Tag Archives: Election 2009

Where are the women?

I have several things to say about this. The slate running to replace Mayor Annise Parker features a globetrotting sailor, a triathlete grandfather, a millionaire minister and no women. Despite the most-crowded pack of mayoral contenders in decades, no female … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2015 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

2015 Mayoral manifesto: Public safety

Preliminaries Transportation When I first started thinking about this series a couple of months ago, this section was all going to be about the budget. We’ve covered this ground before – public safety is about 65% of the total city … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2015 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

January campaign finance reports – HCC Trustees

There are nine trustees on the HCC board. With them serving six-year terms, in a normal year three trustees are up for re-election; 2013 was an abnormal year, with two extra races to fill out unexpired terms. We are back … Continue reading

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Garcia appears to be in for Mayor

Not official yet, but stories like this don’t get run without justification. Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia is sending every possible message that he intends to run for mayor this year, aggressively increasing his political operations and signaling to some … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2015 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

January campaign finance reports – Mayoral wannabes

I wrote yesterday about the start of the 2015 campaign season in Houston, and how it’s started a bit early thanks to the ruling in the lawsuit filed by Trebor Gordon that invalidated the blackout period. This week also marked … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2015 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Don’t forget about Pasadena

There’s still a lawsuit in the works regarding their 2013 redistricting referendum that switched their Council from an eight-member all-district makeup to six districts and two At large seats, all at the behest of Mayor Johnny Isbell. Pasadena is preparing … Continue reading

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Lane Lewis announces for At Large #1

Interesting. Harris County Democratic Party chair Lane Lewis will run for an at-large city council position, he told Democratic activists Wednesday evening. Lewis, who has led the county’s party operation since 2011, is running to succeed Stephen Costello in At-Large … Continue reading

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Bill King to run for Mayor

Because there aren’t enough candidates for Mayor already. Bill King is inching toward a run for mayor of Houston as the field in next year’s open-seat election continues to grow. King, an attorney and the former mayor of Kemah, designated … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2015 | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

KHOU: Abbott 47, Davis 32

A new poll to open Early Voting. As early voters head to the polls for a landmark election in Texas, a new survey conducted for KHOU-TV and Houston Public Media shows Republican Greg Abbott with a commanding lead over Democrat … Continue reading

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Davis’ internal poll

I had been wondering if Wendy Davis was going to release one of these. Democratic gubernatorial nominee Wendy Davis is trailing Republican opponent Greg Abbott by single digits for the first time this year in her campaign’s internal polling, according … Continue reading

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The small number of competitive legislative races in November

The Trib discusses the lack of legislative action in November. In the House, nine Republican and two Democratic races are still undecided. An early list of competitive November races — this is in a House with 150 seats — comes … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Where the early vote was

As you know, I thought that the high turnout we were seeing in Early Voting for this past election was not so much an indicator of high turnout but of a shift in voting behavior similar to what we had … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Precinct analysis: At Large 2 and 3

Lots of action, and lots of candidates in the At Large races this year. Let’s look at the two races that are going to the runoffs, At Large #2 and 3. First is AL2, in which first term CM Andrew … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Election results: Houston

Mayor Annise Parker easily won re-election, collecting over 57% of the vote in Harris County to beat Ben Hall by nearly thirty points, and far exceeding the expectations of most observers going into Election Day. I personally thought she had … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Early voting wrapup: Did we run out of early voters?

Early voting is officially over, though a few more mail ballots will trickle in by tomorrow. Here are the final numbers, with the chart from Thursday being updated: 2013 2011 2009 2007 Here again is that look at turnout over … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

EV Day 7 totals: Is this the 2008 of city elections for early voting?

One full week of early voting is in the books, and the fast pace has not let up. Here are the comps: 2013 2011 2009 2007 The seven-day totals for each: 2013 – 14,342 mail, 37,828 in person, 52,170 total … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

EV Day 3 – Where the early votes are

Three days into early voting and the numbers continue to be strong, with a third consecutive day of in-person totals topping 5,000. Here are all the daily totals: 2013 2011 2009 2007 Some people, like Campos, have been trying to … Continue reading

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First day EV totals

It was pretty brisk, with higher turnout than any of the previous three elections. Here are the relevant daily totals: 2013 2011 2009 2007 And here are the numbers for each for day one: Year In person By Mail Total … Continue reading

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Chron overview of District I

The Chron covers the District I race. The contrasts in this eastside, heavily-Latino council district are dramatic: from the gleaming George R. Brown Convention Center in the heart of downtown, to older neighborhoods lacking modern street drainage where vacant lots … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Early voting starts today

Today we arrive at the more action-oriented part of the election cycle, in which voting actually happens. Early voting starts today and runs through next Friday, November 1. Here’s the schedule and map of locations for Harris County. Check with … Continue reading

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Still no injunction in voter registration lawsuit

Unfortunate. A district judged erred by partially blocking the enforcement of new Texas voter registration laws while a lawsuit alleging that the laws suppress voting goes forward, a federal appeals court has ruled. A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. … Continue reading

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KHOU polls the Mayor’s race

The first poll of the season is always exciting news. Annise Parker seems headed for a runoff in her campaign to keep her job, but she commands more than twice as many supporters as her leading challenger in a newly … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Mayor’s race in three numbers

1. Turnout In the 2009 runoff, there were 155,670 votes cast for Mayor. Annise Parker got 82,175 and Gene Locke got 73,495. In the 2011 general election, there were 118,414 votes cast for Mayor. Annise Parker got 60,135 and the … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Hall’s five point crimefighting plan

From the inbox: Houstonians do not feel safe in their homes and their communities. Houston’s crime numbers remain dangerously high and criminals are victimizing us daily. The only thing we hear from the Mayor’s office on this issue is silence. … Continue reading

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Interview with Brenda Stardig

My last candidate interview for District A is a fitting bookend for the first one. Brenda Stardig was elected to District A in 2009, leading the pack in November and cruising in the subsequent runoff. It’s fair to say that … Continue reading

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Interview with Amy Peck

Two of the candidates that are running against CM Helena Brown in District A have run for this seat before. One of them is Amy Peck, who ran for District A when it was last open in 2009; here’s the … Continue reading

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What would Ben Hall do for schools?

Ben Hall made his official filing for Mayor on Wednesday, and had a campaign rally after ward. This story is about that and about a new video his campaign released, and it contains three ways in which Hall says he … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Interview with Roy Morales

As of my last At Large #3 interview, I reported that I had not yet been able to make arrangements with either Michael Kubosh or Roy Morales. I’m pleased to say now that both interviews have been completed; I have … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

July finance reports for non-candidates

Not everyone who files a finance report with the city is running for something this November. Term-limited incumbents, and former candidates who still have money in their campaign treasuries are required to file reports as well. Here’s a look a … Continue reading

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A closer look at Mayoral campaign finances

I said I’d get to a closer look at the Mayoral campaign finance reports later, after I had a chance to read all the way through them. That time is now, so let’s have our look. Mayor Parker’s finance report. … Continue reading

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Endorsement watch: The firefighters still don’t like the Mayor

Last week, the Ben Hall campaign teased on its Facebook page that it was about to get a “game-changer” endorsement. This week, that endorsement was announced. The Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association announced they will be endorsing Ben Hall in … Continue reading

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Opposition gearing up for the water fund amendment

The legislation to create a state water infrastructure fund, and the joint resolution that authorized tapping the Rainy Day Fund for up to $2 billion to seed it, had a rocky road in the legislature and wasn’t completed until the … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Midyear 2013 election update

Back in January, I took an early look at the 2013 elections in Houston. At the request of the folks at the Burnt Orange Report, who also printed my initial overview, here’s an update on the races in the city … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

On African-American turnout in city elections

Bill King makes an observation about Ben Hall’s chances in the upcoming Mayoral election. When Lee Brown was elected mayor in 1997, many pundits predicted that with Houston’s growing minority community, Houston had seen its last white mayor. That, of … Continue reading

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