Category Archives: Election 2018

We talk once again about straight ticket voting

Posted on September 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We have a new study, so we have a new reason. The state’s decision to kill straight-ticket voting could cut turnout in down-ballot races in the 2020 elections — even if more voters show up to the polls. Sure, those … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018, Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on We talk once again about straight ticket voting

Using Beto 2018 to project Beto 2020

Posted on April 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The NYT recently took a deep dive into the 2018 election data from Texas, and came out seeing a real swing state, partly because of Beto and partly for other reasons. Mr. O’Rourke’s close result wasn’t because of an exceptional … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Precinct analysis: 2018 SBOE

Posted on April 4, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

There are 15 State Board of Education positions, currently divided 10 GOP to 5 Dem. They’re bigger than State Senate and Congressional districts but no one raises any money for them so they’re basically decided by partisan turnout. As with … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Precinct analysis: 2018 State House

Posted on March 26, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Beto O’Rourke won 76 State House districts. Out of 150. Which is a majority. Let me say that again so it can fully sink in. BETO O’ROURKE WON 76 STATE HOUSE DISTRICTS. Remember that after the 2016 election, Democrats held … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

We still could have done better on turnout

Posted on March 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

That’s always how it is, isn’t it? Despite holding the most expensive and closely-watched U.S. Senate election in the nation last year, Texas still ranked among the ten worst states for voter turnout in 2018, according to a new report … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Precinct analysis: 2018 Congress

Posted on March 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The 2018 Congressional races were the most expensive, the most hotly and broadly contested, and by far the most attention-grabbing races in the non-Beto division. We hadn’t seen anything remotely like it since the 2004 DeLay re-redistricting year, but we … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Just a reminder, Will Hurd is still a Republican

Posted on March 19, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

That means he does Republican things. Texas Republican Rep. Will Hurd said he would vote for Donald Trump in 2020 over his friend, former Texas Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke, should he decide to run and win the Democratic Party’s nomination. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018, Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Precinct analysis: 2018 State Senate

Posted on March 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The day I look forward to since November has finally arrived – all the data from the last election is now available on the Texas Legislative Council webpage. You know what that means: It’s statewide precinct analysis time! Let’s start … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

January 2019 campaign finance reports: Congress

Posted on March 4, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We come to the last of our January finance report roundups. The next one will be in April, for Congressional candidates, which will be our first indicator of who among the repeaters and the newcomers has gotten off to a … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Back to court for Prop B

Posted on February 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again. Lawyers for Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner filed a motion Friday afternoon seeking to declare Proposition B invalid, contending the voter-approved referendum supporting pay parity for firefighters violates Texas law. The move is the latest in an … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

There sure was a lot of money spent on Congressional races in Texas

Posted on February 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

If we’re lucky, it will be the start of a trend. Never has Texas seen as much money spent on Congressional campaigns as it did in 2018. New campaign finance data shows that the state didn’t just beat its old … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on There sure was a lot of money spent on Congressional races in Texas

Precinct analysis: Fort Bend

Posted on January 21, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Did you know that Fort Bend County went blue in 2018 as well? Of course you did. Let’s take a closer look at how that happened. Dist Cruz Beto Dikeman Cruz% Beto% Dike% ====================================================== HD26 32,451 33,532 406 48.88% 50.51% … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Precinct analysis: Fort Bend

Meet KP George

Posted on January 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

He’s the new Fort Bend County Judge. In December, that strange suspended-in-motion month between his election and taking office, K.P. George was checking out the quaint old domed Fort Bend County Courthouse, soon to be his domain. In November, to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Lina Hidalgo officially sworn in

Posted on January 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s Judge Hidalgo now, thank you very much. Ushering in a new era of Democratic rule, Lina Hidalgo took the oath of office as Harris County judge early Tuesday, becoming the first Latina and first woman to lead the nation’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Precinct analysis: The county candidates

Posted on January 2, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s just dive right in and have a look at the countywide candidates, shall we? Dist Emmett Hidalgo Gatlin Under Emmett% Hidalgo% Gatlin% ============================================================== CD02 150,630 103,625 5,842 5,005 57.91% 39.84% 2.25% CD07 135,016 100,412 4,967 4,819 56.16% 41.77% 2.07% … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Precinct analysis: The county candidates

The losers of 2018

Posted on December 31, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Allow me to point you to the Observer’s list of six Texas political players who lost power in 2018. I’d call it five-sixths of a good list, plus one entry I don’t quite understand. 3) Bexar County Democrats Want to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The losers of 2018

Here come the new judges

Posted on December 30, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

They’re going to be fine. Seriously, everyone chill out. [Frank] Aguilar said some of his Democratic colleagues may not have a lot of judicial experience, but most have had long careers as lawyers and have the experience they need to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Another straight-ticket truther

Posted on December 29, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Hello, outgoing Fort Bend DA John Healey! When John Healey began his career as a young prosecutor in Fort Bend County in the early 1980s, Ronald Reagan was president, MTV had just gone on the air and the then-rural county … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Harris County GOP has not hit bottom yet

Posted on December 27, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I have four thing to say about this. Drubbed. Shellacked. Whooped. Walloped. Routed. However you want to describe November’s midterm election, it was disastrous for Harris County Republicans. They were swept from the remaining countywide posts they held — the other shoe … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Pete Sessions’ fine whine

Posted on December 23, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

There ain’t enough cheese in the entire state of Wisconsin to accompany this. Rep. Pete Sessions’ campaign might be over. But he isn’t over it. The Dallas Republican is still smoldering about the circumstances that led to his decisive loss … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018, General snarkiness | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

HD145 and HD79 special elections set

Posted on December 22, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Another sprint. Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday set a Jan. 29 special election to fill state Sen. Carol Alvarado’s seat in the Texas House, hours after she was sworn in to the upper chamber. Alvarado, D-Houston, won a special election … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018, Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Precinct analysis: Collier versus Beto

Posted on December 20, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib looks at some numbers. Mike Collier, the Democrat who ran for and lost the race for lieutenant governor last month, wasn’t the star of his party’s ticket. But by some measures, Collier did better in this year’s general … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Precinct analysis: Beto in the city

Posted on December 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Last week I got an email from Christopher Busby, who is a regular commenter here. He had previously asked about doing an analysis of Beto O’Rourke’s performance in Houston by City Council district. I told him that the canvass data … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Rep. Joe Pickett to resign

Posted on December 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We will now need two special House elections to get to full membership. State Rep. Joe Pickett of El Paso will leave his post effective Jan. 4. Pickett, a Democrat, made the announcement Saturday morning that he will step down … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018, Election 2019, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Alvarado wins SD06 special election

Posted on December 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

No runoff! Hurray! State Rep. Carol Alvarado, D-Houston, won the Senate District 6 special election Tuesday, finishing far ahead of a four-candidate field and grabbing a narrow majority of the votes needed to avoid a runoff. She received 50.4 percent … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Precinct analysis: The two types of statewide candidates

Posted on December 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

When we look at the precinct data in Harris County, we can separate the statewide candidates into two groups. Here’s the first group: Dist Abbott Valdez Tipp Abbott% Valdez% Trump% Clinton% =============================================================== CD02 146,399 112,272 4,345 55.66% 43.40% 52.38% 43.05% … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Early voting concludes in SD06

Posted on December 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Tomorrow is Election Day. Early voting concluded Friday in the special election to replace Sylvia Garcia in Senate District 6, and the low turnout is about what the Harris County clerk expected. More than 1,097 voters cast ballots Friday either … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Early voting concludes in SD06

Yolanda Ford

Posted on December 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

History is made in Missouri City. Missouri City voters Saturday elected Yolanda Ford as their next mayor, the first woman and African American ever selected for the city’s highest office. Ford narrowly defeated incumbent Allen Owen, who has been Missouri … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The potential for more

Posted on December 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Beto O’Rourke came very close to beating Ted Cruz. How much closer can Dems get in 2020? As newly updated election results showed U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s victory was even tighter than first realized, Democratic-led voter registration groups are saying … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

How Dems took Hays County

Posted on December 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Three cheers for Texas State University. As the dust settles after last week’s election, the political identity of Hays County hangs in the balance: Is it red or blue? The rapidly growing Central Texas suburban county — Texas’ 22nd-largest by … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Lina Hidalgo gets the national press treatment

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

You need to get past the first couple of paragraphs, but overall a decent piece. Even in defeat, Beto O’Rourke did a big favor to fellow Democrats all over Texas. A couple hundred thousand young people who might otherwise have … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Precinct analysis: One final look at judicial races and undervoting

Posted on December 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This one is short and sweet, and really could have been the entry level way of looking at the question “who is more likely to lose voters down the ballot when straight ticket voting is gone, Dems or Republicans?” We … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

SD06 finance reports

Posted on December 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

As expected, there are two candidates who are running a real campaign, and two other candidates. State Reps. Carol Alvarado and Ana Hernandez have raised and spent far more money than the two other candidates seeking to replace Rep.-elect Sylvia … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Precinct analysis: Undervoting in judicial races

Posted on December 5, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Last time, we looked at undervoting by State Rep district in the two city propositions, which were at the very end of the 2018 ballot. That showed a somewhat greater likelihood of people in Democratic districts to skip those races, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments