It’s like deja vu all over again. State Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, has filed a bill to move up the primary one month in even-numbered years, to the first Tuesday in February. Patrick said people in both parties should support the measure because it would give Texas a greater say in presidential elections. “I’m tired [...]
Posts Tagged ‘TDP’
Runoff turnout
Who knows what to expect? Texans are voting in July for the first time in decades, the result of a lengthy federal court battle over new political districts that delayed the primary from March 6 to May 29. The unusual timing of the runoff in the middle of the summer — when many people are [...]
Steve Brown: The Grown-Up’s Platform
The following is from a series of guest posts that I will be presenting over the next few weeks. Texas Democrats recently adopted a very progressive platform that addresses critical areas of need in our state. It also gives reasonable, mature Texans an alternative to empty ideological rhetoric. Although most headlines will center on our [...]
Things to do this weekend
The Texas Democratic Party State Convention is in town starting tomorrow. Here are some of the things I plan to do: Thursday The HDCC was instrumental in getting the House Democratic caucus to 74 members after the 2008 election. It will be equally instrumental in getting it back after the 2010 debacle and redistricting. Plus, [...]
Harris County rejecting fewer voter registrations
In other lawsuit-related news: Harris County officials have rejected far fewer would-be voters since 2008, but Democrats are demanding more proof that voter rolls are not being illegally suppressed – particularly among Hispanics – as another U.S. presidential election approaches. The two sides [met] in secret mediation Friday as Democratic officials seek assurances the county [...]
If it walks like a PAC and talks like a PAC…
…the odds are pretty good that it’s a PAC. A Travis County district court judge ruled this week that a Houston-based tea party group is not a nonprofit corporation as it claims, but an unregistered political action committee that illegally aided the Republican Party through its poll-watching efforts during the 2010 elections. The summary judgment [...]
Trying to save the April 3 primary date
The race is on to get new maps in hand in time to keep the April 3 primary date, since all the options for after that date are distinctly unpalatable in one way or another. On Friday, the State of Texas asked the San Antonio court to get its work done by January 30. The [...]
Redistricting litigation threatens party conventions
With the April 3 primary date now almost certainly no longer in play, the two parties’ biennial conventions are also at risk as the redistricting litigation drags on. The state’s Democratic and Republican parties made substantial down payments months ago to reserve convention and hotel space in June. But if the primaries are delayed again [...]
We have a deal on a unified primary date
From the Inbox: Joint Statement from TDP and RPT on Agreement Regarding 2012 General Primary Election Parties have submitted a joint agreed proposal to the San Antonio federal panel. Today, the Texas Democratic Party (TDP) and the Republican Party of Texas (RPT) issued a statement announcing that the two parties have submitted a joint agreed proposal [...]
DC court sets date for preclearance trial, primary dates still up in the air
Via email from the Lone Star Project: [Monday], a three-judge panel of the District of Columbia Federal District Court set January 17, 2012 through January 26, 2012 as the trial dates to formally review the Congressional, State House and State Senate plans enacted by the Texas Republican leadership this summer. The DC Court will review [...]
DOJ pushes back on State House and Congressional maps
Good. The Justice Department said Monday that Texas’ state House and congressional redistricting plans didn’t comply with Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), indicating they thought the maps approved by Gov. Rick Perry (R) gave too little voting power to the growing Latino population in the state. Officials with DOJ’s Civil Rights Division [...]
The districts in dispute
The redistricting lawsuit in San Antonio wrapped up on Friday, so at this point all we can do is wait for the three-judge panel to issue its opinion, and for the DC Circuit Court to have it say on preclearance. You never know what judges will do, but there may be some tea leaves to [...]
More redistricting plaintiffs
Here’s an update to the scorecard, for those of you hoping to keep track of the players. The Texas Democratic Party officially entered the court fight over Republican-dominated redistricting maps Wednesday. The new claims by the state Democratic Party came a day after the NAACP and other leading African American groups joined three redistricting lawsuits [...]
Richie will not run for another term as TDP Chair
Over the weekend, Texas Democratic Party Chair Boyd Richie announced that he would not seek another term when his current one expires next year. I’ve put his press release beneath the fold. I think Richie did some good work as Chair – the TDP is a lot more functional now than it was before he [...]
Petition for new HCDP Chair
I don’t know how I feel about this, but it’s out there so I feel I should say something. The time has come for new leadership in the Harris County Democratic Party. After November’s defeat, we should look to new leadership, new ideas and a new strategy to win in November 2012 – because the [...]
TDP to get KSP’s financial records
Good. Houston tea party spinoff King Street Patriots will grant the Texas Democratic Party access to its financial records, forestalling an injunction hearing that had been set for Monday afternoon in Austin, according to TDP. According to a TDP news release, review of the records will occur Tuesday at noon, with a hearing scheduled for [...]
Hey, big secret spender
I know you’re as shocked as I am to learn that there are unknown entities spending large quantities of money in this election. Campaign finance watchdogs say the tactic conceals important information about who is backing a political cause, but both groups insist they have followed the law and anonymity had nothing to do with [...]
TPJ files complaint against King Street Patriots
From the inbox: TPJ today filed a formal complaint with the Texas Ethics Commission alleging that the King Street Patriots and KSP/True the Vote have violated the state’s prohibition on corporate contributions to political parties and candidates. The complaint says the groups appear to have made repeated in-kind corporate contributions to the Harris County Republican [...]
TDP sues Tax Assessor again over voter registrations
This happened late last week while I was still affected by my site outage. For the second time in as many years, the Texas Democratic Party has filed a lawsuit against the Harris County tax assessor-collector, accusing the Republican-led voter registration office with illegally rejecting voter applications and with sharing information with political allies that [...]
Birdwell will be on the ballot
So says the Fifth Court of Appeals. A three-judge panel from that court ruled against the Democrats and said it won’t consider rehearing the case because of pending election deadlines: We conclude relators have not shown they are entitled to the relief requested. Accordingly,we deny relators’ petition for writ of mandamus. See TEx. R. APP. [...]
Is that really the argument you want to make?
SD22 special election winner and GOP nominee for November Bill Birdwell filed his response to the lawsuit that challenged his residency on Friday, and, well, color me puzzled. “It has been Texas law for over 40 years that a person’s voter registration and voting history is conclusive as to that person’s residence,” the Democrats argued [...]
Birdwell ballot challenge timeline
As you know, the Texas Democratic Party and its candidate for SD22, John Cullar, have filed a lawsuit challenging the residency of Republican candidate Bill Birdwell. Here’s the latest news regarding that: The Dallas Court of Appeals has asked Sen. Brian Birdwell and Republican Party chairman Steve Munisteri to send in their replies to a [...]
Dems drop effort to remove Greens from the ballot
After the initial Supreme Court ruling, it was probably a long shot. The Texas Democratic Party today cleared the way for Green Party candidates to remain on the ballot this year by dropping its state Supreme Court challenge to the legality of the Green’s ballot access petition drive. However, the Democrats indicated the party will [...]
Supremes give Greens a reprieve
They’re on the ballot for now. The Texas Supreme Court today stayed a district judge’s order blocking the Green Party of Texas from certifying its candidates for the general election ballot. The order allows the Green Party to legally establish a list of candidates for the general election. But the court also set a series [...]
Green Party appeals to Supreme Court
As expected. Even if allegations about an illegal petition drive are true, knocking Green Party candidates off the November general election ballot before they can be proven imposes “a death penalty,” lawyers for the party argued Monday in a written appeal to the Texas Supreme Court. The party has until Friday to certify its candidates [...]
Richie re-elected as TDP Chair, Two-Step survives
The first, Boyd Ritchie’s re-election as TDP Chair, was expected. The second was more unexpected. Texas Democrats this afternoon overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to scrap the Texas Two-Step system of awarding presidential delegates through both a primary and caucuses. Those pushing for change lost a preliminary fight in a rules committee meeting earlier today. But [...]
Corpus coverage
Due to unavoidable schedule conflicts, I’m not down in Corpus Christi this weekend for the TDP convention. Here are some of the places where I’ll be following what’s going on: The Trib’s liveblog Abby Rapoport Bob Moser John Coby David Ortez PDiddie Musings Dos Centavos RBear Letters from Texas Eye on Williamson Here’s the Chron [...]
Greens booted from the ballot
A judge in Austin has ruled in favor of the Texas Democratic Party in a motion to bar the Green Party from the ballot this fall on the grounds that the funds used to collect their signatures were illegal corporate contributions. Attorneys for the Green Party said they would quickly appeal to the Texas Supreme [...]
Greens temporarily make the ballot
The Texas Secretary of State has certified the petition signatures to allow the Green Party on the ballot this fall. On Wednesday, the secretary of state’s office announced that the party had presented sufficient signatures to field candidates in the fall. The party hasn’t fielded a statewide slate since 2002. Buck Wood, an Austin lawyer [...]
Meet The Statewides and The Other 49%
The TDP is running a ten-week campaign between now and June 14 to promote the statewide slate. It includes a bio with 60-second video for each candidate, a discussion of the candidate’s race and the issues in it, and an op-ed from the candidate. It’s a good introduction, especially for the candidates who were unopposed [...]
Edwards asks for recount
No surprise. State Rep. Al Edwards has asked for a recount of the primary election votes in the race he lost to Borris Miles by 10 votes. Edwards filed the paperwork and submitted a $4,400 deposit this morning at the state Democratic Party headquarters in Austin, a spokeswoman confirmed. [...] Harris County Democratic Party Chairman [...]
Rogers resolution
Good. The State Democratic Executive Committee of the Texas Democratic Party approved a resolution today that “releases party officers and members from their obligation to support LaRouche follower Kesha Rogers.” The resolution states that the movement includes “instances of illegal activities, discriminatory proclamations and thuggish behavior” and “contains clear, convincing and overwhelming evidence of discrimination [...]