Category Archives: Election 2016

Overview of the Harris County GOP Chair runoff

Posted on May 17, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This is the Republican runoff I’m most interested in. Two years after wresting control of the Harris County Republican Party, Paul Simpson is facing an unexpected runoff challenge from political newcomer Rick Ramos in a race that again pits establishment … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed over Uber/Lyft referendum language

Posted on May 17, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, for crying out loud. Attorney Martin Harry filed a lawsuit — a draft of it was obtained by the American-Statesman — in Travis County state district court late Tuesday contesting the election’s outcome, alleging that the city violated election … Continue reading →

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Early voting for primary runoffs begins today

Posted on May 16, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the Inbox: “The Primary election season is not over. There are several important races that remain to be decided by voters, locally and statewide,” stated Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart whilereminding voters that the Early Voting period for the … Continue reading →

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George Scott holds on in Katy ISD race

Posted on May 15, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Every vote matters, y’all. A longtime critic of the Katy Independent School District has ousted a 27-year incumbent from the board of trustees, winning by three votes out of nearly 3,000 cast, according to unofficial total results announced Friday. Conservative … Continue reading →

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Sheriff primary runoff overview

Posted on May 14, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Unless you live in HD139, this is the most consequential runoff on the Democratic ballot. [Ed] Gonzalez has drawn heavy support from the Democratic establishment, including former Mayor Annise Parker, state Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, and the Harris County chapter … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Still saying No to Reynolds

Posted on May 13, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron reiterates its opposition to Rep. Ron Reynolds in the HD27 primary runoff. Texas’ Attorney General Ken Paxton has been indicted for securities fraud. Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is under criminal investigation by the Texas Rangers for misusing state … Continue reading →

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Precinct 1 Commissioners Court race update

Posted on May 12, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Three items of interest: 1. There will be a public forum on Sunday, May 22, from 3 to 5 PM at CWA Local 6222- 1730 Jefferson St, Houston, TX 77002, to meet the people who have expressed interest in being … Continue reading →

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The Donald is spurring people to register to vote

Posted on May 11, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Just another data point for your consideration. Registration among Hispanic voters is skyrocketing in a presidential election cycle dominated by Donald Trump and loud GOP cries to close the border. Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Elected … Continue reading →

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Roundup of runoff candidate interviews and Q&As

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, early voting for the primary runoffs begins in a week. I did my usual series of interviews and judicial Q&As for the primary, but there were a few candidates I didn’t get to for one reason or … Continue reading →

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More on the Austin rideshare referendum

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The fallout continues to fall. Austin voters on Saturday decisively rejected Uber and Lyft’s $8.6 million bid to overturn the city’s rules for ride-hailing apps, bringing a stunning conclusion to the most expensive campaign in city history. The failure of … Continue reading →

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Austin rideshare referendum goes down

Posted on May 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Boom. Preliminary election day results in Austin show 56 percent of voters against Proposition 1, a ride-hailing ordinance supported by Uber and Lyft. With 76.76 percent reporting, 13,957 have voted against the ordinance and 10,901 have voted for. These numbers … Continue reading →

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Jarvis Johnson wins HD139 special election

Posted on May 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

For whatever it turns out to be worth. Houston voters on Saturday selected Jarvis D. Johnson to fill the remainder of the unexpired term of former District 139 State Representative Sylvester Turner, now mayor of Houston. Johnson, a former Houston … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Remember the runoffs

Posted on May 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron makes their endorsements for the primary runoffs, which will happen on May 24, with early voting from the 16th to the 20th. Let me sum up: Republican Member, Railroad Commissioner: Gary Gates Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place … Continue reading →

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Representation in Richmond

Posted on May 6, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

One of the smaller elections going on right now has some important questions to answer. Every time Tres Davis drives over the cracks in the streets of North Richmond, he remembers why he’s fighting for change. There are few sidewalks … Continue reading →

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Early voting ends for HD139 special election

Posted on May 4, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Here are the final early voting totals from the HD139 special election. The disparity between absentee ballots and in-person votes is pretty amazing, isn’t it? I’m going to guess that the Saturday in-person total will be less than the 200 … Continue reading →

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Austin Uber referendum update

Posted on May 4, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

There’s still a crapload of money being spent by Uber and Lyft to win this thing. In the last month, Ridesharing Works for Austin – the PAC established by transportation network companies Uber and Lyft – raised $4.9 million and … Continue reading →

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Reynolds hit with $500K judgment

Posted on May 1, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Geez. State Rep. Ron Reynolds has been ordered to pay $504,000 in damages for failing to give a grieving mother her share of settlement money from a 2010 lawsuit. The embattled lawmaker, who is also an attorney, failed to give … Continue reading →

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Houston Area Survey 2016: Harris County becoming more Democratic

Posted on April 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Whoa. A majority of Harris County residents lean Democratic for the first time ever, propelled by plummeting support for Republicans among Latinos, according to a survey released Monday by Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research. The finding, in the … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Against Prop 1

Posted on April 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Statesman urges a vote against the divisive referendum to repeal Austin’s ordinance regulating transit network companies like Uber and Lyft. Voting against Prop. 1 is the best way to ensure that Lyft, Uber and other ride-hailing service drivers, undergo … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Why bother?

Posted on April 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Chronicle barely musters a shrug for the special election in HD139. The winner of this election will cast no ballots in the state Legislature – presuming that Gov. Greg Abbott doesn’t call an unexpected special session. At the very … Continue reading →

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Early voting for May 7 elections begins today

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, remember that special election to fill out Mayor Turner’s unexpired term in HD139? Early voting for it – and for the other elections on the May 7 ballot – begins today. Who knew, right? Here’s the press release from … Continue reading →

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Interview with Jerome Moore

Posted on April 18, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, everyone is focusing on the Presidential race, but here in Harris County there are some races of great local importance. You can order them however you like, but the Sheriff’s race is certainly up there. I had … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Eric William Carter

Posted on April 13, 2016 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. I’m now doing this for some candidates in the May runoff who had not done a Q&A in … Continue reading →

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Lots of money being spent on the Austin Uber/Lyft ordinance referendum

Posted on April 13, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. David Butts, meet Goliath. Campaign finance reports filed Thursday for Austin’s ride-hailing services election show a beyond-massive lead in money for Ridesharing Works for Austin, the Uber- and Lyft-backed political action committee supporting a proposed ordinance that would become … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Fredericka Phillips

Posted on April 12, 2016 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. I’m now doing this for some candidates in the May runoff who had not done a Q&A in … Continue reading →

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Interview with George Scott

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t often pay attention to the May elections in even-numbered years. There’s usually nothing on my ballot, and the big cities that have May elections have them in odd years. One entity that is having an election around here … Continue reading →

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Once again with what we want from the next County Commissioner

Posted on April 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Campos: The Chron has a story today on County Commissioner Gene Locke changing his mind and now wanting to become the Dem nominee for Commissioner. It looks like a race between Gene and State Sen. Rodney Ellis. The Chron mentions … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Tanya Makany-Rivera

Posted on April 6, 2016 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. I’m now doing this for some candidates in the May runoff who had not done a Q&A in … Continue reading →

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We precinct chairs will have at least one more nomination to fill

Posted on April 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

As everyone knows, Democratic precinct chairs in Commissioners Court Precinct 1 will be selecting a nominee to replace the late El Franco Lee on the November ballot. If we wind up selecting someone who is also on the November ballot … Continue reading →

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Locke makes it official

Posted on April 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

He would like to continue being County Commissioner. Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner Gene Locke said Monday he has decided to seek the Democratic nomination — and thus another term — for the Precinct 1 seat. Locke was initially appointed … Continue reading →

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Interview with Jasmine Jenkins

Posted on April 4, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

As was the case in 2012, there is a three-way primary for the nomination in SBOE District 6, the one electoral entity that is subject to redistricting containing a Republican who represents me. I hadn’t planned to do interviews in … Continue reading →

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What will the business lobby do to prevent a North Carolina anti-equality law being passed in Texas?

Posted on April 2, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

That’s the question that needs to be asked. Texas business leaders and LGBT advocates hope economic backlash over an anti-LGBT bill in North Carolina will deter lawmakers from taking up similar legislation next year in Austin. More than 100 CEOs and … Continue reading →

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Runoff watch: Leftovers

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Three last races that didn’t fit into any other categories. SBOE District 6 – Democratic Jasmine Jenkins and Dakota Carter, the two candidates that actually campaigned for this office in this three-way race, finished one and two in the voting … Continue reading →

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Black Lives Matter takes an interest in the Harris County DA race

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This will be worth watching. Inspired by voters in Chicago and Cleveland who booted top prosecutors last week with candidates who pledged more accountability in police shootings, Houston-area Black Lives Matter activists have started a #ByeDevon social media campaign to … Continue reading →

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