Category Archives: Election 2016

Runoff watch: Sheriff

This one is straightforward. Democrats Ed Gonzalez and Jerome Moore will square off for the right to go against incumbent Sheriff Ron Hickman this November. Gonzalez led the way with 43.5%, while Moore tallied 29.8%. Gonzalez was the consensus establishment … Continue reading

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Runoff watch: JPs and Constables

OK, sit back and settle in, this may take awhile. Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1, Place 1 – Democratic The race to succeed retiring JP Dale Gorczynski turned out to be a bit of a barnburner. The two leading … Continue reading

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Runoff watch: Railroad Commissioner

So yeah, the Railroad Commissioner runoff is a bit of a mess, on both sides. I’m going to let the Trib summarize the problem. In his campaign for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission, former state Rep. Wayne Christian … Continue reading

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Third-place Constable candidate alleges fraud in his race

Oh, goodie. A Harris County constable chief deputy who narrowly missed making the runoff in the Precinct 3 constable’s primary election earlier this month has sued the top two vote-getters, seeking to annul the results because of alleged violations of … Continue reading

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Reps. Green and Green want investigation of voting machine shortage

I have three things to say about this. Two Houston congressmen are asking the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate whether unequal distribution of voting machines and polling locations in Harris County disenfranchised minority voters during the March 1 primary … Continue reading

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Simpson prevails in SD01 primary

All elections are now officially resolved, at least at the state level. Two state representatives are set to face off for an open seat in the Texas senate after the third place candidate said Monday he will not request a … Continue reading

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Runoff watch: Judicial races

There are three District Court race runoffs on the Democratic side, and two Court of Criminal Appeals runoffs for the Republicans. There are also a few Justice of the Peace runoffs, but I’ll deal with them in another post. 11th … Continue reading

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Runoff watch: Legislative races

I’m going to spend a few posts looking at the runoff elections that will be on the ballot this May. Primary runoffs are completely different than regular primaries, mostly because the races involved are low profile and only the hardest … Continue reading

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One recount settled

One down, one to go. Challenger Hugh Shine secured victory Thursday in the Republican primary for Texas House District 55, defeating incumbent state Rep. Molly White by 104 votes after a recount, according to Bell County GOP chairwoman Nancy Boston. … Continue reading

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Supreme Court asked to weigh in on Austin rideshare referendum

Of course it is. The Texas Supreme Court has been pulled into the ongoing battle between Uber and the City of Austin. An Austin resident, supported by Uber, has asked the Supreme Court to weigh in on the ballot language … Continue reading

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Travis County GOP shakes its fist at its new Chair

Poor babies. At a packed Travis County GOP executive committee meeting Tuesday night, it took less than a minute for someone to acknowledge the elephant not in the room. “Give us wisdom to deal with the situation that we’re in,” … Continue reading

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Precinct analysis: 2016 Republican Presidential primary

How did things look on the Republican side, with its record-breaking (though not 2008 level) turnout? Dist Cruz Trump Rubio Cruz% Trump% Rubio% ====================================================== 126 9,206 5,012 3,604 46.45% 25.29% 18.18% 127 13,475 6,585 4,579 49.53% 24.20% 16.83% 128 10,789 … Continue reading

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Precinct analysis: 2016 Democratic Presidential primary

I love the smell of precinct data in the morning, don’t you? Here’s a breakdown of the Democratic Presidential primary vote for Harris County: Dist Bernie Hillary Bernie% Hill% ====================================== 126 2,315 4,649 33.04% 66.35% 127 2,621 4,905 34.54% 64.64% … Continue reading

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What’s next for Adrian Garcia?

We haven’t seen the last of him, I suspect. In less than a year, former Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia has gone from being the top Democratic elected official in Harris County to an also-ran in back-to-back elections. Garcia’s resounding … Continue reading

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Greg Abbott does not approve of Robert Morrow

Aw, that’s so cute. As the battle for control of the Travis County GOP heats up, and its newly elected chair writes increasingly raunchy tweets at breakneck speed, Gov. Greg Abbott has stepped into the fray to condemn his fellow … Continue reading

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Two recounts may be in the works

There are always going to be some close ones. After losing her reelection bid to Hugh Shine by 118 votes, state Rep. Molly White, R-Belton, announced she is requesting a recount. In an email to supporters soliciting input Wednesday afternoon, … Continue reading

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2016 primary reactions and initial impressions

First, a couple of minor notes. Rep. Byron Cook ultimately pulled out a win in his nasty and high-profile primary. That’s good news for Speaker Joe Straus and the general forces of “government that isn’t like a three-year-old coming off … Continue reading

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2016 Presidential primaries: Clinton and Cruz win in Texas

A good night for Hillary Clinton. Once again, Texas delivered for a Clinton. The Texas Tribune projects that Hillary Clinton has easily won a majority of the statewide vote in the Texas Democratic primary, dominating her rival for the party’s … Continue reading

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2016 primaries: State races

Let’s start with the Democratic race for Railroad Commissioner, and a few words from Forrest Wilder: The Gene Kelly Effect: Texas Democrats are almost perennially embarrassed by what you might call the Gene Kelly Effect — the depressing tendency of … Continue reading

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2016 primaries: Harris County

Though this will be the first entry published in the morning, it was the last one I wrote last night, and I’m super tired. So, I’m going to make this brief. Harris County Dem results – Harris County GOP results … Continue reading

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Primary Day is today

From the inbox: “Visit www.HarrisVotes.com to ensure you go to the correct voting location and to find your personal sample ballot for the Tuesday, March 1, Republican Party and Democratic Party Primary Elections,” said Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart, encouraging … Continue reading

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Final EV totals for the 2016 primaries

It all comes down to Tuesday now: Year Dem GOP ======================= 2008 177,088 64,431 2012 37,887 78,081 2016 85,816 131,145 For your reference, the 2016 totals are here, and the 2012 totals are here, and the 2008 totals are here. … Continue reading

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New frontiers in social media campaigning

From Slate: Huey Rey Fischer identifies as a queer, vegetarian, Latino “progressive Democrat on a bicycle.” He is 23 years old, and he’s running for state representative in Texas’ District 49, which encompasses the University of Texas at Austin. A … Continue reading

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Day 10 EV totals for 2016 primaries

One more day left to vote early. Vote tomorrow, or take your chances at a precinct location on Tuesday: Year Dem GOP ======================= 2008 143,169 49,373 2012 30,538 63,817 2016 65,454 98,152 For your reference, the 2016 totals are here, … Continue reading

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Lots more Texas primary poll results

It’s a veritable plethora, ladies and gentlemen. Let’s start with this one, which looks good for Hillary Clinton and Ted Cruz. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas has a commanding 12-point lead in his home state over businessman Donald Trump … Continue reading

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Two more primary poll results

First we have one from KUHF, though it’s just for the GOP race. One week before Super Tuesday, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz holds a 14-point lead in the Lone Star State, according to a poll released Wednesday by Houston Public … Continue reading

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Chron story on Locke running for Commissioner

It’s officially official now. Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner Gene Locke, appointed to fill the unexpired term following the sudden death of longtime Commissioner El Franco Lee last month, said Tuesday he may seek the nomination for the powerful local … Continue reading

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Day 8 EV totals for 2016 primaries

Eight days down, three days to go: Year Dem GOP ======================= 2008 98,980 35,332 2012 22,752 46,769 2016 45,389 66,135 For your reference, the 2016 totals are here, and the 2012 totals are here. I do now finally have a … Continue reading

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Day 7 EV totals for 2016 primaries

Day One of Week Two is in the can: Year Dem GOP ======================= 2008 81,843 28,773 2012 20,058 41,447 2016 38,547 55,228 For your reference, the 2016 totals are here, and the 2012 totals are here. I don’t have daily … Continue reading

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Chron overview of the Sheriff races

The candidate who isn’t there nonetheless plays a central role. Appointed incumbent Ron Hickman faces two repeat challengers in the GOP primary, while four others, including former Houston City Councilman Ed Gonzalez battle for the Democratic nomination. The candidates square … Continue reading

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Day 6 EV totals for 2016 primaries

We are one (short) week in, with what should be the bigger week for turnout coming up: Year Dem GOP ======================= 2008 66,756 23,851 2012 15,980 36,612 2016 32,233 44,844 For your reference, the 2016 totals are here, and the … Continue reading

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Gene Locke is reportedly seeking the Commissioners Court nomination

Please see update at the end of this post. There is new information at the bottom. Remember this? Harris County Judge Ed Emmett on Friday named Gene Locke, a former city attorney and mayoral candidate, to complete El Franco Lee’s … Continue reading

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Endorsement watch: Stragglers

The Chron ran a list of all their primary endorsements last Monday, which included recommendations in a couple of race where they had not included an accompanying editorial. They have now closed that gap, at least on the Democratic side, … Continue reading

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Day Three EV totals for 2016 primaries

Three! Three days of early voting: Year Dem GOP ======================= 2008 28,464 12,092 2012 9,871 21,635 2016 18,398 25,954 For your reference, the 2016 totals are here, and the 2012 totals are here. I don’t have daily EVPA totals from … Continue reading

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