Tag Archives: Carol Alvarado

Endorsement watch: Hidalgo for SJL

I don’t usually pay much attention to “elected official endorses candidate” news, mostly because most of the time it makes little difference, but in this Mayor’s race I’m more interested than usual, so I will note this for the record. … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2023 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Impeachment in the Senate

Long Trib story about what to expect when the Senate finally takes up the impeachment trial of Ken Paxton. The Senate plans to consider impeachment rules on June 20 and to start the trial by Aug. 28. Yet there are … Continue reading

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

Some dough for downtown

It would be nice. With just days left in this year’s regular session of the Texas Legislature, Houston-area lawmakers are fighting for a measure that would likely provide several billion dollars to expand the George R. Brown Convention Center and … Continue reading

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Bills filed to stop the TEA takeover of HISD

Feels too late to me, but it can’t hurt to try. State senators have filed the first bill to soften the law that triggers school district takeovers. State Sens. Carol Alvarado, Borris Miles and John Whitmire filed Senate Bill 1662 in response to the threat of … Continue reading

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Two out of three state leaders open to expanded gambling

As we know, two out of three ain’t bad, but it also ain’t enough. House Speaker Dade Phelan on Thursday left the door open to legalizing sports betting and casino gambling in Texas, the latest sign that opposition may be … Continue reading

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The Lege does its housekeeping

In the Senate, they drew their lots to see who would have to run again in 2024. It was the luck of the draw for Texas senators on Wednesday as they drew lots to decide which half of them would … Continue reading

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The only pre-session gambling expansion story you need

Just re-run a version of this for the foreseeable future. Although casino giants and sports betting groups are making a big push in Texas, the head of the state Senate said he isn’t seeing much progress on the issue going … Continue reading

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Time once again for the biennial paean to the gambling lobby

Such a weird tradition we observe. Even before Gov. Greg Abbott declared in October that he’s willing to consider expanded gaming options in Texas, that industry was trying to improve its odds in the state by doling out massive campaign … Continue reading

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Alvarado’s filibuster ends

It was a strong effort, and she deserves credit for it. After 15 hours of speaking nearly nonstop against the GOP’s priority elections bill, State Sen. Carol Alvarado, a Houston Democrat, concluded her filibuster on Thursday morning. “Voter suppression anywhere … Continue reading

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The Alvarado filibuster

Wear comfortable shoes, Senator. The GOP voting restrictions push that left the Texas House scrambling to round up absent Democrats also shut down work in the Texas Senate on Wednesday evening as state Sen. Carol Alvarado launched into a filibuster … Continue reading

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Why the push for casinos failed

Here’s a long story with a detailed answer to what is honestly a straightforward and easy to understand question. In its effort to bring casinos to Texas, Las Vegas Sands — the gaming empire started by the late Republican megadonor … Continue reading

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The next voter registration project

Necessary, but not sufficient. Texas Democrats’ takeaways from the 2020 election are clear: to take back our state from Texas Republicans, Democrats need to register more voters. With Republicans’ increasing extremism and relentless attacks on Texans this spring, the stakes … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Giving a hand to music venues

This is a good idea. Qualifying Texas music venues could get up to $100,000 each in tax rebates on alcohol sales under legislation that has passed the House and Senate and now is on its way to Gov. Greg Abbott … Continue reading

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First major vote suppression bill passes

Nothing’s going to stop them. Senate Republicans on Thursday cleared the way for new, sweeping restrictions to voting in Texas that take particular aim at forbidding local efforts meant to widen access. In an overnight vote after more than seven … Continue reading

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Assault on abortion advances in Senate

I have four things to say about this. The Texas Senate gave initial approval Monday to a half-dozen bills that would restrict access to abortion, including a priority measure that could ban abortions before many women know they are pregnant. … Continue reading

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Mayor Whitmire 2.0?

Buried in this story about the recent departure of HPD Chief Art Acevedo for Miami is the following tidbit: Houston insiders knew that the 56-year-old Acevedo had been considering a mayoral run once Sylvester Turner reached his term limit in … Continue reading

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Bills to allow casinos filed

Don’t bet on them, that’s my advice. Two Texas lawmakers on Tuesday filed legislation backed by the gaming empire Las Vegas Sands that would legalize casino gambling in Texas. The legislation was filed by Rep. John Kuempel, R-Seguin, in the … Continue reading

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Again with defining the Governor’s powers in an emergency

The legislative process has begun, and I feel like we’ve already lost the plot. For roughly the past year, Republicans and Democrats have picked apart the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic — and particularly how Gov. Greg Abbott has … Continue reading

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Bill Kelly: Voting Matters

(Note: The following is a guest post that was submitted to me. I occasionally solicit guest posts, and also occasionally accept them from people I trust.) The national headlines have highlighted the increased turnout among Harris County voters, and rightfully … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2020, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Endorsement watch: Carol and Borris

This is another easy call. When Carol Alvarado was elected to represent state Senate District 6 in a special election in 2018, she already had an impressive record under her belt. After serving on Houston City Council and as the … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Fallon fallout

Of interest. After Sen. Pat Fallon’s impressive though not unexpected victory this weekend in the insider’s race to be the GOP nominee for Congressional District 4 – being vacated by Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe – rumors are flying … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Who might run for Mayor in 2023?

So Election 2019 is (modulo District B) safely in the books, and Sylvester Turner is in office for his second and final term. In years past at this time I’d be taking a look ahead at the next city election … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2023 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

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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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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Initial reaction to the TEA action on HISD

Lots of wait and see so far. Houston-area political and community leaders offered muted response Thursday to a state recommendation issued this week to replace Houston ISD’s school board, reserving judgment until more details are known about a Texas Education … Continue reading

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Today is Runoff Day in HD145

From the Inbox: Tuesday, March 5, 2019, is Election Day for voters in Texas State Representative District 145. There will be 27 Voting Locations open from 7 am to 7 pm. Voters may visit the County Clerk’s election page, www.harrisvotes.com … Continue reading

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Final EV totals in HD145

A bit less than Round One so far. Early voting in the House District 145 special election runoff ended Friday with a spike in turnout, though only a small fraction of registered voters have cast ballots so far in the … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

HD145 runoff set for March 5

We have a date. The special election runoff for House District 145 will take place March 5, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Tuesday. The contest will determine the successor to former state Rep. Carol Alvarado, who won a state Senate special … Continue reading

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Morales and Noriega in runoff for HD145

No surprises here. Democrats Christina Morales and Melissa Noriega appeared headed for a runoff in the special election Tuesday to fill state Sen. Carol Alvarado’s seat in the Texas House. Early voting and absentee ballot totals showed Morales, a city … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Early voting ends in HD145

Turnout ticked up considerably on Friday, which is an alternate headline for the one given to the Chron story. Early voting to fill state Sen. Carol Alvarado’s former seat in the Texas House ended Friday with just 1,528 ballots recorded, … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Slow going so far in HD145 special election

Still a week of early voting to go, but so far just a handful of ballots have been cast. Voters in Texas’ 145th House District are trickling to the polls for the first week of early voting in a sluggish … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Early voting begins Monday for HD145 special election

From the inbox: First week Early Voting hours for the January 29, 2019 Special Election To Fill A Vacancy For State Representative District 145 will now be extended from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.  Extended voting hours will now give … Continue reading

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Eight file for HD145

It’s a big field. Eight candidates filed by Thursday’s 5 p.m. deadline for the Jan. 29 special election to fill the Texas House seat vacated by Sen. Carol Alvarado, D-Houston. Early voting begins Jan. 14, a little more than a … Continue reading

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HD145 and HD79 special elections set

Another sprint. Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday set a Jan. 29 special election to fill state Sen. Carol Alvarado’s seat in the Texas House, hours after she was sworn in to the upper chamber. Alvarado, D-Houston, won a special election … Continue reading

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