Tag Archives: Don Huffines

Precinct analysis: Abbott’s weak spots

Is this a thing? As dominating as Gov. Greg Abbott’s GOP primary victory on Tuesday looked at first blush, a closer look at the results shows a nagging problem within his own party that could ultimately cost him in his … Continue reading

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2022 primary results: Statewide

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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Abbott goes max anti-vaxx

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

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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Yeah, Greg Abbott has a ton of money

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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McConaughey Poll II: It’s all still ridiculous

Sorry, none of the canonical sequel subtitles fit here. Gov. Greg Abbott, after trailing potential challenger Matthew McConaughey in the spring, has rebounded and now has a slight — but not statistically significant — lead over the movie star in … Continue reading

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Who told Allen West it was a good idea for him to run for Governor?

Lord help us. Texas GOP Chairman Allen West announced Sunday he is running for governor, challenging fellow Republican Greg Abbott. The announcement was made during at appearance by West at Sojourn Church in Carrollton, where the former Florida congressman played … Continue reading

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Everyone’s waiting on Beto

Pardon me while I brew myself a cup of tea and stare meaningfully out the window. Texas’ Republican statewide primaries are heating up as challengers emerged in recent weeks for both Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton. But … Continue reading

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Sid Miller running for re-election

The Governor’s race will have one fewer malicious jokers in it. Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller announced Monday he would seek reelection, putting to rest speculation that he could challenge Gov. Greg Abbott for the top elected position in the state. … Continue reading

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We need to talk about Sid

I know, I don’t want to and you don’t want to talk about it, but Sid Miller might run for Governor, so we’re gonna have to talk about it. Texas Agricultural Commissioner Sid Miller doesn’t believe Texas Governor Greg Abbott … Continue reading

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P Bush officially challenges Paxton

The primary no one asked for. Land Commissioner George P. Bush announced Wednesday that he is running for attorney general, challenging fellow Republican Ken Paxton with a sharp focus on Paxton’s legal troubles. “Enough is enough, Ken,” Bush said during … Continue reading

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Here comes Huffines

The political comeback nobody asked for is officially on. Former state Sen. Don Huffines, R-Dallas, announced Monday that he is challenging Gov. Greg Abbott in the 2022 primary. “Texas deserves actual Republican leadership that will act urgently and decisively—no more … Continue reading

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Is there really a primary threat to Abbott?

Maybe, but it’s not a serious one. As Gov. Greg Abbott races to reopen all businesses and end mask mandates this week, it hasn’t been fast enough to defuse escalating political pressure from fellow Republicans who see Texas lagging behind … Continue reading

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Beto for Governor?

He says he’s thinking about it. Democrat Beto O’Rourke has left no doubt that he’s weighing a run for governor next year. “You know what, it’s something I’m going to think about,” O’Rourke said in an exclusive interview on an … Continue reading

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Abbott’s approval rating

This has gotten a bit of chatter, so let’s take a closer look. We released the remaining results of the June 2020 UT/Texas Politics Project Poll today. This post focuses on Texans’ assessment of the state’s political leaders, the state … Continue reading

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Endorsement watch: Star system

The Chron has made a change in how it presents its endorsements. The quality of candidates on the ballot varies widely from race to race. At times, both candidates are good choices. At times, there are no good choices to … Continue reading

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

SD16 poll: Johnson 45, Huffines 42

From the inbox: A new poll conducted by Public Policy Polling shows challenger Nathan Johnson leading Don Huffines in the race for Texas Senate District 16, which covers most of northern Dallas County. Johnson has 45 percent of the vote, … Continue reading

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The other Senate races that Republicans are worried about

They’re concerned about the State Senate, too. Republican lawmakers in the Texas Senate were sitting pretty last year. For years, the GOP had faced roadblocks to passing some conservative measures by the chamber’s two-thirds rule, which normally required the support … Continue reading

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Republicans “against” Dan Patrick

RG Ratcliffe reports on a “loose coalition” of business and education interests who are seeking to clip Dan Patrick’s wings. [FBSID Board President Kristin] Tassin is now running for a seat in the state Senate, and she is just one … Continue reading

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Filing roundup: State Senate

In 2014, Democrats contested five of the eleven Republican-held State Senate seats on the ballot, plus the seat that was vacated by Wendy Davis, which was won by Republican Konni Burton. This year, Democrats have candidates in eleven of these … Continue reading

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July 2017 campaign finance reports: State Senate targets

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

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We should all have friends like these

It’s like they say: Friends help you move. Real friends help you move dead bodies. Really real friends help pay for your criminal defense. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, nearly two years into his fight against state securities fraud charges, … Continue reading

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Busy day in the Senate

They got stuff done, I’ll give them that. Whether it was stuff worth doing or not, I’ll leave to you. 1. Senate bill would let Houston voters weigh in on fix to pension crisis. The Senate on Wednesday voted 21-10 … Continue reading

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Our first look at Senate district data

The Trib looks at the data we now have. In the state Senate, one Republican — Don Huffines of Dallas — is now representing a district that Clinton easily won, while two more — Konni Burton of Colleyville and Joan … Continue reading

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Texas Dems look to 2018

I have a few things to say about this. A tight-knit group of Texas Democratic leaders traveled to the state capital [in late January] to begin preliminary conversations about the 2018 midterm races. According to over a dozen interviews with … Continue reading

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Counting to 19 on SB6

That’s the number of votes needed to move the Patrick potty bill to the floor of the Senate for a full vote. At times, it seemed like Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick was a bit like a man on an island … Continue reading

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Three rideshare bills

The Texas A&M Transportation Institute Policy Center looks at the (first) three bills relating to ridesharing that have been filed in the Lege: Three bills have been filed so far in the 85th Texas Legislature, regular session, addressing transportation network … Continue reading

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It’s all bathrooms, all the time

People are paying attention to Dan Patrick’s anti-LGBT bathroom bill, and for the most part they do not like it. In early February, the Super Bowl will be in Houston and in late March, the women’s Final Four will be … Continue reading

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Trump’s toll roads

Who wants more toll roads? Part of president-elect Donald Trump’s promise to create new jobs for Americans relies on a “deficit-neutral plan” to spend $1 trillion on public works projects, including hundreds of billions for roads and rail. But the … Continue reading

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What’s the roadmap for ridesharing regulations look like?

This is going to be a challenge, no matter how you feel about it. Several state legislators have made it clear they’re eager to take control of rules for ride-hailing companies in Texas, shifting power from individual cities to the … Continue reading

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Filibuster threat for open carry

We could have some end of session drama this year again. State Sen. José Rodríguez said Thursday that if the opportunity arises, he plans to filibuster a bill allowing the open carry of handguns in Texas. Speaking at a Texas … Continue reading

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The fallout from the chubfest

Cleaning up some loose ends…The campus carry bill that was the subject of much chubbing passed on final reading. The battle over “campus carry” is headed back to the Texas Senate after House lawmakers gave final approval Wednesday to legislation … Continue reading

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One more shot at killing the high speed rail line

Never forget that the tricksiest maneuvers in the legislative handbook come in the budget. Texas’ prospects of having the first high-speed train line in the nation hinge on two sentences in a proposed state budget that lawmakers in the House … Continue reading

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Senate bill to kill high speed rail advances

Didn’t know there was one of these. The Senate Transportation Committee voted 5-4 to pass out Senate Bill 1601, from state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, which would strip firms developing high-speed rail projects from eminent domain authority. Texas Central High-Speed … Continue reading

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