Category Archives: Election 2018

Interview with Jennifer Cantu

Posted on September 21, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We wrap up our week in Fort Bend County with HD85, the district that was added to the county in the 2011 redistricting. HD85 extends out from the southwest part of Fort Bend to incorporate Wharton and Jackson counties as … Continue reading →

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CD07 “live poll”: Culberson 48, Fletcher 45

Posted on September 21, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s another of those NYT-Siena “live polls” of interesting Congressional races. Houston Rep. John Culberson holds a narrow lead over Democratic challenger Lizzie Fletcher, a poll conducted by The New York Times Upshot found Tuesday. Culberson’s 3-point lead is within … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Chip Wells

Posted on September 20, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to my readers. I am running these responses in the … Continue reading →

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Differing views of likely voters

Posted on September 20, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

First we had this. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, leads his Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke by 9 percentage points among likely voters, according to a new poll from Quinnipiac University. Released Tuesday, the survey found Cruz with 54 percent support … Continue reading →

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Interview with Meghan Scoggins

Posted on September 19, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We move out to the west end of Fort Bend County, where the population is booming. HD28 covers this part of the county, and the number of votes cast in Presidential years here has increased by more than fifty percent … Continue reading →

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Flores defeats Gallego

Posted on September 19, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t even know what to say. This is a filthy result, one that can’t be repaired until 2020. I don’t know what happened, but it was a race we should not have lost. I don’t think one ugly loss … Continue reading →

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

Judicial Q&A: Julie Countiss

Posted on September 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to my readers. I am running these responses in the … Continue reading →

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

It’s Runoff Day in SD19

Posted on September 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This is an important election. The aggressive drive by top Texas Republicans to flip a Democratic-friendly state Senate seat will culminate Tuesday as their candidate, Pete Flores, faces Democrat Pete Gallego in the final round of a special election. The … Continue reading →

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Interview with Sarah DeMerchant

Posted on September 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Back to the State House, and over to Fort Bend County, where there are three elections of interest this year. Fort Bend trended Democratic in 2016, and you can see that reflected in the State Rep districts. HD26 is the … Continue reading →

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CD23 “live poll”: Hurd 51, Ortiz Jones 43

Posted on September 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Give this one a bit of side-eye. Incumbent Republican Will Hurd is leading his Democratic challenger, Gina Ortiz Jones, in one of the country’s most competitive races in this year’s midterm elections, according to a new poll by The New … Continue reading →

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The other Senate races that Republicans are worried about

Posted on September 15, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

They’re concerned about the State Senate, too. Republican lawmakers in the Texas Senate were sitting pretty last year. For years, the GOP had faced roadblocks to passing some conservative measures by the chamber’s two-thirds rule, which normally required the support … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Crossing over

Posted on September 15, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Former Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, a Republican, has endorsed Democrat Miguel Suazo in his bid to replace current Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush. Patterson, a former political rival of Bush, cited what he called mismanagement of the … Continue reading →

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Crosswinds: Cruz 47, O’Rourke 44

Posted on September 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s poll time again. In a sign of just how crucial the millennial vote might be in the upcoming mid-term elections, a statewide poll released Tuesday shows Ted Cruz leading 47 percent to Beto O’Rourke’s 44 percent among likely Texas … Continue reading →

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Henry Cuellar does his thing

Posted on September 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

And it’s annoying as usual. A new report has left many Democratic House insiders perplexed and frustrated with one of the most powerful Texas Democrats in Congress: U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo. Politico reported Tuesday that Cuellar had”invited supporters to … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Gordon Goodman

Posted on September 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to my readers. I am running these responses in the … Continue reading →

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

Yes, Republicans really are worried about Ted Cruz

Posted on September 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Their actions speak volumes. With a string of polls showing GOP Sen. Ted Cruz’s lead slipping, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick showed up in Washington on July 25 to deliver an urgent plea to White House officials: Send President Donald … Continue reading →

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Interview with Adrienne Bell

Posted on September 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

CD14 covers Galveston and Jefferson counties, plus part of Brazoria. Those first two counties were the main component of what was once CD09, before Tom DeLay ripped up the map. Its heritage is Democratic – Nick Lampson represented that turf … Continue reading →

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Sri Kulkarni and Asian voters

Posted on September 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Great story. Despite its diversity, [CD22] has been a Republican stronghold going back to the days when it was held by former U.S. House Speaker Tom Delay. In 2016, Donald Trump won the district by 8 percentage points while the … Continue reading →

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On negative ads and name recognition

Posted on September 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I confess, I’m amused by this. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is going after Democrat Beto O’Rourke for cursing during some of his campaign speeches. The Cruz campaign released a digital ad on social media that shows O’Rourke cursing at various … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Early voting has begun for SD19 special election runoff

Posted on September 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t lose sight of this election. A strong yet unsuccessful showing in 2016 against incumbent Carlos Uresti was enough to convince Pete Flores to take another shot at Uresti’s State Senate seat, this time in a special election to complete … Continue reading →

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Interview with Steven David

Posted on September 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We turn our attention this week to Congress. I covered a bunch of Congressional races in the primary season, and I won’t be revisiting them, but there are still a couple of races of interest in the area. First up … Continue reading →

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No, really, nobody likes Ted Cruz

Posted on September 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Womp, womp. President Donald Trump’s budget chief said Saturday that Republican U.S. Sen Ted Cruz could lose his seat in the November elections, suggesting that he is not likable enough, The New York Times reported. According to the Times report, … Continue reading →

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Harris County 2018 voter registration numbers

Posted on September 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Thank you Harris County Voter Registration Division and Harris County Volunteer Deputy Voter Registrars for your passion, dedication, and commitment in registering eligible voters! Current number registered: 2,291,037 Voters registered in 2017: 67,753 Voters registered in 2018: … Continue reading →

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The Atlantic on CD07

Posted on September 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this: On a Saturday morning in Houston, the high was 94 degrees with a chance of rain. It was hardly friendly weather for canvassing—the door-knocking, yard sign–delivering, get-out-the-vote efforts that define a politician’s … Continue reading →

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

How can Beto win?

Posted on September 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This is from the weekly newsletter put out by G. Elliott Morris: Let’s talk about voter turnout in Texas. The statewide voting-agedpopulation is a mixed bag, made up of 45% White, 37% Hispanic, 11% Black, and 6% Asian/other residents, according to projections from the Center … Continue reading →

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

Interview with Lisa Seger

Posted on September 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Lisa Seger, who is running for HD03 in Montgomery and Waller Counties, is an uncommon candidate in an unexpected place. She and her husband have owned and operated Blue Heron Farm in Field Store Community of Waller County since 2006. … Continue reading →

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HFD Chief warns of layoffs

Posted on September 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

To be fair, this isn’t the first time we have heard this. Houston Fire Chief Sam Peña on Tuesday warned of dire consequences — including possible layoffs of more than 800 firefighters and deferred maintenance or upgrades on aging equipment, … Continue reading →

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The 2006 question

Posted on September 5, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It always comes back to turnout. It was the worst day of the worst month of the worst season in years for Republicans hoping to mitigate political damage in this fall’s midterm elections. And Texas political operatives were left stunned … Continue reading →

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Town hall meetings for city referenda

Posted on September 5, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: MAYOR TURNER INVITES CITY RESIDENTS TO TOWN HALL MEETINGS ABOUT THE 2 PROPOSITIONS ON THE NOV. 6 CITY BALLOT Mayor Turner urges all voters who live in the city to learn about the Rebuild Houston and fire … Continue reading →

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Interview with Mike Collier

Posted on September 4, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We are a day past Labor Day, which means we are officially in campaign season. As is the tradition around here, I’ll be presenting interviews with a variety of candidates for November. Generally speaking, these will cover races and candidates … Continue reading →

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#TrumpTruckTweet

Posted on September 4, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I love this. Deep in the heart of Texas, a billboard truck will soon hit the road with a curated list of President Donald Trump’s tweets — attacks on Sen. Ted Cruz, a former political foe. Trump popularized the term … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Emmett speaks post-bond

Posted on September 2, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

With the flood bond referendum safely passed, we now turn to what comes next. Land and housing preservation is key to the Houston region becoming more resilient, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said Tuesday, on the heels of last weekend’s … Continue reading →

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Another look at MJ Hegar

Posted on September 1, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of this is stuff we’ve seen before, but there are a couple of points worth mentioning. Flipping a conservative stronghold like Texas’ 31st Congressional District, centered on Round Rock, would qualify as the high-water mark of any “blue wave” … Continue reading →

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Signs, signs, everywhere there’s Beto signs

Posted on August 31, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

And they’re breaking the minds of Ted Cruz supporters. The conversation unfolding before a campaign event for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz here last week echoed similar ones popping up among Republican groups around Texas. With a mixture of frustration and … Continue reading →

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