Tag Archives: Election 2024

Rep. Nehls defends himself against stolen valor charges

Posted on July 1, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This whole thing is so weird. Under fire for accusations of stolen valor, U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls is doubling down on defending his military record by blaming “the establishment” forces seeking to discredit him. Nehls, R-Richmond, has been under intense … Continue reading →

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We’re already declaring gambling bills dead for the 2025 session

Posted on June 29, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Saves time, if nothing else. Efforts to legalize casino gambling in Texas appear to be an even greater long shot in the Legislature next session. In 2023, the Texas House fell eight votes short of advancing a state constitutional amendment … Continue reading →

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We are still being teased with “Feds investigating Paxton” stories

Posted on June 28, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Please let this be true, please let this be true, please let this be true… A federal appeals court last week rejected an unnamed Texas agency’s attempt to withhold records and shield its employees from appearing before a grand jury … Continue reading →

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“Five abortions a month”

Posted on June 26, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

A stark headline from the Trib. In the last two years, Texas abortion clinics closed, legal challenges raced through the court system, towns tried to ban out-of-state travel, conservative activists made abortion pills and emergency rooms into battlegrounds, and woman … Continue reading →

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Texas Medical Board publishes its useless abortion guidance

Posted on June 22, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

You already know how I feel about this. The Texas Medical Board on Friday adopted guidance for how doctors should interpret the state’s new abortion laws, reducing paperwork requirements some saw as overly burdensome but declining to provide a list … Continue reading →

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Scott and McCrutcheon win HCAD runoffs

Posted on June 16, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Not much to say, you can see the live results. There were 12,479 total mail ballots, so another 1,436 were received after Tuesday. A bit more than 11K votes had been counted as of 10 PM and two thirds of … Continue reading →

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HCAD Runoff Day is today

Posted on June 15, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth announced that the June 15 Uniform Runoff Election Day is this Saturday. There are 131 Election Day vote centers open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. across Harris County. “A runoff election … Continue reading →

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Rep. Nehls accused of stolen valor

Posted on June 15, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This is interesting. House Republicans are accusing Rep. Troy Nehls of “stolen valor” for continuing to wear a lapel pin for infantrymen or Special Forces who fought in active combat. “It matters. As a former commander, it matters what you … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS swats away that bogus mifepristone case

Posted on June 14, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

A good and expected result, though the door for future challenges remains open. A unanimous Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the anti-abortion doctor plaintiffs in a major mifepristone case lack standing to reimpose restrictions on the drug. The case presented … Continue reading →

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On the bonds and closing or not closing schools

Posted on June 14, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This is a very complicated issue. Two decades ago, children crowded the halls of Houston ISD’s Attucks and Cullen middle schools, historic campuses located two miles apart on the city’s south side. Since then, hundreds of families have fled the … Continue reading →

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June HCAD special election runoff early voting Day Nine: On to Saturday

Posted on June 12, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

And we are done with early voting for the HCAD runoffs. Here’s the final EV report. Let’s have another chart, shall we? Month Mail Early Total ============================== May 14,152 19,500 33,652 June 11,043 18,048 29,091 As predicted yesterday, we have … Continue reading →

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June HCAD special election runoff early voting Day Eight: Let’s not be too pessimistic about turnout

Posted on June 11, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I was struck by the following passage in this Houston Landing story about the HCAD runoff elections. Turnout in the Place 1 race was just 2.1 percent of Harris County’s 2.56 million registered voters, according to Harris County Clerk’s Office … Continue reading →

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It’s Greg Abbott’s fault if your school district is facing a budget crunch

Posted on June 11, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

News item #1: Houston-area school districts brace for big budget cuts. Staring down a $100 million deficit budget, even after deciding to close three campuses in February, Aldine ISD trustees have a difficult decision to make this week. Voting on … Continue reading →

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Once again we ask, what’s up with that FBI investigation of Ken Paxton?

Posted on June 11, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Who knows? Federal agents were still actively investigating Paxton for alleged corruption after he was acquitted of related impeachment charges last year, according to multiple sources who spoke with The Texas Newsroom in recent weeks. Among Paxton’s potential crimes listed … Continue reading →

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June HCAD special election runoff early voting Day Seven: Two more days to go

Posted on June 10, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s your Day Seven EV report for the June HCAD runoff. And just for kicks, let’s do a comparison with the May election for this day in the EV process. Month Mail Early Total ============================== May 13,446 10,282 23,728 June … Continue reading →

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A closer look at the HISD bond proposal

Posted on June 9, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

From the Houston Landing, which put together five highlights from the proposal. 1. Elementary and middle schools to see the biggest upgrades All schools will see some level of investment under the bond plan, but elementary and middle schools will … Continue reading →

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National attention on the Allred-Cruz race

Posted on June 9, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Things are a little different now than they were in 2018. Also, Dems have very few even remotely realistic pickup opportunities this cycle, so. With more than four months left before Election Day 2018, Democrat Beto O’Rourke had campaigned in … Continue reading →

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June HCAD special election runoff early voting Day Five: The pace of the mail ballots

Posted on June 8, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I’ll get right to it, here’s your Day Five EV report for the June HCAD runoffs. I’ve said before in these recaps that I don’t often have much to say about them because there’s not much of a basis for … Continue reading →

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Another statewide improvement effort

Posted on June 8, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Let a thousand flowers bloom, I say. A team of Democratic strategists unveiled a new group Thursday that aims to turn Texas blue by building up the party’s campaign infrastructure over multiple elections — offering a more practical outlet, in … Continue reading →

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All Texas Republicans vote against bill to protect contraception

Posted on June 8, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The headline speaks for itself. The U.S. House passed a bill Thursday that would prevent states from banning birth control, though nearly the entire Republican delegation from Texas voted against it. The bill, which faces far more hurdles passing through … Continue reading →

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June HCAD special election runoff early voting Day Four: Keep those mail ballots coming in

Posted on June 7, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I haven’t been giving a day-by-day update on the early voting numbers for the HCAD runoff elections – it’s a little harder to say something interesting when there are no similar elections to compare the current one to. But here … Continue reading →

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A look at recent trends in early, mail, and Election Day voting

Posted on June 5, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve noted before how I completely overestimated Election Day voting totals in the November/December 2023 and March 2024 races, based on recent past data from similar elections. I’ve tentatively concluded that even for races where a lot of Election Day … Continue reading →

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June HCAD special election runoff early voting Day One: Yeah, we’re doing this again

Posted on June 4, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Current mood: here to tell you that more voting starts today in houston — jen rice (@jen_rice_) 1:39 PM – 3 June 2024 Here’s your Day One report for the runoff. It’s fair to say that the voters, fresh off … Continue reading →

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Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee says she has pancreatic cancer

Posted on June 4, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I wish her all the best for a full and speedy recovery. U.S. Rep Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, is undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer, the congresswoman shared in a Sunday statement on social media platform X. “My doctors have confirmed … Continue reading →

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Runoff endorsement watch: One for two

Posted on June 4, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron revisited their HCAD endorsements for the runoff, with one needing a change since their first choice finished third last month. For the Place 2 runoff, voters have a choice between two qualified candidates, Kyle Scott and Melissa Noriega. … Continue reading →

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Another Speaker contender

Posted on June 3, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I suspect this list will get longer. Whether they all make it to the actual vote for Speaker is another story. State Rep. Shelby Slawson announced Thursday she is running for Texas House speaker, becoming the second member to challenge … Continue reading →

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County Clerk announcement on HCAD runoff early voting

Posted on June 2, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth announces that early voting for the June 15 Uniform Runoff Election begins on Monday, June 3, and runs through Tuesday, June 11. During early voting, 26 vote centers will open from 7 … Continue reading →

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HISD asks for $4.4 billion in bonds

Posted on June 2, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

That sure is a lot. Houston ISD unveiled a $4.4 billion bond proposal, the largest in HISD history and likely the largest package any Texas school district has taken to voters. Much of the bond, $2.05 billion, would go to … Continue reading →

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SCOTx upholds abortion ban in Zurawski lawsuit

Posted on June 1, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know if the Supreme Court intended to bury the news of this stinker of a ruling on a Friday, but boy howdy if that was their intent did they ever pick the right Friday to do it on. … Continue reading →

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Early voting for the HCAD runoffs starts Monday

Posted on May 31, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I mentioned this yesterday, and I will say it again before Monday. Early Vote Centers will be open from Monday, June 3, 2024 – Tuesday, June 11, 2024 (Mon-Sat: 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. Sun: 12 p.m. – 7 p.m.) … Continue reading →

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Judge Hidalgo will run again in 2026

Posted on May 31, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

In case you were wondering. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said Thursday she plans to seek a third term in office in 2026. Hidalgo told the Chronicle during a live virtual event that she is “really excited” to run for … Continue reading →

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A couple of followups on the runoffs

Posted on May 30, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Sen. Molly Cook gets some deserved attention. State Sen. Molly Cook appears to have narrowly defeated state Rep. Jarvis Johnson in the Senate District 15 primary runoff for the second time this month, setting the stage for her to hold … Continue reading →

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Whiny loser election redo set for next May

Posted on May 30, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Pending appeal, of course. One of Harris County’s 2022 judicial races could be back on the ballot in May 2025 after a visiting judge from Bexar County ordered a redo earlier this month. Voters are set to go back to … Continue reading →

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True The Vote continues to be trash

Posted on May 30, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Item one. True the Vote, the right-wing conspiracy theorist group that spread lies of ballot stuffing in the 2020 election is focused on perpetuating a new lie ahead of 2024: the myth of non-citizens voting in elections. The group, which … Continue reading →

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