Category Archives: Election 2014

2014 Day Nine EV totals

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Here they are, and here are the full 2010 EV totals. I don’t have it in me to do any analysis, so let me refer you to Greg for the lay of the land. Monday wasn’t as good as I … Continue reading →

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Fort Bend’s electoral future

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Fort Bend County isn’t what it used to be politically, but it’s also not what it ought to be headed for yet. It has been more than two decades since a Democrat won countywide office in Fort Bend, but swift … Continue reading →

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2014 Day Eight EV totals

Posted on October 28, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

But first, a few words about the overall picture. The number of Texans voting early at the polls is down significantly in Harris County compared with the last midterm election, a potential warning sign that pundits say may mean Democrats … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of DA race

Posted on October 28, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a simple question at the core of the race for Harris County District Attorney. For two years, in the early 1990s, Kim Ogg and Devon Anderson worked in the same office under legendary Harris County District Attorney Johnny Holmes. … Continue reading →

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The battle over booze sales comes to Tomball

Posted on October 28, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I always enjoy a good story about when a county or town votes on whether or not to repeal Prohibition-era restrictions on local alcohol sales. Eight decades ago, the oil started flowing in Tomball and the whiskey soon followed. The … Continue reading →

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2014 first week EV totals

Posted on October 27, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Here they are, and here are the full 2010 EV totals. Democrats still have a lot of work to do, at least in Harris County. I sure hope it happens, that’s all I can say. We’re already seeing postmortems for … Continue reading →

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Wilvin Carter

Posted on October 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, there are interesting races for District Attorney in Harris, Dallas, and Bexar Counties. Turns out there’s one in Fort Bend County, too. As Fort Bend County District Attorney, John Healey has faced competitive elections before. Since a … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: State Senate

Posted on October 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron makes another curious choice. District 17: Joan Huffman In District 17, which includes parts of Harris County and counties to the east, Republican incumbent Joan Hoffman has a credible Democratic opponent in Rita Lucido, 58, a family law … Continue reading →

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2014 Day Five EV totals

Posted on October 25, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Here they are. I’ll save commentary for after the weekend, but suffice it to say that today needs to be a good day for the Democrats in Harris County.

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HPOU wades into the DA race

Posted on October 25, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

They’re all in for incumbent Devon Anderson. The already intense race for Harris County district attorney became more heated Wednesday with the Houston Police Officer’s Union attacking Democratic candidate Kim Ogg, saying that during her time at Crime Stoppers she … Continue reading →

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UT/Trib: Abbott 54, Davis 38

Posted on October 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

More of the same from the Trib’s pollsters. Republican Greg Abbott has a 16-point lead over Democrat Wendy Davis in the closing days of this year’s general election for governor, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Abbott … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Why Orlando?

Posted on October 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has published its full list of endorsements for the 2014 election, but at the time they ran that they had not published all of the accompanying editorials. They began their catch-up on that on Wednesday with another expression … Continue reading →

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2014 Day Four EV totals

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Here are your Day 4 EV totals and the full 2010 EV totals. Mail ballots continue to be strong, up a bit from Day Four in 2010, but in person totals continue to lag. Overall, 2014 now trails 2010 at … Continue reading →

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Interview index

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

For your convenience, here is a list of all my interviews and judicial Q&As for the November election. This includes ones I did for the primary and runoff. Interviews US Senate – David Alameel Attorney General – Sam Houston Comptroller … Continue reading →

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On Greg Abbott and who gets to get married

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

As you may have heard, Peggy Fikac got to ask Greg Abbott the obvious question about how exactly the state’s law against same-sex marriage, which Abbott is diligently defending in court, differs from the old laws that once banned interracial … Continue reading →

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2014 Day Three EV totals

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

But first, a little angst. I feel a bit uncomfortable after Day Two of Early Voting in Person. Here are a couple of concerning tweets from yesterday: Scott Braddock ‏@scottbraddock 2h2 hours ago Those Harris County early vote totals are … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Kathy Vossler

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

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

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More on the voter registration numbers

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Wayne Slater has a contrarian perspective on the voter registration numbers. Getting new voters begins with registering new people. When the secretary of state last week announced a record-high 14 million Texans are registered to vote, Battleground Texas trumpeted that … Continue reading →

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The inadequacy of Prop 1

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Better than nothing, but not by much. The campaign to steer state reserve funds to road projects is not being waged with yard signs and televised debates but, rather, with chamber of commerce lunches and a smattering of direct mailings. … Continue reading →

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2014 Day Two EV totals

Posted on October 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s Houston Politics with the nickel summary. The number of voters showing up at Harris County’s 41 early-vote locations was down by 25 percent for the second straight day on Tuesday, according to tallies released by the County Clerk. A … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Greg Glass

Posted on October 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

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

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KHOU: Abbott 47, Davis 32

Posted on October 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

A new poll to open Early Voting. As early voters head to the polls for a landmark election in Texas, a new survey conducted for KHOU-TV and Houston Public Media shows Republican Greg Abbott with a commanding lead over Democrat … Continue reading →

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2014 Day One EV totals

Posted on October 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Here they are. For comparison, here are the full 2010 EV totals. The in-person totals are down from 2010, declining from 26,051 to 20,215, but as we have observed the absentee totals are way up, from 24,273 to 41,520. As … Continue reading →

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Interview with Navid Zanjani

Posted on October 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I do a lot of interviews with candidates, but I also like to take the opportunity to do interviews that aren’t focused on a specific individual’s campaign. Sometimes these are about referendums, sometimes they’re about a given issue, and sometimes … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Herb Ritchie

Posted on October 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

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

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Endorsement watch: Three out of five ain’t bad

Posted on October 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The five major papers have made their endorsements in the Governor’s race now. We know about the DMN and their strange belief that it is possible to placate the extremists, so let’s look at the others, starting with the Houston … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS declines to intervene on voter ID

Posted on October 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Unfortunate. The Supreme Court said Saturday that Texas can use its controversial new voter identification law for the November election. A majority of the justices rejected an emergency request from the Justice Department and civil rights groups to prohibit the … Continue reading →

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Voter registration numbers top 14 million

Posted on October 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Sweet. More than 14 millions Texans have registered to vote in the November elections, the secretary of state’s office announced Thursday, calling the number a record high. The total marks an increase of 2.8 percent since the most recent presidential … Continue reading →

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From the “Simple answers to simple questions” department

Posted on October 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Statesman asks “Would Dan Patrick’s tax plan lower your taxes?” Efforts to shift toward sales tax in lieu of property and income taxes have in recent years gained momentum in Republican-led states — even as economists warn that this … Continue reading →

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First steps in Montgomery County

Posted on October 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

You can’t win a race if you don’t have a candidate. Democrat Michael Hayles says Montgomery County’s poor have to balance some tough choices, and he extends his arms in a rocking motion to make the point. “Do I get … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: DMN drops the ball

Posted on October 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Dallas Morning News got off to a good start as it wrapped up its election endorsements by making the crystal-clear case for Leticia Van de Putte. There are a couple of ways to keep your house warm this winter. … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Tanner Garth

Posted on October 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

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

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Chron overview of the AG race

Posted on October 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Couple of interesting tidbits in here. A tea party darling with a dozen years in the state Legislature, Sen. Ken Paxton has avoided the media since admitting to a third-degree felony violation of state securities law in late April. Spokesman … Continue reading →

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#GiveToWendy

Posted on October 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

A year ago at about this time, a group of progressive blogs joined forces to raise money for the Wendy Davis campaign, which at that point was only a month old and all of the usual “early money” maxims applied. … Continue reading →

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