Monthly Archives: March 2018

Precinct analysis: Guv and Lite Guv

Posted on March 20, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We move now to the Democratic primaries for Governor and Lt. Governor. I did not analyze any of the other Democratic statewide contested primaries, mostly because they were sufficiently low-profile that I didn’t think there was anything of interest to … Continue reading →

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

Steve Stockman’s trial has begun

Posted on March 20, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Hope you have your popcorn ready. A year after he was charged with running a wide-ranging scheme to divert charitable donations to pay for campaign and personal expenses, former U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman is scheduled to begin a month-long trial … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment, Scandalized! | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Rep. Johnson files motion to dismiss Dallas County ballot lawsuit

Posted on March 20, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I wish him luck. State Rep. Eric Johnson on Monday asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit that would kick him and other Democrats off the November general election ballot. The suit, brought by the Dallas County Republican Party, contends … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Beto in Harris County

Posted on March 19, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I now have a canvass of the primaries in Harris County, so you know what that means – time for some precinct analyses. I’ve got a few of these to do, so let’s dive right in. First up, a look … Continue reading →

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

Another designation for the Astrodome

Posted on March 19, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s quite the historic place. The famed Astrodome will be designated as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark — the highest honor the state can bestow on a historic structure. The marker will finally and officially tell the story of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

March For Our Lives rally

Posted on March 19, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

On Saturday, March 24, community members from Houston will gather for a “sibling march” as part of the March for Our Lives movement. The march is one of hundreds happening around the country planned by students and survivors of gun … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Weekend link dump for March 18

Posted on March 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Ichiro Suzuki is one of the most fascinating people, not just baseball players, you’ll ever hear about. “Microsoft is trying to kill the password, and it’s about time.” “Civil society requires the toleration of the expression of opposing viewpoints, no … Continue reading →

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So will there be any effort to help Cecil Webster in the HD13 special election?

Posted on March 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

So as we know, there is a special election set for HD13 on May 5. Governor Greg Abbott has ordered a special election for May 5, 2018, to fill the State Representative District 13 seat vacated by Leighton Schubert. District … Continue reading →

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

More on the HFD sex discrimination lawsuit

Posted on March 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Is anyone surprised that a lot more female firefighters have come forward to describe incidents of harassment at HFD since the initial story was published? Because if you are, I don’t think you’ve been paying much attention to the news … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Houston makes final cut for FIFA 2026 bid

Posted on March 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Now it’s up to FIFA. The Houston Dynamos might have to make some room: Space City has been included in the bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup. On Thursday, officials announced that Houston is one of 23 cities … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , | 13 Comments

January 2018 finance reports: City of Houston

Posted on March 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We didn’t have any city of Houston elections in 2017, and while we ought to have some charter amendments on the ballot in 2018 we won’t be voting for people till next year. Still, everyone has to file campaign finance … Continue reading →

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Just a reminder, the I-45 construction is going to be massive

Posted on March 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I can’t quite wrp my mind around the scope of it. I suspect a lot of us feel the same way. Birds flitting in and out of the grass and trees along this strip of marsh pay no heed to … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The history of CD07

Posted on March 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Good read, though not really anything we didn’t already know. West University could have been the set for “Leave it to Beaver” when Serpell Edwards and his wife Betsy bought their home there 45 years ago. The neighbors were mostly … Continue reading →

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

Nothing to see here

Posted on March 16, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Remain calm, all is well. Next Saturday, March 24, hundreds of Texas Democratic Party activists will gather at the Austin Hyatt Regency to nominate candidates for political office in Travis County, a kick-off event leading up to the 2018 midterm … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

More on the status of SB4

Posted on March 16, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Ed Sills sent this one-pager from MALDEF to his mailing list; there’s no link and I couldn’t find it on the MALDEF webpage, so I’m just going to copy and paste here: What did the Fifth Circuit Court decide? On … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

This is our most “run everywhere” election ever

Posted on March 16, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We already knew this, and have quantified it in a number of ways, but it’s still worth taking a moment to marvel at the surge of Democratic candidates this year. Before she could talk about her campaign for the Texas … Continue reading →

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

Let’s have some Valdez/White runoff debates

Posted on March 15, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. The Democratic primary runoff for governor ramped up Tuesday with a debate over debates between Lupe Valdez and Andrew White, the two candidates still standing from the nine-way primary a week ago. … Continue reading →

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Did Greg Abbott oppose the bathroom bill?

Posted on March 15, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Color me skeptical. Gov. Greg Abbott himself was opposed to the controversial “bathroom bill” that dominated debate at the Texas Capitol for much of 2017, according to a state representative involved in keeping the legislation from passing the Texas House. … Continue reading →

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

Shipley responds to harassment allegations

Posted on March 15, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Admit nothing, deny everything, make counter-accusations. The sexual harassment lawsuit filed against the owner of Shipley Do-Nuts this month is the latest in an ongoing legal fight between the doughnut maker and other former workers over an alleged fraud scheme. … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Texas blog roundup for the week of March 12

Posted on March 15, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance congratulates the winners of last week’s primaries and thanks those who did not win for their dedication as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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What are the elections of interest this May?

Posted on March 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

That’s a question I’m asking as well as one I’m trying to answer. Normally, there are no elections in May of any kind of year for Houston folks, though there are some for parts of Harris County and surrounding areas. … Continue reading →

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

Fifth Circuit lets most of SB4 remain in place

Posted on March 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. A panel of three U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals judges ruled Tuesday that most of the state’s immigration enforcement legislation, Senate Bill 4, can remain in effect while the case plays out, handing a victory to Gov. Greg … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

There should be plenty of interest in the HISD Superintendent job

Posted on March 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

That’s what the Board is prepping for. HISD trustees likely will have no shortage of potential candidates from the across the country willing to take over for Superintendent Richard Carranza, who announced last Monday that he will leave the district … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

More primary stuff

Posted on March 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t have a canvass of the primary vote from the County Clerk yet – sometimes they send out a draft canvass on their own, or they send one to someone I know who shares it with me, and sometimes … Continue reading →

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

Firefighters sue to get their pay parity petitions certified

Posted on March 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I’m just going to put this here. Houston firefighters on Monday asked a judge to force the city secretary to validate signatures on an equal pay referendum petition that has been backlogged in City Hall for eight months. The referendum … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018, Legal matters, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Endorsement watch: Alvarado’s army

Posted on March 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Rep. Carol Alvarado has released a long list of supporters for her campaign to succeed Sen. Sylvia Garcia in SD06. This is clearly a show of strength on Alvarado’s part – the list includes the three most recent Mayors of … Continue reading →

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

Does primary turnout in a district predict the November result?

Posted on March 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Karl Rove would like you to think so. At the House level, Democrats hope to win three districts won by Hillary Clinton and now held by Republican incumbents, as well as some of the six seats opened up by GOP … Continue reading →

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

Rep. Gutierrez is in for SD19

Posted on March 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Whenever that election may be. State Rep. Roland Gutierrez is running for Texas Senate District 19, a Democratic-leaning San Antonio district that overlaps with his own. The only problem: That seat is still held by state Sen. Carlos Uresti, who … Continue reading →

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Today is the last day to cure a provisional ballot

Posted on March 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

If you voted provisionally during the primary because you did not have an accepted form of ID in your possession when you voted, you need to “cure” your provisional ballot in order for it to be counted. From the inbox: … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for March 11

Posted on March 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

“We spent months talking with anti-Trump forces—and they’re not who pundits say they are.” There are a lot more bisexual characters on TV these days. If you’re a Terry Pratchett fan, your cup is about to runneth over. A definitive … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 1 Comment

Meanwhile, in Montgomery County

Posted on March 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

There they go again. The Republican primary defeat of embattled Montgomery County Judge Craig Doyal — and close contests in two county commissioner races headed for runoffs — could signal major leadership changes and a shift further to the right … Continue reading →

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

Stockman’s trial set to start

Posted on March 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Get ready. Former U.S. Congressman Steve Stockman stood before a federal judge in a mostly empty Houston courtroom Friday and confirmed he wants a jury to decide if he diverted nearly $1.25 million in charitable donations intended for conservative organizations. … Continue reading →

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No decision on Carranza replacement yet

Posted on March 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Tabled for now, but likely not for long. Houston ISD trustees on Thursday opted not to appoint an interim superintendent at a school board meeting, leaving it unclear who will run the district after Superintendent Richard Carranza’s anticipated departure later … Continue reading →

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Please come back again

Posted on March 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron asks a few of the candidates who didn’t make it out of the primaries to give it another try some day. Let us now offer an encouraging observation to good candidates who fell short in this month’s primary … Continue reading →

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