Category Archives: Election 2006

I knew she had a TV ad in the works, but this effort by Mary Beth Harrell has exceeded my expectations. Very well done. If you like what you see, you know what to do. If you want to see … Continue reading → Continue reading →

From Capitol Inside, a charge by Rep. Hubert Vo that the Talmadge Heflin campaign is breaking the electoral code by making a phony robocall: The attorney who defended State Rep. Hubert Vo in an election contest that Heflin filed after … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Now see, this is what happens when you talk about serious issues instead of silly romance novels: You get relegated to page B3, where that sort of thing belongs. The U.S. military presence in Iraq serves only to destabilize the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I suppose I should congratulate Fred Head for getting a story about his campaign for State Comptroller on the front page of the Chronicle. I’m not sure this is the kind of story one wants to have written about said … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Those of you living in CD14 may soon get to see one of the following ads on cable TV from Shane Sklar. Ron Paul has raised a lot of money (some of which was used in his primary), but he’s … Continue reading → Continue reading →

No surprise here, given the Chron’s usual preference for incumbents. I suspect there will be a few cracks in that wall this time around in legislative races – we’ve already seen some examples – but not for judges. The one … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Amazing. Just amazing. Here’s a video clip of Martha Wong on KUHT’s “The Connection”, which was done last week after the debate at Rice. My quick transcription of what Martha says here: Wong: “I’m going to tell you that Carolyn … Continue reading → Continue reading →

He trails badly in cash on hand. He gets no love from the newspapers. He’s 20 points down in the polls. And now Van Taylor can say bye-bye to NRCC support. The Republican Party’s national campaign organization appears to be … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Get ready for a debate in Clear Lake between Sherrie Matula and Rep. John Davis for HD129. From the press release: Houston, Texas – October 16h, 2006 — Students for Political Debate, an independent student group in the Clear Lake … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I’d have pointed you to this Express-News story about blogs no matter what since I’m quoted in it, and the rules of blogging state that any media mention must be trumpeted, but there’s an angle here that fascinates me. During … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Here’s Shane Sklar getting endorsed by the Victoria Advocate. “Dr. No” is a joke in Washington. At no time was this more obvious than in May 2004, when he was the lone House member to vote against a nonbinding resolution … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I’ve got to give ol’ Shelley some credit. She did a decent job raising money last quarter. I’m sure there was some pent-up demand for a Republican candidate in CD22, and I know for a fact that Nick Lampson eased … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The Chron continues its long, slow march through the endorsement process with three more recommendations in State Rep races. Two of their endorsements went to Democrats, one for an open seat and one for a GOP-held seat. State representative, District … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Republicans for Henley For all I know, it may be just one person, but what the heck. That’d still make it bigger than “Democrats for Culberson”. Somebody alert Paul Burka. The sign is on the north side of Westheimer and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Via Eye on Williamson, I see that the Statesman endorsed all Republicans in the non-gubernatorial non-judicial statewide races. The one that is boggling me is this one: Agriculture commissioner This race pits two men who live within 30 miles of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Via TPM Muckraker, here’s a list of big expenditures by the NRCC, all of which were made on Friday the 13th. Notice anyone missing? In case you haven’t figured it out, here’s all the dough that’s being spent in CD22 … Continue reading → Continue reading →

In other hot debate action, Gene Seaman is still complaining about that truthful ad that’s being run against him. State Rep. Gene Seaman told a crowd of 200 Rockport-Fulton Area Chamber of Commerce members that a series of ads paid … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I thought the fine folks at the Texas Parent PAC were done with their endorsements, but they weren’t. They have now added Diane Trautman to their list of worthy candidates. Here’s the press release: “Families in House District 127 need … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I haven’t seen a story in the Chron, and the webcast link that I was told about didn’t work, so this morning I’m thankful that Kimberly attended the Cohen-Wong debate last night and blogged about it. Check it out if … Continue reading → Continue reading →

There was a time when I was worried about Rep. Chet Edwards’ chances of surviving a second election in the DeLay-drawn world. He ran a great campaign against the flawed former State Rep. Arlene Wohlgemuth, successfully attacking her on local … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I missed this KTRK story from Tuesday about Martha Wong’s phantom endorsement, in which she claimed that some generically nice things said about her by HISD Superintendant Abe Saavedra constituted an actual statement of electoral support. Seems Martha really really … Continue reading → Continue reading →

From the David Van Os campaign: Harris County Whistlestop Rally Wednesday, October 18 @ 4:00 PM Harris County Courthouse 1001 Preston Street @ Main Houston, TX 77002 Followed by a Meet and Greet Reception Chatter’s Cafe and Bistro 140 South … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The debate at Rice University between Ellen Cohen and Martha Wong is today. (Yes, the Libertarian candidate will also be there, but let’s get real – this debate is between Cohen and Wong.) It’s at 8P in McMurtry Auditorium in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The Chron reports on campaign finances for two State House races, HDs 134 and 149. Democratic incumbent Hubert Vo has nearly $52,000 available for his race against Republican Talmadge Heflin, whom he narrowly defeated in 2004. Heflin was not far … Continue reading → Continue reading →

First, some good news for Chris Bell: It looks like John O’Quinn will follow through on his post-debate promise to give his campaign a financial boost. After Friday night’s see-saw gubernatorial debate, Houston personal-injury lawyer John O’Quinn gave Democrat Chris … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I got an email about the anti-toll road San Antonio Toll Party endorsing David Van Os for Attorney General, which got me to wondering about a question I’d asked before, namely “How successful will some of the downballot Democrats be … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Today the Chron gives its recommendations for candidates who face only Libertarian Party opposition. For the State House, that’s the following: State representative, District 130 – Corbin Van Arsdale State representative, District 131 – Alma A. Allen State representative, District … Continue reading → Continue reading →

David Van Os had a plan to visit county courthouses in each of Texas’ 254 counties. He’s coming to the end of that task, with stops in Fort Worth, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin. Here’s his schedule, and more … Continue reading → Continue reading →

As noted before, there’s an article in Capitol Inside that discusses some “sleeper” races for the State House and for Congress. The list of potential sleepers in Texas House races includes Democrats Diane Trautman of Kingwood, Sherrie Matula of Houston, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Still not registered to vote in Texas? Tomorrow’s your last chance to fix that oversight. Tuesday is the last day to register to vote for the November general election. Registration forms can be picked up at local Department of Public … Continue reading → Continue reading →

There’s a long article in the Chron today about the electoral battles in the State House and how that may shape the 80th Legislature. A couple of points of interest leap out, starting with this: Democrats need only to pick … Continue reading → Continue reading →

And here it is, my final interview with a Harris County State Rep candidate. Today’s subject is Scott Brann, the Democratic candidate for HD136 against Rep. Beverly Woolley, who is a member of the House leadership and a main player … Continue reading → Continue reading →

There’s not been a lot of local news coverage of State Rep campaigns so far. One way to get covered is to spend lots of campaign money without documenting what it’s for. Republican state Rep. John Davis has represented the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The first batch of Chron State Rep endorsements goes as I expected, with four incumbents plus Ellen Cohen snagging recommendations. House Dist. 134, Ellen Cohen – Cohen is the Democratic challenger to incumbent Martha Wong in this race. The outpouring … Continue reading → Continue reading →