Tag Archives: Cesar Blanco

The very least Greg Abbott could do

You can always count on him for that. Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday called on the Texas Legislature to form special committees to make legislative recommendations in response to the Uvalde school shooting. In a letter to House Speaker Dade … Continue reading

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Cybersecurity insurance for TxDOT

Not an optional thing these days. Pending final approval from the legislature, the Texas Department of Transportation plans to spend about $100,000 annually on cybersecurity insurance aimed at repaying the state should it incur expenses related to loss of business … Continue reading

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Wait, there’s a Census going on?

I smack my forehead so hard. Through a small notice tucked into the state’s business register, Texas appears to have acknowledged that the 2020 census count is going badly. With just a month of counting to go in the crucial … Continue reading

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After-deadline filing review: RRC, SBOE, Senate

Moving on to state offices that are not the State House (that’s next). See here and here for previous entries. RRC: The only statewide non-federal office on the ballot, as is usually the case in Presidential years. There are four … Continue reading

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The “Has Not Yet Filed” list

Today is the actual, official filing deadline. Anyone who has not filed for a spot in the primary by 6 PM today is not a candidate for a Democratic nomination in 2020. A whole lot of people have already filed, … Continue reading

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Filing period preview: SBOE, Senate, House

Previously: Congress, and Statewide. As before, I am using the Patrick Svitek spreadsheet as my primary reference. Buckle up, there’s a lot to talk about here. I’m going to limit my discussion of State House races to the greater Houston … Continue reading

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Rep. Cesar Blanco to run for Sen. Jose Rodriguez’s seat

Looks like this has been settled quickly. State Rep. César Blanco, D-El Paso, is running for the seat being vacated by state Sen. José Rodríguez. In a video published Monday, Blanco alluded to the deadly mass shooting last month in … Continue reading

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State Sen. Jose Rodriguez to retire

Sad to see him go. State Sen. José Rodríguez, an El Paso Democrat, announced Friday that he will not seek reelection to the upper chamber in 2020. Rodriguez informed El Paso colleagues of his decision in a text late Thursday … Continue reading

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Lege passes on helping with the Census

Typically short-sighted. But in a time when the census is tinged with partisan politics — mostly over Trump’s proposed inclusion of a citizenship question — Texas lawmakers adjourned without taking action to ensure a complete count. State Representative César Blanco, … Continue reading

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A little effort for redistricting reform

It’s a start. The National Democratic Redistricting Committee, the group led by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, is making a quarter-million-dollar investment in Texas to help Democrats here flip a number of state House seats in November. The money … Continue reading

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Gallego-Hurd 3.0

It could happen. Less than a year after he lost his bid to reclaim his U.S. House seat, former U.S. Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Alpine, is seriously considering another run for Congress, citing shifting political winds in Texas’ 23rd congressional district … Continue reading

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What West Texas can do to improve their schools

Here’s an op-ed from the Statesman about one educator in West Texas who has had enough. My hero this week is Graydon Hicks, Fort Davis superintendent of schools. A West Texas publication published his open letter to Gov. Greg Abbott … Continue reading

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Getting underway in Dallas

Candidate recruitment season is on. For Texas Democrats, the road out of the political wilderness winds through Dallas County. It’s here, in the Republican strongholds of the north, west and east, that Democrats hope to unseat up to seven GOP … Continue reading

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Session ends in chaos

Seems fitting. The normally ceremonial last day of this year’s regular session of the Texas Legislature briefly descended into chaos on Monday, as proceedings in the House were disrupted by large protests and at least one Republican representative called immigration … Continue reading

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Very early speculation about Congressional campaigns

The Trib rounded up all the scuttlebutt about who may be running for various Congressional districts next year. I’ve picked out a few to comment on. CD07: National Democrats are interested in Houston attorney Collin Cox and Alex Triantaphyllis, the … Continue reading

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The coming legislative border battle

Here we go again. House Republicans on Wednesday said they aren’t backing away from recent efforts to secure the southern border despite an incoming president who made beefed-up immigration enforcement a hallmark of his campaign. And as a final admonishment … Continue reading

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We’re going to be fighting about vaccinations for a while

I wish it weren’t so, but it is. Texas is one of 18 states that allow non-medical exemptions to the vaccines required for school attendance. California had a similar law allowing non-medical exemptions, until last year when it enacted a law that … Continue reading

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You support Trump, you own Trump

This is what I’m talking about. A group of Democratic state lawmakers from along the Texas-Mexico border is applying pressure to a bank whose CEO is helping raise money for Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. In a letter … Continue reading

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Primary results: Legislature and Congress

The big news on the Democratic side is the close loss by longtime Rep. Lon Burnam in HD90, who fell by 111 votes to Ramon Romero Jr. I know basically nothing about Rep.-elect Romero, but I do know that Rep. … Continue reading

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More primary thoughts

I wonder if Big John Cornyn will come to rue this interview. BDS: At the kickoff for your reelection campaign in November, Governor Perry said that you are “the epitome of what I look for in a U.S. senator.” He … Continue reading

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