Category Archives: Election 2014

Endorsement watch: The not-so-special SD04

Posted on April 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Before we get to the primary runoffs, we must first settle the special election business in SD04. The Chron attempts to pick the best of a mostly sorry lot of candidates to replace Sen. Tommy Williams. Residents of state Senate … Continue reading →

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Mail ballots being mailed out for primary runoffs

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: The first batch of over 38,000 postal ballots for the May 27, 2014 Primary Runoff Elections have been mailed and will be arriving in voters’ mailboxes this week. This mailing represents the highest number of mail ballots … Continue reading →

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Boats N Hoes

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

With friends like these… The name of a fundraising group made waves in the tug-of-war between Republicans and Democrats over women voters on Wednesday. Political consulting firm employee Shaun Nowacki registered the political action committee, “Boats ‘N Hoes PAC,” with … Continue reading →

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PPP: Abbott 51, Davis 37

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Another discouraging poll from PPP. In the Governor’s race Greg Abbott’s at 51% to 37% for Wendy Davis. Those numbers are largely unchanged from our last poll of the state in early November when Abbott had a 50/35 advantage. Davis … Continue reading →

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Davis keeps up the attack on Abbott over pre-k

Posted on April 13, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

She is not letting up. While addressing the Texas State Teachers Association’s convention in San Marcos on Saturday, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis accused her Republican opponent, Greg Abbott, of backing away from his early education policy proposal. Abbott, the … Continue reading →

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Abbott denies his pre-k plan means standardized testing for 4-year-olds

Posted on April 11, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Glad we cleared that up. After questions were raised about language in a policy proposal that appears to call for the biannual testing of pre-kindergarten students, Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott’s campaign is clarifying his early education plan, saying he is … Continue reading →

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A grassroots fighting force of extraordinary magnitude

Posted on April 9, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

At least, I hope it is. Addressing hundreds of volunteers on Saturday, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis highlighted her efforts to mobilize Texas voters and once again attacked her Republican opponent, Attorney General Greg Abbott, for being what she called … Continue reading →

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What the Burnam case is about

Posted on April 8, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I’m still not sure what to think about Rep. Lon Burnam’s electoral challenge against Ramon Romero in HD90. In a case that election officials statewide are monitoring — because it involves the use of electronic devices such as iPads — … Continue reading →

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Who’s afraid of the Republican slate?

Posted on April 7, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I was reading this story about a kerfuffle in the Republican runoff for Railroad Commissioner when a thought struck me. A Republican candidate seeking a post that regulates the state’s oil and gas industry said he won’t cut ties to … Continue reading →

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Look out for LVdP

Posted on April 7, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Do not underestimate her. In the lavish Belo Mansion, tucked in the heart of this city’s downtown, Sen. Leticia Van de Putte is locked in a back-and-forth with small-business owners from the region. Van de Putte, the San Antonio Democrat … Continue reading →

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Don’t forget about Kesha

Posted on April 7, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From the HuffPo: Texas Democrats are working hard in the U.S. Senate race — against a member of their own party. Activists in the state want to make sure that Kesha Rogers doesn’t get their party’s Senate nomination because she … Continue reading →

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Pratt Mess gets messier

Posted on April 7, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

How much worse can it get? Hundreds of divorce, child support and custody cases dating back to 2012 will have to be revisited – and possibly sent back to trial – as a court administrator sorts out what he called … Continue reading →

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Collier’s sales tax criticism of Hegar makes the news

Posted on April 4, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

That’s how you do it. Democrat Mike Collier, a certified public accountant from Houston, will start airing television ads criticizing opponent Glenn Hegar, a Republican state senator from Katy, for his support to phase out property taxes and increase state … Continue reading →

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Abbott’s pre-K plan

Posted on April 3, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s about what you’d expect from someone who isn’t particularly interested in improving public education. Announcing the first of his education policy proposals Monday, Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott called for reforming pre-kindergarten programs before expanding access, saying that additional … Continue reading →

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How can we miss you if you won’t go away?

Posted on April 3, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Denise Pratt is a gift that keeps on giving. Denise Pratt may not be gone just yet. Two days after announcing her immediate resignation as presiding judge of the 311th family District Court – and the suspension of her re-election … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Republican primary election

Posted on April 2, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve done the Democrats, so now let’s take a look at the Republicans. In this case, I did have a few specific questions in mind, so my approach here will be a little different. First, we all know that Steve … Continue reading →

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Cleaning up Pratt’s mess

Posted on April 2, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s up to the other judges now. The administrative judge for Harris County’s nine family courts said Monday it could take months to sort out the mess left behind in the 311th family court following the abrupt resignation of its … Continue reading →

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Burnam election challenge update

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Moving along, but no timeline as yet. A state district judge from Denton County will oversee a case involving long-time state Rep. Lon Burnam‘s accusations that votes were cast illegally in the Democratic Party primary last month. State District Judge … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Democratic primary elections

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I finally got around to asking for the canvass reports for the primaries in Harris County. I didn’t have any specific agenda in looking at the data from each, I just wanted to see what I could learn. Let’s start … Continue reading →

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Pratt resigns

Posted on March 30, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Good riddance. Under investigation by Harris County prosecutors for dismissing hundreds of cases without notice, embattled family court judge Denise Pratt resigned Friday, abruptly ending her re-election bid. The freshman Republican jurist campaigned as a conservative advocate for children and … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: DMN goes Kinky

Posted on March 28, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Since pretty much every newspaper endorsed Hugh Fiztsimons for the Democratic nomination for Ag Commissioner in the primary, they now have the choice of picking a new candidate for the runoff or ignoring it and hoping it goes away. The … Continue reading →

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Rick Perry feels your pain, ladies

Posted on March 27, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

You know what you ladies need? A big heaping dose of Rick Perry explaining to you why all this “equal pay” stuff is so silly. Rick Perry said today it’s “nonsense” to focus on equal pay for women when there … Continue reading →

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Collier hammers Hegar for property tax idiocy

Posted on March 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Good. During the recent Republican primary for state comptroller, state Sen. Glenn Hegar repeatedly endorsed eliminating local property taxes in Texas. Borrowing from GOP opponent Debra Medina’s 2010 playbook, Hegar urged a shift to sales taxes to make up the … Continue reading →

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We have ways of making you talk

Posted on March 25, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Poor Greg. Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott, under fire for dodging the details on some policy questions, is filling in the blanks on issues that could be key in his race for governor against Democratic Sen. Wendy Davis. The answers … Continue reading →

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Burnam files challenge in HD90

Posted on March 25, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be interesting. State Rep. Lon Burnam filed a lawsuit Monday challenging his 111-vote re-election loss earlier this month. Burnam, D-Fort Worth, said the goal of the lawsuit is to review data from the Texas House District 90 … Continue reading →

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We still have no idea what the effect of the voter ID law will be

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox, Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart declares victory for voter ID. The final results of the 2014 Democratic and Republican March 4th Primary Elections have been approved by the Democratic and Republican Parties. The results show that less … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: None of the above

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Farm Bureau is unhappy with its choices in the Ag Commissioner runoffs. The political arm of the Texas Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farming organization, will refrain from endorsing a candidate in the GOP runoff for agriculture commissioner … Continue reading →

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So you want the federal government you keep suing to enforce that law you don’t support?

Posted on March 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

That would be Greg Abbott’s position on equal pay. Attorney General and Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott has let himself be out-wrestled on the sensitive issue of equal pay for equal work by Texas women. His answer, according to a … Continue reading →

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No pay equity problems here

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

No sauce for the gander, either. Women in Democrat gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis’ Senate office last year averaged about $3,000 more in earnings than the male employees, according to data acquired by Austin bureau chief Peggy Fikac. Out of 12 … Continue reading →

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It’s as much about Leticia as it is about Dan

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Sen. Leticia Van de Putte has been getting some love from the national press. But increasingly, on the ground in Texas, attention is shifting to San Antonio’s Van de Putte, who is running for lieutenant governor, a position that is … Continue reading →

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Abbott comes out for inequality

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Turns out he’s been a practitioner of it for some time. Equal pay for women is in the spotlight of the Texas governor’s race, and figures from Attorney General Greg Abbott’s state agency show most female assistant attorneys general make … Continue reading →

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How I’ll be voting in the runoffs

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This is pretty straightforward, as there are only two races in the runoff for me to consider. Senate – This is the definition of a no-brainer. David Alameel wasn’t my first choice. I voted for Maxey Scherr, and didn’t recommend … Continue reading →

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The “grassroots” Republican Ladies Against Wendy movement

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Christopher Hooks asks and answers a good question. Who the heck are RedState Women? So far, they appear to be a motley collection of politically-connected lobbyists, ex-lobbyists and staffers of legislators who haven’t exactly distinguished themselves on women’s issues. This morning, … Continue reading →

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GOP primary turnout comparison

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

There’s been plenty of focus on Democratic turnout in this past primary, and while Republican turnout gets a nod in there, I haven’t seen it be the focus of any stories yet. In part, I suspect that’s because Wendy Davis … Continue reading →

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