world, he’s the Louie Gohmertiest. U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler, appears to be exploring a run for Texas attorney general, weighing a late entry into the already crowded primary to unseat GOP incumbent … Continue reading →

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UT/Trib: Abbott 46, Beto 37

Posted on November 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Data point #2, arriving on schedule. Gov. Greg Abbott has a comfortable lead over potential Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke, according to a new poll from the University of Texas at Austin and The Texas Tribune. The survey of registered voters … Continue reading →

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Here comes the library police

Posted on October 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Hide your children, and your copies of forbidden books. A Republican state lawmaker has launched an investigation into Texas school districts over the type of books they have, particularly if they pertain to race or sexuality or “make students feel … Continue reading →

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October 2021 campaign finance reports: Congress

Posted on October 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Another three months have passed, and so we review the Congressional finance reports again. I fear these reports are about to get a lot more boring post-redistricting, but for now we will plow onward. The July 2021 reports are here, … Continue reading →

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I think we are going to have a regular March primary

Posted on October 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This happened in the second special session, after the Dems came back from Washington DC. Senate Bill 13, from Senator Joan Huffman (R-Houston), has been sent to Governor Greg Abbott after being approved by the House and Senate this week. … 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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Abbott goes max anti-vaxx

Posted on October 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

He really wants us dead. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday issued another executive order cracking down on COVID-19 vaccine mandates — this time banning any entity in Texas, including private businesses, from requiring vaccinations for employees or customers. Abbott … Continue reading →

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The Republican AG primary just got bigger

Posted on September 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The more, the more miserable. Attorney General Ken Paxton just got another Republican primary challenger, but this time it is someone who has been close to him for years: state Rep. Matt Krause. The Fort Worth lawmaker and founding member … Continue reading →

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The real reason (that we already know) why Greg Abbott hates mask mandates

Posted on August 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

He’s pandering to the base. I mean, duh! When Texas had its first big surge of COVID hospitalizations, Gov. Greg Abbott responded by shutting down bars and mandating masks. As the second surge hit, Abbott put in place an automatic … Continue reading →

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Paxton “wins” Trump endorsement

Posted on July 31, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Former President Donald Trump has backed Attorney General Ken Paxton for reelection, passing over primary challenger George P. Bush in bestowing the highly sought-after endorsement. “It is going to take a PATRIOT like Ken … Continue reading →

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P Bush slightly outraises Paxton

Posted on July 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Meh. Land Commissioner George P. Bush kicked off his attorney general campaign by outraising the incumbent, fellow Republican Ken Paxton, and another primary challenger, former Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman. But Paxton has more money saved up for the … Continue reading →

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P Bush files a Paxton-style lawsuit

Posted on July 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

What a wannabe. Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush has filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration, claiming the president is illegally preventing the construction of a wall on the Texas-Mexico border. Bush announced the lawsuit Wednesday, saying his office … Continue reading →

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Eva Guzman raises a few bucks

Posted on July 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not bad, but she’s gonna need a lot more than this. Eva Guzman, one of the 2022 Republican primary challengers to Attorney General Ken Paxton, raised more than $1 million in her first 10 days as an announced candidate— … Continue reading →

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Lee Merritt officially joins the AG race

Posted on July 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We now have a contested Democratic primary for Attorney General. Lee Merritt, the nationally known civil rights attorney, is officially running for Texas attorney general as a Democrat. Merritt is set to launch his campaign at a 9 a.m. news … Continue reading →

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Yeah, Greg Abbott has a ton of money

Posted on July 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s the one thing he’s really good at. Gov. Greg Abbott is starting his 2022 reelection campaign with $55 million in the bank, a staggering figure even by the already high standards for which his fundraising is known. His campaign … Continue reading →

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The unholy mess that is Allen West

Posted on July 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The Republicans elected him to be their State Chair, and they deserve all of the chaos and discord he has sown in his self-promoting regime. But now that he’s running for Governor, the rest of us have to pay attention … Continue reading →

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Other questions from McConaughey Poll II

Posted on July 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Part Two of my look at the June DMN/UT-Tyler poll, which has its share of interesting results. Still, not everything is coming up roses for Abbott. His job approval rating is respectable, with 50% approving of his performance and 36% … Continue reading →

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