Tag Archives: Election 2026

Quorum break Day 5 roundup: Help an ideological enemy out?

Posted on August 9, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Hilarious. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and House Speaker Dustin Burrows are asking an Illinois court to enforce arrest warrants against Democratic lawmakers who have left the state to delay passage of a GOP-backed congressional map. Burrows issued civil arrest … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Quorum break Day 4 roundup: So what is the FBI doing?

Posted on August 8, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Nobody knows. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn announced that the FBI has granted his request to investigate and locate the Texas Democratic lawmakers who left the state in an attempt to stop the passage of new GOP-favored congressional maps. A spokesperson … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Quorum break Day 4 roundup: So what is the FBI doing?

Quorum break Day 3 roundup: Of course there’s a bomb threat

Posted on August 7, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose something like this was inevitable. Texas House Democrats in Illinois to block GOP redistricting were evacuated from their hotel Wednesday morning due to a bomb threat, lawmakers and local police said. A press conference scheduled for 12:30 p.m. … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Quorum break Day 2 roundup: Paxton hauls out a big threat

Posted on August 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

He seems destined to fail, but we’re going to go through the motions anyway, I guess. Attorney General Ken Paxton will ask for a court ruling declaring vacant the seats of any lawmakers who are not back to work by … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Quorum break Day 2 roundup: Paxton hauls out a big threat

If Democrats could gerrymander now in Texas

Posted on August 5, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

There’s not a lot of news on Day Two of Quorum Break 2025. The session ground to a halt as expected. Greg Abbott shook his fist and threatened to Do Things to the absent Democrats that he does not have … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

State House Dems break quorum

Posted on August 4, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

It’s on. Texas Democratic lawmakers fled the state Sunday in a bid to block passage of a new congressional map designed to give the GOP five additional seats in the U.S. House next year, raising the stakes in what’s poised … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Tarrant County responds to redistricting lawsuit

Posted on August 4, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Noted for the record. Tarrant County filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by citizens claiming the county engaged in racial gerrymandering when they approved a map with new precinct boundaries on June 3. The motion argues the court … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Tarrant County responds to redistricting lawsuit

On Ed Pollard’s campaign cash

Posted on August 3, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a lot, as we have previously noted. It isn’t even close to the time potential candidates will start announcing their intention to run for Houston mayor in 2027. But if campaign finance reports are any indicator, Council Member Edward … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Q&A on redistricting

Posted on August 2, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

From Bolts Magazine: The Texas legislature began meeting in a special session last week to adopt a new congressional map that will, they hope, provide additional seats to the GOP in next year’s midterms. On Wednesday, Republicans released a draft … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

City Council officially sets At Large #4 special election

Posted on August 1, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Just dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s here. Houston voters will elect a new City Council member in November who could play a formative role in shaping city policy for the next eight years. The council on Wednesday voted … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2025 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Senate again passes THC ban

Posted on July 31, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

What are we even doing here? The Texas Senate on Wednesday preliminarily approved its second attempt to ban hemp-derived THC, setting up a showdown with the House, where hemp industry members say they’ll be getting more support. Senate Bill 5 … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Senate again passes THC ban

Ken Paxton likes spending money

Posted on July 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

On fancy lawyers. Perhaps because he has to, as a result of his own actions. One day in late May 2024, lawyer Zina Bash spent 6 1/2 hours working on a case against Facebook parent company Meta on behalf of … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Ken Paxton likes spending money

Bobby Pulido

Posted on July 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

We learn some more about a Democratic Congressional recruit. Tejano superstar Bobby Pulido is forming an exploratory committee for a congressional bid in South Texas as he considers challenging Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Edinburg. Pulido, a Democrat and Edinburg … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

July 2025 campaign finance reports – City of Houston

Posted on July 25, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

PREVOIUSLY: Harris County Senate and Congress When I did the January roundup for the city of Houston, I didn’t expect there to be much activity of interest in July, given that the next regularly scheduled election for the city is … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2025, Election 2027 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Is Talarico leaning towards a Senate run?

Posted on July 24, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like it. Texas state Rep. James Talarico hasn’t yet decided if he will run for the U.S. Senate, but he’s taken a key step to lay the groundwork. Talarico, an Austin Democrat, registered the internet domain name “TalaricoForSenate.com,” which … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Is Talarico leaning towards a Senate run?

Redistricting hearings

Posted on July 24, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Attend or watch if you can. The state House has scheduled redistricting hearings in Austin, Houston and Arlington, signaling a fast start to the Republican-backed effort to redraw the boundary lines for Texas congressional districts in the special legislative session that started Monday. … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Is Abbott now pro-THC banning?

Posted on July 23, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Kinda, yeah. Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday that he supports banning intoxicating hemp products, appearing to walk back his calls last month for lawmakers to regulate the state’s burgeoning THC industry like it does for alcohol. In interviews with media … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

July 2025 campaign finance reports – Senate and Congress

Posted on July 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

PREVOIUSLY: Harris County Back in April I just took a look at who had already started raising money for CD18. There wasn’t much else to report so I thought I’d wait till the July report to see what was going … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on July 2025 campaign finance reports – Senate and Congress

On pursuing rural voters

Posted on July 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is an op-ed written by former State Rep. Glenn Rogers, who was targeted and ousted by Greg Abbott in the 2024 primaries because he was anti-voucher. He has not taken that defeat lying down. Our great state is experiencing … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on On pursuing rural voters

There’s a map

Posted on July 20, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The special session gavels in tomorrow and there’s a new proposed Congressional map, but before we get to that let’s look at the lay of the land going into the session. On Monday, state lawmakers held a call with U.S. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Joe Jaworski to run for AG again

Posted on July 19, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Another contested primary on our side. Joe Jaworski, an attorney and former Galveston mayor, is running for Texas attorney general again, three years after making an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic nomination to become the state’s top civil lawyer. Jaworski … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Joe Jaworski to run for AG again

July 2025 campaign finance reports – Harris County offices

Posted on July 18, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

It’s mid-to-late July, and you know what that means: It’s campaign finance report season! We’ve got a lot to cover, as there’s more angles and intrigue than usual, certainly a lot more than there was three months ago. I’ll start … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Re-redistricting watch: El Paso in focus

Posted on July 17, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Not a big surprise. President Donald Trump’s request that Texas Republicans seek to create five new congressional seats for the GOP in an upcoming special legislation could involve redrawing boundaries in El Paso, a website focused on Congress says. Diluting … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Re-redistricting watch: El Paso in focus

Benjamin Flores

Posted on July 17, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

We have more than one Democrat running for Governor. I first met Ben Flores last fall, at his small pig farm on the outskirts of Bay City, a working-class town about half an hour north of Matagorda Bay. The cybersecurity … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Nathan Johnson officially announces for AG

Posted on July 16, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

He should be a good candidate. State Sen. Nathan Johnson is running for Texas attorney general, the three-term Dallas Democrat announced Tuesday. He told The Texas Tribune that, if elected, he would look to restore “faith and confidence” in an … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

What the medical marijuana industry wants from the special session

Posted on July 15, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

To protect their interests, of course. Texas’ medical marijuana dispensaries entered into this year’s legislative session with a two-prong strategy to expand: to loosen the state’s rules on their industry that has made the program largely inaccessible to those who … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on What the medical marijuana industry wants from the special session

Opening look at the re-redistricting effort

Posted on July 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

They’re coming for our districts. More than one million Houstonians could have new congressional representation as early as next year under Gov. Greg Abbott’s push to redraw the state’s political maps. Abbott has ordered the Texas Legislature into a special … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

CM Plummer formally announces for Harris County Judge

Posted on July 9, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Houston’s worst-kept secret is a secret no more. Houston City Council member Letitia Plummer plans to resign her position to run in the Democratic primary for Harris County judge, she told the Houston Chronicle in an exclusive interview. The seat … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2025, Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Erica Lee Carter to run for Harris County Judge if Judge Hidalgo does not

Posted on July 8, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Things are getting more interesting. As Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo waits to announce her plans on seeking reelection, former Congressman Erica Lee Carter announced Monday she may run for the seat. “I want to make it clear, if Judge … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Erica Lee Carter to run for Harris County Judge if Judge Hidalgo does not

Paxton drops his latest whistleblower appeal

Posted on July 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see if this time it sticks. Texas will pay $6.6 million to four former top deputies to Attorney General Ken Paxton who say they were fired after reporting their boss to the FBI. This years-long legal saga reached its … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Paxton drops his latest whistleblower appeal

California threatens retaliatory re-redistricting

Posted on July 5, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a thing they could do. House Democratic leadership, rank-and-file members and aides to at least one blue state governor have been meeting to decide how to retaliate if Texas Republicans follow through on the White House’s push to reshape … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A sudden surge in potential candidates

Posted on July 4, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Former San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg may be running for Governor. Sources say former Mayor Ron Nirenberg has been telling fellow Democrats he’s considering a run for governor in 2026 — a potentially grueling race against the formidable Republican Gov. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on A sudden surge in potential candidates

Allred 2.0 launches

Posted on July 2, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

He’s back. Democrat Colin Allred launched his campaign for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, making a second run at the upper chamber after failing to unseat U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz last year. “Texans are working harder than ever, not getting as … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

SD09 special election set for November

Posted on July 1, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This could, and hopefully will, be interesting. Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday set a special election for Nov. 4 to fill the Texas Senate seat vacated by Republican Kelly Hancock, who resigned from the Legislature earlier this month to become the acting state comptroller. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2025 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on SD09 special election set for November