Category Archives: Election 2010

Judicial Q&A: Tom Berg

Posted on August 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates on the November ballot. I am running these responses in the order that I receive them from the candidates. These Q&As are primarily intended for candidates who were … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Mark Diaz

Posted on August 10, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates on the November ballot. I am running these responses in the order that I receive them from the candidates. These Q&As are primarily intended for candidates who were … Continue reading →

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Interview with Rep. Scott Hochberg

Posted on August 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

State Rep. Scott Hochberg, who represents HD137, is generally considered the Legislature’s leading expert on public education and school finance. He’s the Vice Chair of the House Public Education Committee, and he chairs the Appropriations Subcommittee on Education. With so … Continue reading →

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What will the HISD board do with its open seat?

Posted on August 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

HISD Trustee Diana Davila announced her intention to resign on July 16. That became official on the 30th. The HISD Board of Trustees has the option of appointing someone to replace her, or to call a special election. So far, … Continue reading →

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Candidate named, suit filed in SD22

Posted on August 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

My questions have been answered. Democratic officials in Senate District 22 got together in a Hillsboro restaurant Thursday evening and nominated John Cullar to run for the state Senate seat now held by Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury. Cullar is a Waco … Continue reading →

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Interview with State Rep. Garnet Coleman

Posted on August 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

State Rep. Garnet Coleman of HD147 is one of my favorite elected officials anywhere. A 20-year veteran of the House and a member of the House leadership team, he’s a strong progressive advocate and a policy wonk who’s always on … Continue reading →

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Will they or won’t they field a challenger to Birdwell?

Posted on August 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

That’s the question for Democratic Part chairs in SD22. According to several Democratic consultants and officials knowledgeable about strategic discussions, a number of factors are being considered. These include the political makeup of the district, the cost of running a … Continue reading →

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Win a date with Karl Rove

Posted on August 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Desperate times and all that. The Perry campaign is offering supporters who submit 11 names of registered voters for the campaign to contact a chance to win prizes in a raffle. The gifts include a jogging lesson from RunTex founder … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Dion Ramos

Posted on August 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates on the November ballot. I am running these responses in the order that I receive them from the candidates. These Q&As are primarily intended for candidates who were … Continue reading →

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Interview with State Rep. Senfronia Thompson

Posted on August 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

State Rep. Senfronia Thompson is an institution in the Texas House. First elected in 1973, she is the longest serving female member, and the longest serving African American member of that chamber. Her list of achievements is long enough that … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Tim Riley

Posted on August 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates on the November ballot. I am running these responses in the order that I receive them from the candidates. These Q&As are primarily intended for candidates who were … Continue reading →

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Houston Votes kickoff party

Posted on August 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Houston Votes, which is well on its way towards its goal of registering 100,000 new voters in Harris County for this election, is having a party and you’re invited. RSVP here. Drink specials, no cover, and cool people. Come out … Continue reading →

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Interview with Ted Ankrum

Posted on August 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Not a whole lot of Congressional action in Harris County this year, as no Democrat ran in CDs 02, 07, and arguably 22. The one race to watch is in CD10, where Ted Ankrum takes another crack at Rep. Mike … Continue reading →

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Gambling industry support

Posted on August 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The DMN has an interesting story about gambling industry players making large campaign finance contributions, but there’s some context missing. A review by The Dallas Morning News of contributions since last July shows horse track interests have poured more than … Continue reading →

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Interview with Judy Jennings

Posted on July 30, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Completing our tour of the SBOE candidates, I bring you an interview with Judy Jennings, who is running for the open District 10 seat that the uber wingnut Cynthia Dunbar has vacated. Jennings has a PhD in educational psychology and … Continue reading →

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The Trib’s electoral three-parter

Posted on July 30, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

In case you haven’t seen it, I recommend the Trib‘s three-part series on the state of electoral politics in Texas, which was done in conjunction with the El Paso Times: The Map: Can A Democrat Win? The Map: The Giant … Continue reading →

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Dirty deals, done dirt cheap

Posted on July 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

So I missed this DMN story from the weekend about Rick Perry’s excellent fortune in the real estate market. Three years after Gov. Rick Perry’s biggest real estate score, questions persist about whether the governor benefited from favoritism, backroom dealing … Continue reading →

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Where’s Birdwell?

Posted on July 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib re-raises the question of the newest Senator’s eligibility to serve. The newest member of the Texas Senate, Brian Douglas Birdwell, voted in the November 2004 presidential election twice, choosing between George W. Bush and John Kerry in Tarrant … Continue reading →

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If it’s not your car, why did you get mileage reimbursements on it?

Posted on July 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Back to Basics PAC has more questions about “Linda Harper-Benz”. Remember our prior post on the scandal about how State Rep. Linda Harper-Brown was caught driving a brand-new 2010 Mercedes-Benz ME550 Sedan that was given to her by a state … Continue reading →

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Interview with Rebecca Bell-Metereau

Posted on July 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Next up is Rebecca Bell-Metereau, who is running for SBOE in District 5, which also touches San Antonio and goes north into the Hill Country. Bell-Metereau is also a professor of English, at Texas State University. She is running against … Continue reading →

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Fundraising: SBOE

Posted on July 27, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Really only two races of interest here, SBOE 5 and SBOE 10. Let’s take a look. http://www.ethics.state.tx.us/php/summary.php?rn=458837&form=COH Totals From Report For Rebecca L. Bell-Metereau Filed on: July 15 2010 Covering the Period February 21, 2010 Through June 30, 2010 Total … Continue reading →

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In case you need a reminder to vote this November

Posted on July 27, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

What we have to look forward to in Austin next year if nothing changes. Legislators next year will face severe budget problems, divisive redistricting, school funding troubles and reviews of major state agencies, including the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality … Continue reading →

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Interview with Michael Soto

Posted on July 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It’s time to start up the interview machine again, as election season will be on us before you know it. (Fun fact: We’re less than 90 days out from the start of early voting.) I’ve got a trio of SBOE … Continue reading →

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How dry is Dallas?

Posted on July 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’m fascinated by stories about elections to allow the sale of alcohol in places where it is currently prohibited. I suppose I find it weird that these vestiges of Prohibition are still with us. I especially find it strange to … Continue reading →

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Fort Bend Democratic Party HQ grand opening

Posted on July 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Looking for something to do tomorrow afternoon? Come out to Fort Bend and celebrate the grand opening of their first ever Democratic Party headquarters. This ain’t Tom DeLay country any more. The FBC has been trending steadily Democratic this decade. … Continue reading →

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Meet the Mostyns

Posted on July 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I have two things to say about this. Attorney Steve Mostyn said Tuesday he and his wife, Amber Anderson, are committed to putting a “substantial” amount of money that likely will exceed $3 million into ending hard-right Republican politics in … Continue reading →

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Fundraising: Harris County State Reps

Posted on July 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve collected fundraising reports for Harris County State Rep races of interest; they’re all beneath the fold. Here are the highlights: – In the rubber match between State Rep. Kristi Thibaut in HD133 and former State Rep. Jim Murphy, Thibaut … Continue reading →

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More on the broadband map of Texas

Posted on July 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Shouldn’t a map that purports to document broadband availability in Texas do a better job than this of actually including broadband providers? At an unveiling last month, the Texas Department of Agriculture touted its map of broadband Internet availability as … Continue reading →

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Fundraising: Harris County

Posted on July 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The top story for the Harris County money race is that County Judge Ed Emmett has a big lead in financial resources over challenger Gordon Quan. Gordon Quan said he knew from the start that challenging County Judge Ed Emmett … Continue reading →

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Comparing the reports

Posted on July 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Just out of curiosity, I thought I’d see how Bill White did with his fundraising compared to the last two Democratic candidates for Governor. Here’s what it looks like: Bill White Totals From Report For William H. White Filed on: … Continue reading →

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Back to Basics PAC back on the air

Posted on July 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

From the “Stuff That Happened While I Had Put Down The Internet” department, here’s an update on the Back to Basics PAC, which produced and ran a great TV ad about Rick Perry’s budget hypocrisy. Since we’ve released the ad … Continue reading →

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Fundraising: Other statewides

Posted on July 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Bill White kicked butt in the fundraising department, but how did the other statewide candidates do? Not nearly as good, unfortunately. Here’s a look: http://www.ethics.state.tx.us/php/summary.php?rn=458383&form=COH Totals From Report For Linda Chavez-Thompson Filed on: July 15 2010 Covering the Period February … Continue reading →

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Just so we’re clear

Posted on July 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

While I was out in the wilds of New York, I got word from Harold Cook that a fellow named Daniel Melder had criticized Land Commissioner candidate for his most recent press release, the one about the guy in Indiana … Continue reading →

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White reports $9 million on hand

Posted on July 15, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Not too shabby. Democrat Bill White hit the mid-year mark with more than $9 million in the bank for his November challenge to Gov. Rick Perry. White raised $7.4 million since his last report, in February, bringing to $16.4 million … Continue reading →

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