Monthly Archives: November 2019

District Court Judge Smoots-Thomas accused of wire fraud

Posted on November 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Yikes. A Harris County judge is facing federal charges that accuse her of using campaign donations for personal expenses, including for mortgage payments, private school tuition and travel. Judge Alexandra Smoots-Thomas, 44, is charged with wire fraud charges, according to … Continue reading →

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You really have to plan for every election

Posted on November 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Whether or not they actually happen. For months, Democrats Mark Watson and Mike Snipes have been running 2020 campaigns for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 6. They’ve raised money, filed official paperwork, gathered signatures, traveled to far corners of … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed over District B candidate eligibility

Posted on November 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

All right then. Renee Jefferson-Smith, who trailed Cynthia Bailey by 168 votes in unofficial returns, sued the city of Houston and Harris County Thursday, contending that Bailey’s 2007 conviction for forging a $14,500 check makes her ineligible to appear on … Continue reading →

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Justice Higley resigns

Posted on November 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This is clearly the best course of action. Justice Laura Carter Higley, who lives in West University and served on the Houston-based court, submitted her notice to Gov. Greg Abbott, the appeals court’s clerk confirmed Tuesday. In the letter, she … Continue reading →

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The future of the Texas Renaissance Festival

Posted on November 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

More specifically, what is the future of the town of Todd Mission, where the RenFest was founded and takes place, as its founder prepares to step down? At a city council meeting earlier this month in Todd Mission, council members … Continue reading →

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Get ready for more Buzbee ads

Posted on November 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Keep that remote handy. Self-funding millionaire lawyer Tony Buzbee on Wednesday said he would spend whatever it takes to unseat Sylvester Turner and predicted a “full-on slugfest” during the five-week runoff to decide Houston’s mayoral race. The runoff will test … Continue reading →

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How the TEA takeover is going to work

Posted on November 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron answers your questions. The complex process has raised several questions among community members. Here are answers some of the most common queries: What is the process for identifying and selecting candidates? TEA officials on Wednesday released their plan … Continue reading →

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Roland Gutierrez running in SD19

Posted on November 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Most of the action in Texas in 2020 is in the Congressional and State Rep races, but there’s one big State Senate pickup opportunity, and we need to close the deal on it. State Rep. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, is … Continue reading →

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Initial thoughts on Election 2019

Posted on November 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

All bullet points, all the time… – Here’s my opening statement on the election returns debacle. We have more information about this now, but we still need more before we can go anywhere else with it. – All incumbents want … Continue reading →

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So what happened with the election returns?

Posted on November 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The County Clerk puts the blame on the Secretary of State. Harris County Clerk Diane Trautman said a last-minute directive from the secretary of state caused significant delays in reporting election results on Tuesday evening. Trautman said an Oct. 23 … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

TEA announces its takeover intent

Posted on November 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Here it comes. In a move that is unprecedented in scope, Texas state officials announced Wednesday they plan on taking over the state’s largest school district, yanking power from Houston Independent School District’s elected school board members to “prevent imminent … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of November 4

Posted on November 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance thanks you for voting as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Final results are in

Posted on November 6, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Here they are. Refer to my previous post for the initial recap, I’m going to be very minimalist. Let’s do this PowerPoint-style, it’s already been a long day: Mayor – Turner fell short of 50%, landing up a bit below … Continue reading →

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2019 election results: Houston and Metro

Posted on November 6, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Unfortunately, we have to start with this: Results of Tuesday’s election could take until 2 a.m. Wednesday after the Texas Secretary of State issued a new regulation that upended plans by the Harris County Clerk’s Office to speed vote counting. … Continue reading →

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2019 election results: State

Posted on November 6, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Nine out of ten Constitutional amendments are on their way to passing. Amendments to the state constitution that would make it harder to enact a state income tax, stabilize funding for state parks and allow retired law enforcement animals to … Continue reading →

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2019 election results: Elsewhere

Posted on November 6, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I think we can all agree that this was the most important race on anyone’s ballot. One of the most contested elections in the brief history of The Woodlands Township Board of Directors came to a close Tuesday night, as … Continue reading →

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October 2019 campaign finance reports: Congress

Posted on November 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Moving on to the Q3 FEC reports, we again have new candidates making their appearance. The January roundup is here, which closed out the 2017-18 election cycle, the April report is here, and the July report is here. For comparison, … Continue reading →

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UT/Trib: Trump 46, others 39

Posted on November 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s Election Day, so I’m going to be brief about this. None of the top Democrats seeking the presidential nomination would beat President Donald Trump in Texas in an election held today — and neither would either of the Texas … Continue reading →

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Expecting a runoff in HD28

Posted on November 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Seems like the probable outcome. Six figures of outside money, warnings of socialism, Donald Trump and Nancy Pelosi — and it likely will not end Tuesday. Both sides in the critical special election to replace state Rep. John Zerwas, R-Richmond, … Continue reading →

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Today is Election Day

Posted on November 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Election Day is November 5th and thanks to countywide voting, more than 2.3 million eligible voters in Harris County may cast their ballots at the voting center of their choice. A total of 757 polling locations throughout … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

So what do we think final 2019 turnout will be?

Posted on November 4, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s take the numbers we have so far and try to hone in a bit more exactly on what to expect tomorrow, shall we? I’m going to go back a little farther into the past and establish some patterns. 2019 … Continue reading →

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UT/Trib: Impeachment inquiry more popular than not

Posted on November 4, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Seems like a big deal. Not quite half of Texas registered voters agree that “Congress is justified in conducting impeachment investigations into actions Donald Trump has taken while president,” according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Almost as … Continue reading →

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Dan Patrick’s budget destruction

Posted on November 4, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not what you think it is, but it’s still bad. Tucked away in a quiet corner of Texas state government, an arcane team of 100 or so budget nerds has led a private, if stressful, life — running financial … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for November 3

Posted on November 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

“What these people are doing goes way beyond that. It’s a direct nuclear assault on the truth. It’s not: I didn’t break the figurine. Instead, it’s: Mom, not only did I not break it, but Susie broke it, and I … Continue reading →

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Every Speaker’s race is unique

Posted on November 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The one to come has a more uncertain outcome than the last few we’ve seen. The current party mix is 83 Republicans and 67 Democrats. Republicans hope to hold their advantage after the 2020 elections, while Democrats, encouraged by their … Continue reading →

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A wrapup for early voting

Posted on November 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron story on the end of early voting. Early voting ended Friday with a late surge in turnout among Harris County voters, surpassing voter participation in some prior mayoral election years but falling short of totals seen during … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The case of Justice Laura Higley

Posted on November 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This is a sad situation, one with potentially fraught political implications. An appeals court justice serving Southeast Texas continues to sit on the bench as she suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, all while facing familial discord over the control of her … Continue reading →

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Beto ends his Presidential campaign

Posted on November 2, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It was fun while it lasted. Beto O’Rourke is dropping out of the presidential race. The former El Paso congressman announced the decision Friday evening, ahead of a major Democratic gathering here in Iowa. “Though it is difficult to accept, … Continue reading →

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The next bathroom bill

Posted on November 2, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

You can see it coming from here. The Texas House LGBTQ Caucus is counting on Democrats flipping the Republican-held House to keep another possible ‘bathroom bill’ off the table during the 2021 legislative session. Texas Republicans last week rallied around … Continue reading →

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Final 2019 EV totals: With a bit of bonus poll-analyzing

Posted on November 2, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Early voting for the 2019 election is officially over. Let’s look at those numbers one last time: Year Early Mail Total Mailed ====================================== 2019 137,460 15,304 152,764 26,824 2015 164,104 29,859 193,963 43,280 2013 87,944 21,426 109,370 30,572 The 2019 … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed over bill banning temporary voting locations

Posted on November 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. Worried about the suppression of young voters in 2020, national and Texas Democrats are suing the state over a newly implemented election measure that’s triggered the shuttering of early voting places, including on college campuses, in various parts … Continue reading →

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City wins final judgment in revenue cap lawsuit

Posted on November 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Wow, is this ever a blast from the past. The city of Houston has prevailed in a lawsuit challenging the amount it can collect in property taxes, ending 14 years of litigation over a set of measures approved by voters … Continue reading →

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Day Eleven 2019 EV totals: One day to go

Posted on November 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Hope everyone had a good Halloween. How many of y’all spent it voting? Year Early Mail Total Mailed ====================================== 2019 103,945 14,280 118,225 26,820 2015 128,611 27,952 156,563 43,280 2013 68,803 20,491 89,294 30,572 The 2019 Day Eleven file is … Continue reading →

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