Category Archives: Election 2018

Early voting for the May 5 elections begins today

Posted on April 23, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: EARLY VOTING BEGINS FOR HOUSTON COUNCIL DISTRICT K  Local jurisdictions, including schools, emergency, and utility districts, also holding May 5 Elections Houston, TX –Early Voting for the May 5, 2018 City of Houston Council Member District K Special Election begins Monday, April … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: District K special election

Posted on April 23, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron makes its choice in the District K special election. Larry Blackmon, 68, has spent decades serving on various boards and advisory committees under the leadership of three Houston mayors. Martha Castex-Tatum, 48, is the director of constituent services … Continue reading →

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Interview with Aisha Savoy

Posted on April 22, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, I have published a series of interviews with candidates in the special election for Houston City Council District K, to fill the vacancy left by the untimely death of CM Larry Green. As you also know, sometimes … Continue reading →

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Abbott does want a special election in CD27

Posted on April 21, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Well all righty then. Gov. Greg Abbott wants to hold a special election to replace former U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Corpus Christi, as soon as possible.That’s according to a letter he sent Thursday to Attorney General Ken Paxton, seeking guidance on whether … Continue reading →

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Some people sound very threatened by that Quinnipiac Texas Senate poll

Posted on April 20, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This is almost funny. In its first-ever Texas poll, Quinnipiac University deemed the Senate race “too close to call” in reporting that 47 percent of Texas voters surveyed back Cruz and 44 percent support O’Rourke, an El Paso congressman. The … Continue reading →

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An article about Congressional race in Texas that doesn’t mention CD07

Posted on April 20, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Who knew that was even legal? Several of the most truly competitive House races in the country are in Texas, which could wind up providing Democrats three or more of the 24 flipped seats that they need for control of … Continue reading →

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Interview with Pat Frazier

Posted on April 19, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We wrap up our interview series in District K with Pat Frazier, who is the one person in this race that has run for this seat before, back in 2011. Frazier is an educator and community activist with a long … Continue reading →

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Quinnipiac: Cruz 47, O’Rourke 44

Posted on April 19, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Pretty good poll result, with the ever-present proviso that it’s just one result. The closely watched U.S. Senate race in Texas is too close to call, with 47 percent for Republican incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz and 44 percent for U.S. … Continue reading →

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Interview with Elisabeth Johnson

Posted on April 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Elisabeth Johnson has a long background in politics and community activism, having worked on the Bill White for Governor campaign in 2010 as a field organizer in Dallas and with the Texas Organizing Project and Working America to help pass … Continue reading →

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Are Texas Republicans really worried about Trump for November?

Posted on April 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I mean, I guess they are. They’ve seen what has happened around the country, in other elections and other red places. I don’t know how worried they are, or how worried they should be. This is a Red State where … Continue reading →

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Interview with Larry Blackmon

Posted on April 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We return now to the interviews for the special election in District K. Most of the nine candidates in this race are first-timers, but two are not. Larry Blackmon is one of those two, having run in the open At … Continue reading →

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The math on redistricting

Posted on April 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not just that Republicans drew themselves a favorable map. It’s that they drew a durable favorable map. Thanks to those very effective Republican redistricting maps, Texas Democrats would have to improve their statewide election results by more than 10 … Continue reading →

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Interview with Cecil Webster

Posted on April 16, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I’m going to take one brief diversion from the District K special election interviews to bring you this interview for the HD13 special election, which is also happening on May 5. I’ve written about Cecil Webster before, as he is … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of CD07 runoff

Posted on April 16, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t know how much there is here we didn’t already know, but this is the marquee local runoff, so it gets the attention. On paper, there is little to separate attorney Lizzie Pannill Fletcher and writer-activist Laura Moser, the two … Continue reading →

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Cruz’s lesser fundraising haul

Posted on April 15, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not that little, Ted. Really. When U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke announced his latest fundraising haul earlier this month – a stunning $6.7 million – it was widely expected to surpass what his rival, Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, brought … Continue reading →

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On Latino primary participation

Posted on April 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Time for some numbers. The predictions about Harris County Latinos becoming more engaged in the recent mid-term primary were right: The number of Latino voters who cast their ballot more than doubled compared to the previous primary of the same … Continue reading →

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Interview with Martha Castex-Tatum

Posted on April 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We continue on with interviews in the District K special election, to succeed the late Council Member Larry Green. Today we have Martha Castex-Tatum, who has served in CM Green’s office as the Director of Constituent Services since 2015. She … Continue reading →

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Interview with Lawrence McGaffie

Posted on April 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We continue with interviews in the special election for District K to succeed the late CM Larry Green. Today I am talking with Lawrence McGaffie, an ordained minister and Army veteran who is the founder of the Inspire the Lead, … Continue reading →

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Interview with Anthony Freddie

Posted on April 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, the special election to succeed the late Council Member Larry Green in District K is on May 5. Early voting for this election begins April 23, which is to say two weeks from now. In those two … Continue reading →

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Farenthold resigns

Posted on April 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

So long, Ducky. U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Corpus Christi, resigned on Friday. The decision marks the capstone of a tumultuous few months for the four-term congressman, who has been dogged by sexual harassment allegations and an ongoing ethics investigation. “While … Continue reading →

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The CD02 primary runoff

Posted on April 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, yeah, that’s happening. Kevin Roberts already overcame a $6 million onslaught from self-funding multimillionaire Kathaleen Wall to keep his hopes of winning a seat in Congress alive. Now the Republican’s challenge is beating retired Navy SEAL Dan Crenshaw, a … Continue reading →

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Valdez and White in the runoff

Posted on April 5, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The DMN provides a snapshot of where we are in the one Democratic statewide primary runoff. Former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez and Houston investor Andrew White have disparate strategies for winning the nomination. Valdez, who finished first with a … Continue reading →

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Beto’s big haul

Posted on April 4, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-El Paso, raised over $6.7 million for his U.S. Senate bid in the first quarter of 2018, according to his campaign, a staggering number that poses a new category of threat to Republican incumbent Ted … Continue reading →

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The Ted Cruz brand

Posted on April 3, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It takes all kinds. While some Republicans may fret about Trump’s shaky approval ratings or their party’s brand among disappointed conservatives, Cruz seems to occupy his own space in the political firmament. Launching his 2018 reelection campaign in Houston on … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: HCDE Precinct 1

Posted on April 2, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

After the last precinct analysis post, I got an email from Danny Norris, one of the two candidates in the runoff for HCDE Position 6, Precinct 1, asking if I intended to look at this race. My answer at the … Continue reading →

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Who are you calling lazy?

Posted on April 2, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This makes me laugh. On paper, Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas) appears to be a shoo-in for reelection. He‘s served nine terms in what’s been a GOP stronghold for decades, hasn’t had a serious challenger in years and sits on one … Continue reading →

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JP Hilary Green resigns

Posted on March 31, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Wise decision. The Harris County justice of the peace accused of paying prostitutes for sex, abusing drugs while on the bench and sexting a bailiff officially resigned this week – although her attorney says it has nothing to do with … Continue reading →

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Pete Gallego is in for SD19

Posted on March 31, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We now have two intended candidates for what we hope will be a special election. Another candidate signaled plans to enter the race for Senate District 19 on Wednesday, about a month after the San Antonio Democrat who currently holds … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Ana’s army

Posted on March 30, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Two weeks ago, I noted an email sent out by Rep. Carol Alvarado containing a long list of current and former elected officials as well as other prominent folks who had endorsed her candidacy for SD06, for when Sen. Sylvia … Continue reading →

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Still discussing flood bonds

Posted on March 29, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s complicated. Harris County officials Tuesday said the “clock is ticking” on its call for a bond referendum for $1 billion or more in flood control projects, as requirements to provide matching funds for federal grants being disbursed in Hurricane … Continue reading →

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The field is set in District K

Posted on March 28, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the District K special election webpage, and now that the filing deadline has passed and the list of candidates has been updated, here are your contenders for this seat: Candidate Contact Information in alphabetical order Larry Blackmon | 6167 Ludington, … Continue reading →

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Judge in Dallas County ballot lawsuit need not recuse himself

Posted on March 28, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Round One goes to the Dems. The Dallas County Republican Party on Monday failed in an attempt to have a judge removed from a case that could disqualify 82 Democratic Party candidates from the general election ballot. Kerrville’s Stephen Ables, … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: One of these things is not like the others

Posted on March 27, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s finish up our look at the primary precinct data with a peek at the Republican side of things. As a reminder, my analysis of the Democratic Senate primary is here, my analysis of the Governor and Lt. Governor races … Continue reading →

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It’s about more than the statewide races

Posted on March 27, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Two articles coming to basically the same conclusion. First, from the Observer: People watching Texas from afar are naturally not very interested in the balance of power in the Legislature, or county government. They’re interested first in whether Texas could … Continue reading →

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