Category Archives: Election 2020

Do not wait with your mail ballot

Posted on August 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

You have been warned. The U.S. Postal Service has warned Texas officials that some ballots cast by mail may not arrive in time to be counted for the November election thanks to certain state deadlines for mail-in ballots being incompatible … Continue reading →

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Now we’re getting favorable State House polls

Posted on August 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: A recent poll of Texas House District 126, conducted for Democratic challenger Natali Hurtado’s campaign shows her essentially tied with Republican incumbent Sam Harless. The poll of 401 likely voters, conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, showed Hurtado … Continue reading →

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Fallon fallout

Posted on August 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. After Sen. Pat Fallon’s impressive though not unexpected victory this weekend in the insider’s race to be the GOP nominee for Congressional District 4 – being vacated by Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe – rumors are flying … Continue reading →

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Appeals court upholds District B ruling

Posted on August 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We will finally get a runoff election in District B. An appeals court ruled early Tuesday that Houston did not err when it declined to disqualify a District B city council candidate who had a felony conviction, clearing the way … Continue reading →

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Latino voter engagement 2020

Posted on August 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We have a poll for that. Latinos in Texas say they are much more motivated to vote this November than they were in 2016, with gun safety being a big factor after the shooting in El Paso a year ago, … Continue reading →

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Texas Dems ramp up mail ballot outreach

Posted on August 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a smart move, with some caveats. The Texas Democratic Party [announced] Monday that it is doubling down on its vote-by-mail campaign with a goal of reaching 1.7 million potential mail voters by the end of the month — the … Continue reading →

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More election innovation, please

Posted on August 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Some good stuff here: less than 90 days to E-Day & we’re pushing for Bexar to: ✅ send all 65+ reg voters app to vote by mail ✅ expand EV hrs to include at least one 24-hour site ✅ increase … Continue reading →

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July 2020 campaign finance reports: State races, part 4

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

So yeah, after my previous entry I went and talked myself into checking on the finance reports from the 10 non-Houston-area seats that Dems flipped in 2018, plus four others of interest. It’s a sickness, I admit it, but here … Continue reading →

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July 2020 campaign finance reports: State races, part 3

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Here I continue with a look at the State Rep races outside the Houston area where Dems are competing to flip seats. I did not look at the districts the Dems are defending, but I may return to that at … Continue reading →

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Once again with female Congressional candidates

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This is another post that was drafted in the Before Times, specifically right after the March primary. I went through the runoffs and assessed all of the races that could or would contain a female candidate or incumbent against a … Continue reading →

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CD24 poll: Valenzuela 47, Van Duyne 41

Posted on August 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From the Twitters: Big #TX24 numbers in Morning Score this AM @candacefor24 leading @Bethvanduyne 48-41 @JoeBiden leading @realDonaldTrump 49-45 — Cole Leiter (@coleleiter) 6:41 AM – 6 August 2020 You can see the poll info here. The 48-41 and 49-45 … Continue reading →

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July 2020 campaign finance reports: State races, part 2

Posted on August 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s move on to finance reports from the State House, which I will break up into two parts. Today’s look is on the various races in the greater Houston area, and after that I’ll look at the other races of … Continue reading →

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Hegar to get a boost

Posted on August 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee announced Tuesday that it will spend at least $1 million to help MJ Hegar in her challenge to U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. The DSCC said it will be the first time the committee … Continue reading →

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Morning Consult: Biden 47, Trump 46

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like maybe we’ll get a regular dose of these. Democrats enter the peak of the campaign season with advantages that make their path to regaining control of the Senate easier for strategists and handicappers to envision alongside a Joe … Continue reading →

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Interview with Sherrie Matula of Sisters United Alliance

Posted on August 3, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Sherrie Matula is a longtime Democratic activist (she was a founder of the BAAD Women club) and two-time candidate (for HD129 in 2008, and for HCDE in Precinct 2 in 2016, which she lost by 0.2 percentage points), but that’s … Continue reading →

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Recount requested in CD23 Republican runoff

Posted on August 3, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This race is still unsettled. Raul Reyes announced Friday night that he will seek a recount in the razor-thin Republican primary runoff to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-Helotes, in his national battleground district. Reyes’ announcement came after the … Continue reading →

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Congressional Dems winning the money race in Texas

Posted on August 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The times, they have definitely changed. Early this election cycle, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn publicly worried about complacency within the Texas Republican political class — even after Democratic gains made in 2018. So in early 2019, the state’s senior senator … Continue reading →

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Revisiting the May elections

Posted on August 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m ambivalent about this. Most cities in Texas — from Galveston to Lubbock — moved their May elections to November under a pandemic-era decree by Gov. Greg Abbott. But the choices facing voters will remain limited to candidates who filed … Continue reading →

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A slightly less rosy view of Democratic prospects

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the latest race ratings from Texas Elects: Texas Election Source has updated 27 race ratings based on the latest polling, July campaign finance reports and primary runoff results. Twenty of those races moved one column toward the Democrats’ advantage. … Continue reading →

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July 2020 campaign finance reports: State races, part 1

Posted on July 31, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m going to take a look at the July finance reports from the various state races, which I will split into three parts. Part one will be statewide, SBOE, and State Senate, part two will be State House races from … Continue reading →

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Update on that other vote by mail lawsuit

Posted on July 31, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From Daily Kos: A federal judge has rejected Republican Secretary of State Ruth Hughs’ motion to dismiss a case brought by several Texas voters and civil rights organizations seeking to expand access to absentee voting for the November general election. Plaintiffs are asking the … Continue reading →

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CD25 poll: Roger Williams 45, Julie Oliver 43

Posted on July 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This is genuinely astonishing. To showcase just how extensively Trump’s decline has shifted the playing field, the DCCC shared with the Washington Post details of an in-house poll it conducted of Texas’ deep-red 25th Congressional District that finds Joe Biden … Continue reading →

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Morning Consult: Biden 47, Trump 45

Posted on July 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The hits keep coming. Another day, another poll showing that Texas is up for grabs despite President Donald Trump’s bluster. Former vice president Joe Biden leads 47-45, with only one in 20 voters still undecided, in a Morning Consult poll … Continue reading →

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Making NRG Arena the 2020 election headquarters

Posted on July 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Sounds like a good idea. Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins is seeking permission from Commissioners Court to use NRG Arena as a headquarters for the fall presidential election, converting the expansive space for voting, ballot counting and a call center. … Continue reading →

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Checking in on CD21

Posted on July 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Thar’s the race where Wendy Davis is trying to unseat the mini-Ted Cruz known as Chip Roy, and the pundits are thinking she can do it. All signs are pointing toward a competitive race between incumbent conservative firebrand U.S. Rep. … Continue reading →

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What a Democratic House means for redistricting

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Rick Casey makes a point about what a Democratic-majority State House will and won’t be able to do in 2021, in particular with redistricting. I would put the Democrats’ chances of taking back the State House of Representatives as better … Continue reading →

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Rep. Rodriguez concedes in SD14

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

No runoff after all. Former Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt will succeed former state Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, in the Texas Senate after state Rep. Eddie Rodriguez said Monday he is dropping out of the race. Eckhardt and Rodriguez, both … Continue reading →

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Abbott officially extends early voting for November

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s just by a week, but at least the announcement has been made early. Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday extended the early voting period for the November election by six days, citing continued challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic. Early … Continue reading →

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Interview with Teneshia Hudspeth

Posted on July 27, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, HCDP precinct chairs will be picking a nominee for Harris County Clerk, to run for Diane Trautman’s unexpired term. The leading candidate for this is Teneshia Hudspeth, who has worked in the Clerk’s office for fifteen years … Continue reading →

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July 2020 campaign finance reports: Harris County

Posted on July 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

You can always count on January and July for campaign finance reports. This roundup is going to be a little funky, because all of the candidates filed eight-day reports for the March primary, and a few also filed 30-day and … Continue reading →

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Abandon ship!

Posted on July 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

LOL. During Troy Nehls’ recent bid for the Republican nomination in one of Texas’ battleground congressional districts, the Fort Bend County sheriff prominently displayed his support for President Trump across his campaign website. “In Congress, I will stand with President … Continue reading →

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CD03 poll: Taylor 43, Seikaly 37

Posted on July 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I expect we’ll see a fair amount of Congressional district polling this cycle. There is a single-digit race underway for Texas’ traditionally red 3rd Congressional District, according to a new poll from the new Democratic nominee’s campaign. The nominee, Lulu … Continue reading →

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July 2020 campaign finance reports: Congress

Posted on July 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations, everyone. Not only have we made it to the other side of another quarterly reporting period, we have also successfully navigated the primary runoffs. My next quarterly finance report post for Congress will thus be shorter, as this is … Continue reading →

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A deeper dive into the Texas polls

Posted on July 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From Decision Desk: Whenever there is a new poll of Texas released, there are a ton of hot takes on Twitter. Old believers of Texas as the great blue whale for the Democrats move to dismiss the poll, saying that … Continue reading →

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