Monthly Archives: August 2018

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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Going for Section 3

Posted on August 31, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I wouldn’t get my hopes up, but Lord knows this is desperately needed. The voters of color, civil rights groups and Democratic lawmakers who have long challenged the validity of Texas’ political maps were dealt a bruising loss earlier this … Continue reading →

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The Republicans really, really want to win SD19 by forfeit

Posted on August 31, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Sure is what it looks like. With early voting set to begin in less than two weeks, the Republican Party of Texas is continuing efforts to have Democrat Pete Gallego removed from the ballot, which if successful would leave only … Continue reading →

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County Attorney declares registration challenges invalid

Posted on August 30, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

That’s one word for it. The Harris County Attorney’s office said Tuesday that the 4,000 voter registrations challenged by a county Republican Party official were invalid, and the voter registrar should not have sent suspension notices to more than 1,700 … Continue reading →

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Valdez and Abbott come to terms on September debate

Posted on August 30, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Lupe Valdez, the Democratic candidate for governor, has agreed to debate the Republican incumbent, Greg Abbott, on Sept. 28 in Austin, ending weeks of uncertainty over whether the two would face off. Earlier this summer, Abbott announced his RSVP … Continue reading →

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Nelson attacks Paxton over Obamacare lawsuit

Posted on August 30, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The Democrat challenging Ken Paxton is denouncing the attorney general for suing to wipe out the Affordable Care Act‘s health care protections for Americans with pre-existing conditions. Justin Nelson, a Houston attorney, plans to hold a rally outside the federal courthouse in Ft. … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of August 27

Posted on August 30, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance remembers that not everyone is whole again a year after Hurricane Harvey as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Beto and the downballot Dems

Posted on August 29, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t sweat this too much, but there are a couple of points to address. “If there’s $20 in a room, $10 of it is going to Beto. That’s just happening right now,” said [Joanna] Cattanach, who’s challenging Republican state … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Stanart responds to Garcia

Posted on August 29, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart issued the following statement in regards to the letter received from Texas State Senator Sylvia Garcia, by way of social media and her attorney, that asserts a County Clerk has the power … Continue reading →

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Trump administration seeks to dismiss MALDEF lawsuit over Census citizenship question

Posted on August 29, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s hard to keep all these Census lawsuits straight. As multiple court fights over the addition of a citizenship question to the once-a-decade census heat up, the Trump administration is working to keep several Texas groups representing Latino and Asian … Continue reading →

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ECPS: Cruz 38, O’Rourke 37

Posted on August 28, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Closest result yet, but it comes with a couple of caveats. A new Emerson College e-Poll finds the US Senate race neck and neck with Senator Ted Cruz at 38% and US Rep Beto O’Rourke at 37%; 4% are voting … Continue reading →

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Cyber insurance

Posted on August 28, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Seems like a good idea. Houston City Council on Wednesday unanimously agreed to spend $471,000 on cyber insurance, becoming the latest Texas municipality trying to bolster its response to growing technological risks. The insurance can cover up to $30 million … Continue reading →

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STEAR-ing help to those who need it

Posted on August 28, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Did you even know there was a state registry to help people with mobility challenges in the event of a natural disaster? Texas has a system in place to identify people with disabilities who will need extra help during a … Continue reading →

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Using one civil rights law to negate another

Posted on August 27, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

You have to give them credit for evil creativity, I guess. A majority-black county in rural Georgia announced a plan last week to close seven of its nine polling places ahead of the November election, claiming the polls cannot continue to operate … Continue reading →

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

Patrick finally finds a debate opponent he thinks he can handle

Posted on August 27, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s Danno versus Geraldo, coming soon to the eleventh layer of hell. After refusing to go toe-to-toe with his general election opponent, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick agreed Thursday to debate television personality Geraldo Rivera over immigration and the murder of … Continue reading →

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

Dallas County “discrimination against white voters” lawsuit dismissed

Posted on August 27, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It was always a silly idea. A federal judge Thursday dismissed a landmark lawsuit that accused Dallas County commissioners of discriminating against white voters. The lawsuit sought to dismantle the boundaries the county uses to elect commissioners, claiming that the … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for August 26

Posted on August 26, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

RIP, Sen. John McCain, war hero and Senator. I endorse all of these Star Trek show ideas, especially the “new continuation” one. “The history of sports is littered with hardass coaches who blur the line between intense discipline and bullying, … Continue reading →

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Flood bond referendum passes easily

Posted on August 26, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It was in the 85-15 range as of the 8:30 update from the County Clerk. Only a handful of precincts had reported as of that time, and I’m not going to stay up late waiting for more comprehensive numbers – … Continue reading →

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Appeals court allows city to post video of pay parity hearing

Posted on August 26, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Probably doesn’t matter much at this point, but there it is. A Texas appeals court on Thursday ordered a state district judge to rescind his temporary restraining order requiring the city of Houston to remove video from its website that … Continue reading →

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On giving to “longshot” candidates

Posted on August 26, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. Thara Narasimhan, who hosts an Hindu radio program in Houston, has already given $1,200 to a Democrat running against Republican U.S. Rep. Pete Olson, who once drove around his solidly conservative Texas … Continue reading →

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One year out from Harvey

Posted on August 25, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve come a long way, but we still have a long way to go. One year after Hurricane Harvey slammed the Texas coast, 8 percent of the people impacted by the disaster have not been able to return to their … Continue reading →

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Taekwondo coach Jean Lopez un-banned

Posted on August 25, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Hard to understand this. The U.S. Center for SafeSport has lifted a permanent ban imposed earlier this year on Sugar Land taekwondo coach Jean Lopez, clearing the way for Lopez to resume coaching while he and his brother, two-time Olympic … Continue reading →

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Flood bond election day is today

Posted on August 25, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a Trib story about the bond. Flood experts say the bond is a good start — and indicative of an unprecedented shift in the collective mindset of local leaders and residents — but that it won’t come close to … Continue reading →

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

NBC News: Cruz 49, O’Rourke 45

Posted on August 24, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s been three weeks since our last poll result. In a head-to-head match up, Cruz held a 4-point lead over O’Rourke. Forty-nine percent of respondents backed Cruz, compared to 45 percent who supported O’Rourke. Six percent of respondents remain undecided. … Continue reading →

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

If Greg Abbott won’t call a special election in SD06, maybe Stan Stanart will

Posted on August 24, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Dear Mr. Stanart, My firm and I, together with Robert Icesezen, Esq., have been engaged to represent Sen. Sylvia R. Garcia, individually and as the elected representative of the citizens of Texas Senate District 6. Governor Abbott … Continue reading →

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

Texans’ cheer coach quits

Posted on August 24, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. Altovise Gary, the longtime director of the Houston Texans cheerleaders squad who was named as a defendant in one of two recent federal court lawsuits filed against the team, has resigned, a team spokeswoman said Tuesday. Gary resigned … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Vote suspension update

Posted on August 23, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The situation gets more complicated. Harris County mistakenly placed more than 1,700 voters on its suspension list in response to a local Republican official’s challenge of nearly 4,000 voter registrations, county Tax Assessor-Collector Ann Harris Bennett said Wednesday. The situation … Continue reading →

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One more for Speaker

Posted on August 23, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

And then there were five. State Rep. Travis Clardy, R-Nacogdoches, filed Monday morning to run for speaker of the Texas House, making him the fourth Republican to throw his hat in the ring in the race to succeed retiring House … Continue reading →

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Final EV turnout for the flood bond referendum

Posted on August 23, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Lower than initial estimates, though I think the initial estimates were on the optimistic side. But really, we were all guessing. Tuesday is the final day of early voting for Harris County’s proposed $2.5 billion flood bond, and as residents … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of August 20

Posted on August 23, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance has it all on tape as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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July 2018 campaign finance reports: HCC

Posted on August 22, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We come to the end of the campaign finance reports for July. I’ll try to do the 30 day finance reports for Congress and the Lege, but in the meantime here are reports for the HCC Trustees: Adriana Tamez Carolyn … Continue reading →

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If you can’t win, cheat

Posted on August 22, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This is some bullshit. Harris County residents keen to vote in the upcoming midterm elections should be very careful about checking their mail. Recently, some residents of Third Ward received letters informing them of an address change they had not … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

A better match from FEMA

Posted on August 22, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. Federal officials have agreed to count volunteer work hours and donated materials toward the local match required for disaster recovery grants to repair streets, buildings, utilities, parks and other public facilities — a national policy change, initiated in … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Crosstab versus 538

Posted on August 21, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

You are familiar with the Congressional race projections from G. Elliott Morris at The Crosstab, which I’ve noted here and here. He uses a probabilistic model for each district. Which as it happens is also the approach taken by FiveThirtyEight … Continue reading →

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