Category Archives: Election 2014

What’s at stake in the Democratic primaries

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve had my fun poking holes in Mark Jones’ ridiculous argument that we should all just vote in the Republican primary, but now it’s time to talk about the Democratic primary and why these races matter. US Senate On Monday … Continue reading →

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Abbott outraises Davis on 30 day report

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Would have been nice to have done better. Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott outraised Democratic state Sen. Wendy Davis by more than 3-to-1 in the first three weeks in January in the race for governor, according to figures reported by … Continue reading →

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Interview with Maxey Scherr

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

As previously noted, there’s a huge gaggle of candidates running for Senate this year – eight Republicans, counting incumbent John Cornyn; five Democrats, four (!) independents, three Libertarians, and a Green, who may or may not be in a pear … Continue reading →

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Pay no attention to Mark Jones

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This is a really bad idea. At least for the time being, the Republican primary is the decisive election for the governance of Texas. In contrast, the most pressing issue facing Houston-area Democratic primary voters will be whether they prefer … Continue reading →

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Interview with Mike Fjetland

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

As the Trib recently noted, there are twenty-one candidates for US Senate this year in Texas – eight Republicans, counting incumbent John Cornyn; five Democrats, four (!) independents, three Libertarians, and a Green, who may or may not be in … Continue reading →

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How extreme is too extreme?

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The GOP candidates for Lite Guv are doing their best to test the hypothesis that having an R next to your name is all you need to get elected statewide in Texas, regardless of your stated positions on issues. The … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Fitzsimons for Ag Commissioner

Posted on February 2, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron recommends Hugh Fitzsimons as the best choice for Ag Commissioner in the Democratic primary. A 59-year-old San Antonio native and third-generation rancher, Fitzsimons produces honey and raises grass-fed organic bison on his ranch in Dimmit County. One of … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of DA primary

Posted on February 1, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I can’t stress enough how much this race matters. Running for the Democratic nomination for Harris County District Attorney, Kim Ogg has spent the past four months shaking hands, staking out her positions on criminal justice issues and raising about … Continue reading →

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January campaign finance reports for Harris County legislative candidates

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This could take awhile, and that’s with me limiting myself to contested races. First, the Senate. SD04 Brandon Creighton Steven Toth SD07 Paul Bettencourt James Wilson Jim Davis SD15 John Whitmire Damian LaCroix Ron Hale SD17 Joan Huffman Derek Anthony … Continue reading →

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Alameel wants a refund

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck with that. Just like his first run for office in 2012, David Alameel’s second bid for public office is drawing questions about his past campaign donations. Alameel, the owner of a multimillion-dollar chain of dental clinics that caters … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: George Barnstone

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

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You know you’re not supposed to do fundraising activities while in your official capacity, right?

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. [On Wednesday], the Texas Democratic Party called on Rockwall County Clerk, Republican Shelli Miller, to close down the illegal campaign fundraising operation she is running within her official office to benefit a February 1st event featuring keynote speaker, Attorney General Greg … Continue reading →

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Interview with Gayle Mitchell

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

As previously noted, the Harris County Clerk’s office has had its share of problems in recent years, from incorrectly reporting the winner of a Democratic primary in 2012 to complaints about slow reporting of results overall on Election Day. This … Continue reading →

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Celia Israel wins HD50 special election runoff

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Congrats, Rep.-elect Celia Israel. In the special runoff election for District 50 in the Texas House, Democrat Celia Israel took the lead after early voting. Israel, a Realtor, earned 58.8 percent of the early vote, and Republican Mike VanDeWalle, a … Continue reading →

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Where BGTX stands today

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not quite where they thought they’d be when things first started up, but that’s in large part because so much has happened since then. Jeremy Bird, Barack Obama’s former national field organizer, told The Texas Tribune that nearly a … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Barbara Stalder

Posted on January 28, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

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The counties we aren’t going to win are just as important as the counties we will win

Posted on January 28, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Collin County is a Republican stronghold. It’s also the kind of place that Democrats need to make gains in order to be competitive. That’s a tough thing to do when there’s little hope for winning the county or taking a … Continue reading →

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Interview with Ann Harris Bennett

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

In addition to District Attorney, there is another contested countywide primary on the ballot for Democrats. That primary is for Harris County Clerk, for the nomination to run against first term incumbent Stan Stanart, who has had his share of … Continue reading →

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January campaign finance reports for Harris County candidates

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

In our previous episode, we looked at the campaign finance reports for Democratic statewide candidates. Today, let’s have a look at the reports for candidates for countywide office in Harris County. I’m not going to get down to the Constable … Continue reading →

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Petition problems

Posted on January 25, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Every election cycle there are fights over who really did or didn’t qualify for the ballot. This one is shaping up to be a doozy. Three lawsuits over alleged ballot irregularities involving Harris County judicial candidates will be heard by … Continue reading →

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Interview with Rep. Carol Alvarado

Posted on January 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

In addition to the contested Democratic primary in HD131, there is also one in HD145, where Rep. Carol Alvarado is in her third term. Rep. Alvarado was of course a three-term City Council member in District I prior to her … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: EQTx for Davis

Posted on January 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Sarah Davis, that is. A gay rights group Tuesday backed its first Texas Republican in a primary election, for better or worse. State Rep. Sarah Davis, R-West University Place, will find out in March if the endorsement, from Equality Texas, … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Julia Maldonado

Posted on January 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

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Interview with Azuwuike Okorafor

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

As previously noted, there are two contested Democratic primaries for State House seats in Harris County. Challenging Rep. Alma Allen in HD131 is Azuwuike Okorafor. Okorafor is a Houston native and graduate of HISD schools who received a BS from … Continue reading →

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January finance reports for Democratic statewide candidates

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

With the exception of a stray missing report here and there, all of the January campaign finance reports for state office holders and seekers are up on the Texas Ethics Commission webpage. Here’s a brief look at the reports filed … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Steven Kirkland

Posted on January 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

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Interview with Rep. Alma Allen

Posted on January 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

In addition to the contested primary in SD15, there are two contested Democratic legislative primaries this cycles. The first is in HD131, where Rep. Alma Allen faces a challenger for the second cycle in a row. Rep. Allen was first … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Allecia Pottinger

Posted on January 16, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

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Interview with Steve Brown

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

There are three contested Democratic primaries for statewide office. One of them involves Wendy Davis, which no one expects to be competitive, and one involves Kinky Friedman, which likely will be about how people feel about Kinky Friedman more than … Continue reading →

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Davis outraises Abbott

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Democrat Wendy Davis pulled $8.7 million into her gubernatorial campaign coffers in the last half of 2013, and another group committed to her election as governor raised $3.5 million over the same period, the Davis campaign announced Tuesday. Minutes … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Bruce Steffler

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Davis for Alameel

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This was unexpected, at least by me. Texas Democrats may be working on drafting a 2014 dream team. State Sen. Wendy Davis announced today that she’s backing David Alameel in his bid for the U.S. Senate nomination. The wealthy Dallas … Continue reading →

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More from the Pratt files

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This is just bizarre. Since being cleared last month by a grand jury for backdating records, a family court judge has quietly dismissed hundreds of cases, effectively nullifying a bevy of child support obligations and custody arrangements she previously made … Continue reading →

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Interview with Kim Ogg

Posted on January 13, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s talk about the Harris County District Attorney’s race for a minute, shall we? We all remember what happened in 2012, when perennial candidate/yahoo Lloyd Oliver won the Democratic primary for DA because he had some name ID for having … Continue reading →

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