Category Archives: Election 2012

Who not to vote for 2012

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

There are a number of interesting and exciting Democratic primary races on this year’s ballot. You can see a bunch of them here and here. There are many good candidates, and many races in which you may have a difficult … Continue reading →

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Interview with Rep. Garnet Coleman

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

State Rep. Garnet Coleman is one of my favorite people in the Legislature. He’s one of the most knowledgeable members in the House on matters relating to health care policy, and he’s a leader on a wide range of issues … Continue reading →

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Americans Elect starts the petition process

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

And they’re off. Americans Elect — an emerging, alternative third party that plans to use the Internet to field a presidential ticket this year — is starting to gather signatures of registered voters in Texas to try to gain a … Continue reading →

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Interview with Wanda Adams

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Also running in HD131 is Wanda Adams, who has served two full terms in Houston City Council District D and was re-elected easily for her third term last November. Adams is a native Houstonian who graduated from Kashmere High School … Continue reading →

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The Congressional shuffle

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Pending any further news, I think I’ve got my 2012 Democratic primaries, non-Harris County page updated. Most of the action was in Congressional races. Here are a few highlights from these filings. – David Alameel switched from CD06 to CD33, … Continue reading →

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Interview with Rep. Alma Allen

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I now finally turn my focus to legislative and Congressional primaries. As you might imagine, it’s been a bit of a challenge figuring this part out, since we just now know what the districts look like and who the candidates … Continue reading →

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Re-Filing deadline roundup

Posted on March 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The re-filing deadline was Friday, and as expected there was a flurry of activity on the final day. I’m going to do a news roundup to highlight what went on and who’s now running for what. You can find a … Continue reading →

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DOJ denies Galveston County redistricting

Posted on March 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Just a reminder that there’s more to redistricting than the state level. The U.S. Department of Justice late Monday rejected Galveston County’s proposed redistricting maps for county commissioner precincts, justices of the peace and constables. The rejection could put at … Continue reading →

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It’s Williams on Williams time again

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I would not call it a good thing to come out of the updated interim maps since there’s a good chance one of these jokers will get elected, but for those of you with a morbid fascination with sideshows, the … Continue reading →

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Interview with Sean Hammerle

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Sean Hammerle is running to be the Democratic nominee for Harris County Commissioner in Precinct 4, the seat formerly held by the now-convicted Jerry Eversole and now by Jack Cagle. Hammerle is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), and has … Continue reading →

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Filings and un-filings

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Tomorrow is the re-filing deadline, the last day that candidates have to jump into a district that now looks good to them, or to withdraw from one that no longer does. There is still a possibility of further map changes, … Continue reading →

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It’s time to go on the offensive for women’s health

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I believe that just as Democrats must make the 2012 elections in Texas about public education, they must also make them about health care, in particular access to health care for women. There’s some polling data to suggest this will … Continue reading →

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Good news and bad news

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. Big news today: Bastrop County Judge Ronnie McDonald is stepping down from his position. At a press conference today, he announced today that he will either run for the 17th Legislative District, anchored in Bastrop and currently held … Continue reading →

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Interview with HCDP Chair Lane Lewis

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Next week I will begin running interviews for legislative races. As you might imagine, the long-running saga of when the primary would be, coupled with the uncertainty of what the districts would be as well as the re-filing period now … Continue reading →

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Mighty pricey Main Street you’ve got there

Posted on March 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

My Irony-O-Meter goes to eleven. A Houston-based super PAC is targeting a dozen Democratic and Republican incumbents to reshape the political landscape in five states, including Texas where critics say an election law loophole is being used by a wealthy … Continue reading →

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A place to start

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

At least one elected Republican is feeling a bit angsty about the Republican war on women’s health. For some GOP lawmakers, the issue gets deeply personal, and the line between party loyalty, allegiance to anti-abortion politics and public health is … Continue reading →

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May 29 election date and re-filing period officially set

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the court order, and here’s the revised election calendar. The main things you need to know are that candidates who had filed for office in the prior period are automatically in unless they withdraw. The new filing period runs … Continue reading →

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Interview with Patty Quintana-Nilsson

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

My final interview with the Democratic hopefuls for State Board of Education District 6 is with Patty Quintana-Nilsson. She is a UH graduate with a degree in Radio & Television Communications, and she is a 15-year employee of the Spring … Continue reading →

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Lampson saddles up

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s good to have him back. On Monday, former U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson told a crowd of about 40 supporters gathered at Texas City’s city hall that he was running in the newly drawn 14th District “because Congress is too … Continue reading →

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We have maps

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

From The Trib: Federal judges in San Antonio unveiled maps for the state’s congressional delegation and for the state House this afternoon, and they did it in time to allow the state to hold its delayed political primaries on May … Continue reading →

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Interview with David Scott

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Next up for State Board of Education District 6 is David Scott. Scott ia an A&M graduate who has a Masters of Library Science from the University of North Texas. He worked a variety of jobs in several industries, including … Continue reading →

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Interview with Traci Jensen

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We now move on to the State Board of Education, the one entity affected by legislative redistricting that is not at issue in the current litigation, as the new SBOE map was precleared. I don’t think I need to explain … Continue reading →

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One good thing will come out of Craig James’ Senate campaign

Posted on February 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

He apparently won’t be brought back by ESPN. Sportwriters and fans alike rejoice.

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Still no voter registration cards yet

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve written about this before, but apparently there are some rumors running around regarding voter registration cards. Central Texas elections officials are warning against a rash of emails spreading false information about voter registration — an already confusing issue for … Continue reading →

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Interview with Sean Hubbard

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Sean Hubbard has been in the race for Senator longer than any other candidate, having started his campaign in January, 2011, right when Sen. Hutchison made her retirement official. Hubbard is easily the youngest candidate running for Senate at 30 … Continue reading →

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Santorum surges in January UT/Trib poll

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

There will come a day when using the word “surge” to describe the now-frontrunning Republican Presidential candidate in Texas will get old. That day has not arrived yet. Former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania has a commanding lead among Republican … Continue reading →

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Interview with Paul Sadler

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I have just a couple of Harris County Democratic races left to deal with, and I will return to them in two weeks. In the meantime, we now have a sorta-kinda primary date of May 29, but we still don’t … Continue reading →

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Weekend redistricting update

Posted on February 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

One more plaintiff has signed on to the Abbott map deal. The Mexican American Legislative Caucus is now joining the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund in saying that the state-backed Congressional District 35, a proposed new district that … Continue reading →

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Non-discrimination ballot referendum coming

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve been waiting for this. Activists are preparing a petition to put a referendum on Houston’s November ballot, calling for a ban on discrimination against gays and permission for the city to grant health insurance benefits to the unmarried partners … Continue reading →

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State agrees to leave SD10 unchanged

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This is big. Negotiators in San Antonio — trying to find common ground on state legislative and congressional districts so a primary date in Texas that can stick may finally be set — agreed to leave unchanged state Senate District … Continue reading →

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Interview with Mike Anderson

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Challenging Pat Lykos in the GOP primary for District Attorney is another person who has spent years as a judge, Mike Anderson. Anderson started out in the DA’s office after completing law school and spent 17 years as a prosecutor, … Continue reading →

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The plaintiffs’ proposal for the Lege

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I know it will break your heart to hear that Harris County GOP Chair Jared Woodfill is a little peeved at Greg Abbott and Steve Munisteri because he thinks the Abbott map makes Harris County too Democratic. What got Woodfill … Continue reading →

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Ames Jones resigns from the Railroad Commission

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We have our answer about how confident she was in her defense of that lawsuit. Elizabeth Ames Jones resigned from the Texas Railroad Commission on Monday to devote herself full time to running for state Senate District 25, she said … Continue reading →

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On primary challenges

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I bookmarked this Statesman story about State Sen. Jeff Wentworth and the primary challenge he faces back when it ran, not because I was terribly interested in that particular race (though some elements of it are quite entertaining) but mostly … Continue reading →

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