Tag Archives: primaries

Talarico seeks to unseal Paxton depositions about his past security fraud charges

Posted on August 30, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

This is some Holy Grail stuff right here. Democratic U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico’s campaign on Wednesday asked a court to unseal transcripts of a pair of years-old depositions given by his opponent, Attorney General Ken Paxton, as part of … Continue reading →

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New SOS will also oppose the closed primaries lawsuit

Posted on August 14, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Appropriate. Robert Howden, the new Texas secretary of state, said in a legal filing Monday that he would continue to defend the state’s open primary system, putting him at odds with the Texas GOP in the lawsuit filed by the party last … Continue reading →

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TPOR poll: Talarico 45, Paxton 40

Posted on July 29, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

First poll in a month, it’s a solid one for James Talarico. The latest survey of the U.S. Senate race from Texas Public Opinion Research shows Democrat James Talarico leading Republican Ken Paxton, 45% to 40%, marking the Austin state … Continue reading →

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Independent candidates update

Posted on July 19, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

From the San Antonio Report: Of the many candidates who originally filed their intention to run for office without a party affiliation this year, only a handful managed to collect enough signatures to get their name on the November ballot. Among them … Continue reading →

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A small bit of insight into the mind of Cornyn voters

Posted on July 18, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

What will they do? For months, Attorney General Ken Paxton and Sen. John Cornyn battered each other in a nasty and expensive race for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination in Texas. Now that Paxton has emerged victorious, GOP leaders from … Continue reading →

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When will the Collier lawsuit be heard?

Posted on July 8, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

This was the most recent update I found, about a week after the stories about the lawsuit being filed. Collier filed a federal lawsuit challenging the state’s ballot access laws. He argues they violate the constitutional rights of independent candidates … Continue reading →

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UT/Texas Politics Project: Paxton 43, Talarico 42

Posted on June 24, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

This is the first post-runoff poll from an outfit that had also polled before the GOP Senate candidate was known. Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico are neck and neck in the race for U.S. Senate, according to a new … Continue reading →

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The unhappy Republicans

Posted on June 19, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Going to keep thinking about them. Former Southlake Mayor John Huffman is struggling to see a place for himself in a Republican Party that put Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on the November ballot for U.S. Senate. The embattled attorney … Continue reading →

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Mike Collier sues over independent candidate ballot access law

Posted on June 18, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

I shake my head. Mike Collier, the two-time Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, has filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn Texas’ system for independent candidates to get on the ballot. The federal lawsuit, filed in Austin last week, says that … Continue reading →

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Of course they’ve lined up behind Bo French

Posted on June 5, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

What did you expect? Gov. Greg Abbott said Bo French would “wreck” Texas oil and gas production as he urged voters to support Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright. Wright’s fellow commissioners, Christi Craddick and Wayne Christian, also endorsed Wright over the hardline French, who … Continue reading →

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TPOR: Talarico 47, Paxton 44

Posted on June 1, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

This is a slightly weird one. Texas Public Opinion Research (TPOR) today released a new poll of likely Texas general election voters, surveying their attitudes on the 2026 races for U.S. Senate, Governor, and Attorney General. The survey of 1,670 … Continue reading →

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UnidosUS poll of Latino voters as we head to the midterms

Posted on May 30, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Lots here to think about. One in five Latino Texans who voted for President Donald Trump in 2024 would not support him again if given a redo, according to a new poll released Wednesday. In a survey of 500 registered … Continue reading →

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Talarico’s path to victory

Posted on May 29, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the pitch. In the end, James Talarico and Democrats got the matchup they had been salivating over for months. Within two hours of Ken Paxton’s GOP primary win on Tuesday, Talarico had hauled in $600,000 — the strongest two … Continue reading →

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Some early thoughts about the 2026 primary runoffs

Posted on May 28, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

A few of my thoughts and a few from other people… – There were 114,059 votes cast in the Democratic runoff in Harris County, with 552,678 in the Lite Guv race. (There’s no way I can see to get the … Continue reading →

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Colony Ridge developers sue Alex Jones

Posted on May 28, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Noted for the record. The developers of a Houston-area residential community are suing far-right radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones for defamation, after comments he made in a February video in which he called the community a “mortgage scam” that was … Continue reading →

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Primary runoff results: Statewide

Posted on May 27, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

This was a total anti-climax. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated veteran U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the GOP runoff Tuesday, toppling the four-term incumbent in a fierce duel that centered on who was more loyal to President Donald Trump. … Continue reading →

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Primary runoff results: Congress

Posted on May 27, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Rep. Christian Menefee won big. U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee defeated longtime U.S. Rep. Al Green in Houston’s closely watched Democratic runoff for Texas’ newly redrawn Congressional District 18, positioning Menefee to hold the heavily Democratic seat in November. The race capped … Continue reading →

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Primary runoff results: Local

Posted on May 27, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

As of a little after 10 PM when I draft this, I have no idea who will win the Democratic runoff for Harris County Judge. Letitia Plummer had a lead of 0.36%, which is to say 247 votes, with early … Continue reading →

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Final EV totals for the 2026 primary runoffs

Posted on May 24, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

From the Chron: The state’s red-hot Republican primary battles have ignited higher-than-usual voter turnout. Going into Friday, the last day of in-person early voting ahead of Tuesday’s runoff elections, almost 800,000 people had voted in the Democratic and Republican primary … Continue reading →

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I sure hope everyone has gotten the message about Maureen Galindo

Posted on May 22, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Today is the last day of early voting, and so here’s one more opportunity to condemn our worst candidate on the runoff ballot. The Bexar County Democratic Party on Wednesday joined other political organizations in denouncing the rhetoric of Democratic … Continue reading →

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Some Republicans say they disapprove of Trump’s endorsement of Paxton

Posted on May 21, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Time to put on our Susan Collins Is Very Concerned faces. President Donald Trump’s last-minute endorsement of Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate primary set off panic among Republicans who worry that keeping the seat will now be a more expensive and potentially … Continue reading →

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One crook endorses another

Posted on May 20, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Took his time doing it, too. President Donald Trump on Tuesday endorsed Ken Paxton in the Republican runoff for U.S. Senate in Texas, ending over a year of furious lobbying and giving the attorney general a significant boost in his … Continue reading →

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TSU poll: Talarico tied with Paxton, one point behind Cornyn

Posted on May 19, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Time for another poll. A new Texas Southern University survey suggests the race for U.S. Senate in Texas could be far tighter than many voters may expect heading into the November election. Early voting for the Texas primary runoff elections … Continue reading →

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2026 primary runoff EV report, Day One

Posted on May 19, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

I’m just going to cut to the chase here, as there’s only five days of early voting and my next update will be after Day Five. Here are the Day One totals for the May 2026 runoffs: Party Mail Early … Continue reading →

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An overview of the Dallas County precinct voting fiasco

Posted on May 16, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s Talking Points Memo with a closer look at what happened in Dallas in March and where all that is coming from. Since the 2020 election, right-wing activists have accelerated their efforts to curtail access to voting by promoting conspiracy … Continue reading →

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UH/Hobby poll: Parker 54, Plummer 36

Posted on May 15, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

More primary runoff polling. Former Houston Mayor Annise Parker holds an 18-point lead over Letitia Plummer, a former Houston City Council member, in the Democratic runoff for Harris County judge, according to a poll published Thursday by the University of … Continue reading →

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Two Congressional runoff polls

Posted on May 13, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Make of them what you will. Rep. Christian Menefee leads Rep. Al Green by 7 percentage points heading into the final days of the runoff, according to a new poll of the closely watched race between two Houston Democratic members … Continue reading →

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Republican panic update

Posted on May 9, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, my. Texas Republicans are once again sounding alarm bells about the state’s U.S. Senate seat, saying that if Republicans nominate state Attorney General Ken Paxton in the May 26 primary runoff, it will create a drag on the entire Texas GOP ticket. … Continue reading →

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When not to bet on yourself

Posted on May 7, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Dude… Texas GOP congressional candidate Zeke Enriquez bet on the outcome of his own election on Kalshi, the prediction market said in a press release Wednesday, marking the latest sign of the industry’s newfound prevalence in the state’s politics. Enriquez, who … Continue reading →

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New UH/Hobby poll has Paxton beating Cornyn in the Senate runoff

Posted on May 6, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

As long as they keep beating each other up, it’s all good. Attorney General Ken Paxton leads Sen. John Cornyn by three percentage points in a new poll of Texas’ U.S. Senate Republican runoff, suggesting the May 26 contest will … Continue reading →

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Texas Politics Project poll: Talarico leads again

Posted on May 1, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

It’s becoming a trend. Democrat James Talarico leads both Republicans vying to face him in the November U.S. Senate contest, according to a new poll released Wednesday. Talarico led U.S. Sen. John Cornyn 40% to 33% in a potential matchup, and held … Continue reading →

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TPOR poll: Talarico leading both Cornyn and Paxton

Posted on April 29, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

This will never get old. Democratic state Rep. James Talarico is leading both of his prospective Republican opponents in a new poll of Texas’ U.S. Senate race — though the result is within the margin of error in either scenario, … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS approves Texas redistricting map

Posted on April 28, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

I mean, obviously. Texas’ newly redrawn congressional map is officially cleared for use, after the U.S. Supreme Court formally overturned a lower court’s ruling Monday. In November, the high court allowed the map to be used temporarily. Monday’s ruling maintains … Continue reading →

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Some insight into Ken Paxton’s finances

Posted on April 27, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Fascinating. In 2019, hostile attorneys questioned Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton about his conduct as a lawyer: Had he turned over a former client’s communications to an attorney suing that client? Paxton acknowledged that he had, one of the nuggets … Continue reading →

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