Monthly Archives: December 2019

Interview with Debra Kerner

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We come to the end of our State Board of Education interviews. For all its dysfunction, the SBOE plays an important role in the maintenance and operation of Texas’ public schools, and it needs the best people it can get … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Debby Kerner, Democratic primary, Election 2020, interviews, SBOE, Texas | Comments Off

The female face of City Council

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Houston City Council is majority female for the first time in over a decade. Starting next year, a record nine women will serve on Houston City Council amid a shift toward a younger and more progressive council for Mayor Sylvester … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged Addie Wiseman, Election 2005, Election 2019, Gracie Saenz, Houston, Houston City Council, Isabel Longoria, Karla Cisneros, Orlando Sanchez, redistricting, Robert Gallegos, runoff, Shelley Sekula Gibbs, single member districts | 42 Comments

We have a filing failure

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

In typical fashion, it’s bizarre. One of the more bizarre things to happen during the recent filing period: Judge George Powell had his filing rejected because of a filing fee mistake. So he sued. Powell filed on the last day, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Democratic primary, Election 2020, filing deadline, filing fee, George Powell, Harris County, HCDE, HCDP, HD138, Josh Flynn, lawsuit, Natalia Cornelio, Paul Simpson, petitions, primaries, Republican Party, State Commission on Judicial Conduct, The Lege | 1 Comment

Interview with Kimberly McLeod

Posted on December 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We continue on with the State Board of Education, which is that entity that is subject to redistricting that gets the least amount of attention. To be fair, it’s demanded less attention in recent years thanks to an absence of … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Democratic primary, Election 2020, interviews, Kimberly McLeod, SBOE, Texas | Comments Off

Next up for Mayor Turner

Posted on December 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

A preview of his second term agenda. Mayor Sylvester Turner said he would seek to enact “transformational” changes in his second term, previewing an agenda that will require city leaders to confront politically difficult issues and vastly expand the use … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019, Local politics | Tagged Election 2019, flooding, gay rights, George P. Bush, Greg Abbott, HFD, Houston, Hurricane Harvey, Land Commissioner, Mayor, revenue cap, Sylvester Turner, transgender rights | 6 Comments

Endorsement watch: DSCC picks MJ Hegar

Posted on December 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure no one will have any feelings about this. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is endorsing MJ Hegar in the crowded primary to challenge U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. The move by the DSCC, the political arm of Senate … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Amanda Edwards, Chris Bell, Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez, Democratic primary, DSCC, Election 2020, endorsements, fundraising, John Cornyn, MJ Hegar, Royce West, Senate, Texas | Comments Off

Interview with Michelle Palmer

Posted on December 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This week we focus on the State Board of Education. As we’ve discussed before, there are three SBOE seats that had been carried by Beto in 2018 that are up for election this cycle, and if Democrats won them all … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Democratic primary, Election 2020, interviews, Michelle Palmer, SBOE, Texas | 1 Comment

Uptown BRT line update

Posted on December 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s coming, it’s coming. Hold your horses. The new year will come with a new sight in Houston: Big gray buses bounding along a dedicated lane on Post Oak through Uptown. For the first few weeks, however, people will not … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged BRT, construction, Galleria, Houston, HOV, I-610, Metro, TxDOT, University line, Uptown, Uptown line | Comments Off

District H status

Posted on December 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The closest election we had on Saturday remains unsettled. Just a dozen votes separate Houston City Council District H contenders Karla Cisneros and Isabel Longoria, and it may come down to an undetermined number of provisional, overseas and military ballots … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged absentee ballots, District H, Election 2019, Harris County Clerk, Houston, Houston City Council, Isabel Longoria, Karla Cisneros, provisional ballots, recount, runoff | 1 Comment

Weekend link dump for December 15

Posted on December 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

“Below we have a roundup of the various Baby Yoda tattoos that have been published to social media by people from as far away as Florida, California, Alaska, and Russia. And while 39 tattoos might seem like a lot for … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged linkdump | 2 Comments

Turner defeats Buzbee

Posted on December 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Oh my God I’m so glad this is over. Mayor Sylvester Turner declared victory over Tony Buzbee as his lead over the millionaire businessman continued to grow with half of all voting centers in the city counted late Saturday. Turner … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged early voting, Fort Bend County, Harris County, Houston, Mayor, runoff, Sylvester Turner, Tony Buzbee | 15 Comments

Council results

Posted on December 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

With one race still up in the air as I draft this: With early voting tallies and most of Saturday’s Election Day results posted, Houston’s three incumbent at-large council members facing runoffs had won, while District H incumbent Karla Cisneros … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged Abbie Kamin, Amy Peck, Anthony Dolcefino, At Large #1, At Large #2, At Large #3, At Large #4, At Large #5, Brad Jordan, Carolyn Evans-Shabazz, David Robinson, District A, District B, District C, District D, District F, District H, District J, Edward Pollard, Election 2019, Eric Dick, Harris County, Houston, Houston City Council, Janaeya Carmouche, Letitia Plummer, Michael Kubosh, Mike Knox, Raj Salhotra, recount, runoff, Sallie Alcorn, Shelley Kennedy, Tiffany Thomas, Willie Davis | 4 Comments

HISD and HCC results

Posted on December 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

From the HISD runoffs: Early election results showed Houston ISD school board candidates Kathy Blueford-Daniels and Patricia Allen with comfortable leads in their runoff races Saturday, as they aim to fill the final two seats on the district’s closely watched … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged Carolyn Evans-Shabazz, Cynthia Gary, Dani Hernandez, Dave Wilson, Election 2019, Fort Bend County, HCC, HISD, HISD Board of Trustees, Houston, John Curtis Gibbs, Judith Cruz, Kathy Blueford Daniels, Kathy Lynch Gunter, Matt Barnes, Monica Flores Richart, Neeta Sane, Patricia Allen, Rhonda Skillern-Jones, runoff, Texas Education Agency | 2 Comments

CNN/SSRS: Trump 48, Biden 47

Posted on December 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Time for a non-Mayoral poll. The story is about results, primary and general, in both California and Texas, so forgive the abrupt opening sentence. In Texas, however, it’s a different picture, with Biden holding wide leads across nearly every major … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, The making of the President | Tagged Bernie Sanders, California, Democratic primary, Donald Trump, Election 2020, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, polls, President, Texas | 1 Comment

A “most thorough” investigation

Posted on December 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s an Astros update for you. The ongoing electronic sign-stealing investigation against the Astros is “probably the most thorough” ever conducted by the commissioner’s office, Rob Manfred said Wednesday. Addressing reporters during the final full day of the winter meetings, … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | Tagged Astros, Baseball, Brandon Taubman, Houston, Jeff Luhnow, Rob Manfred, sign stealing | Comments Off

Runoff Day is today

Posted on December 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Hang in there, it’s almost over. A nearly year-long mayoral election that culminated in a subdued runoff between Tony Buzbee and incumbent Sylvester Turner comes to an end Saturday when voters decide who wins control over City Hall for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged early voting, Election 2019, Harris County, Houston, Houston City Council, Mayor, runoff, Sylvester Turner, Tony Buzbee, voting centers | 13 Comments

After-deadline filing review: RRC, SBOE, Senate

Posted on December 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Moving on to state offices that are not the State House (that’s next). See here and here for previous entries. RRC: The only statewide non-federal office on the ballot, as is usually the case in Presidential years. There are four … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Audrey Spanko, Belinda Shvetz, Cecil Webster, Cesar Blanco, Chrysta Castaneda, Ciro Rodriguez, Clayton Tucker, Democratic primary, Eddie Lucio, Election 2020, filing deadline, Freddy Ramirez, Jose Rodriguez, Kelly Stone, Leticia Bresnahan, Mark Watson, Marsha Burnett-Webster, Railroad Commission, Randy Daniels, Rebecca Bell-Metereau, Robert Alonzo, Robert Vick, Roland Gutierrez, Ruben Cortez, Sara Stapleton-Barrera, SBOE, SD01, SD11, SD12, SD19, SD22, SD24, SD29, Senate, Shadi Zitoon, Stephen Wyman, Texas, Xochil Peña Rodriguez | 1 Comment

We continue to wait on the District B runoff

Posted on December 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. Any hope for a speedy resolution to a lawsuit that is holding up the runoff for Houston’s District B city council seat evaporated Wednesday when the presiding judge for the Houston region said she would not assign a special … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged Cynthia Bailey, District B, Election 2019, Houston, lawsuit, Renee Jefferson Smith, runoff, Supreme Court, Tarsha Jackson | 1 Comment

The extraordinary danger of being pregnant and uninsured in Texas

Posted on December 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

So utterly appalling. From 2012 through 2015, at least 382 pregnant women and new mothers died in Texas from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth, according to the most recent data available from the Department of State Health Services; since then, … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged abortion, Centers for Disease Control, CHIP, Dan Patrick, Greg Abbott, health care, health insurance, Ken Paxton, maternal mortality, Medicaid, Planned Parenthood, Texas, Texas Department of State Health Services, women's health | Comments Off

KHOU/HPM runoff poll: Turner 56, Buzbee 34

Posted on December 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Feels about right. Mayor Sylvester Turner leads Tony Buzbee among likely voters in the December 14 runoff election for Mayor by 56 percent to 34 percent, with 6 percent of voters undecided. Another 5 percent of respondents refused to reveal … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged Bill King, Election 2019, Houston, Mayor, polls, runoff, Sylvester Turner, Tony Buzbee | 6 Comments

After-deadline filing review: Congress

Posted on December 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s continue our walk through the filings. I’m going to take a look at some of the interesting Congressional races, skipping over the ones we just looked at. CD01: It’s still not remotely competitive, but I once again want to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Candace Valenzuela, CD01, CD03, CD11, CD12, CD13, CD14, CD17, CD20, CD21, CD23, CD24, CD25, CD26, CD27, CD28, CD30, CD31, CD33, CD34, CD35, Chet Edwards, Congress, Crystal Fletcher, David Jaramillo, Democratic primary, Eddie Berniece Johnson, Election 2018, Election 2020, Filemon Vela, Gina Ortiz Jones, Hank Gilbert, Heidi Sloan, Jan McDowell, Jennie Lou Leeder, Joaquin Castro, John Biggan, Julie Oliver, Kim Olson, Liz Wahl, Lloyd Doggett, Louie Gohmert, Lulu Seikaly, Marc Veasey, Rick Kennedy, Rosey Ramos Abuabara, Sean McCaffity, Tanner Do, Texas, Wendy Davis, William Foster | 7 Comments

Chron overview of the HISD runoffs

Posted on December 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We had overviews of all the Council runoffs, but there are other races to consider. Voters in parts of Houston ISD return to the polls next Saturday to complete an overhaul of the district’s much-maligned school board, which will have … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged Alma Allen, Board of Managers, Election 2019, HISD, HISD Board of Trustees, Houston, John Curtis Gibbs, Kathy Blueford Daniels, Matt Barnes, Patricia Allen, runoff, Texas Education Agency | Comments Off

Texas blog roundup for the week of December 9

Posted on December 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is doing its constitutional duty by bringing you this week’s roundup.

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged blog roundup, TPA | Comments Off

Interview with Travis Olsen

Posted on December 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Continuing in CD02, which now has three candidates and while not on the national radar at this time it’s very much in the conversation. For today we have Travis Olsen, who had been an employee in the Department of Homeland … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged CD02, Congress, Democratic primary, Election 2020, interviews, Texas, Travis Olsen | 2 Comments

After-deadline filing review: Houston area

Posted on December 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a lot to digest following Monday’s filing deadline, and as I’ve said I’m going to take some time and go over it in as much obsessive detail as you’ve probably come to expect from me. As a reminder, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Adrian P. Garcia, Al Green, Alma Allen, Andrea Duhon, Anna Eastman, Ashton Woods, Bill Morris, Bimal Patel, Borris Miles, Brian Rogers, Bryan Henry, CD02, CD07, CD08, CD09, CD10, CD18, CD22, CD29, CD36, Commissioners Court, Congress, Cynthia Reyes-Revilla, David Brown, Democratic primary, Diana Alexander, Election 2020, Elizabeth Hernandez, Emily Wolf, Erica Davis, Erik Hassan, Garnet Coleman, Harold Dutton, Harris County, HCDE, HD03, HD126, HD128, HD129, HD130, HD131, HD132, HD133, HD135, HD137, HD138, HD139, HD140, HD141, HD142, HD143, HD144, HD145, HD146, HD147, HD148, HD149, HD15, HD150, HD23, HD24, HD25, HD26, HD27, HD28, HD29, HD85, Hubert Vo, Jasper, Jay Stittleburg, Jeff Antonelli, Jerry Davis, Joey Cardenas, Josh Flynn, Josh Markle, Kristi Thibaut, Laura Jones, Lorena McGill, Marc Flores, Margarita Johnson, Martin Shupp, Michael Antalan, Michael Moore, Morris Overstreet, Natali Hurtado, Obes Nwabara, Patrick Henry, Penny Shaw, Rashad Lewis, Rodney Ellis, Ron Reynolds, Sandra Moore, SBOE, SD04, SD06, SD11, SD13, SD18, Senate, Sheila Jackson Lee, Sima Ladjevardian, Stevens Orozco, Susan Criss, Texas, The Lege, Travis Boldt, Undrai Fizer, Willie Dennis, write-in candidate, Zaher Eisa | 5 Comments

2019 runoff early voting wrapup

Posted on December 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Here are your final totals: Date Mail Early Total ============================= Nov19 13,015 88,822 101,837 Dec19 18,935 96,269 115,204 The Day Ten EV Runoff file is here, and the final file from November is here. Keir’s thread is here, with a … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged absentee ballots, early voting, Election 2009, Election 2015, Election 2019, Harris County, Houston, Mayor, turnout | Comments Off

District B runoff lawsuit moved to another court

Posted on December 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Still up in the air. A Harris County judge on Monday referred the lawsuit stalling a runoff in Houston city council District B to another court, casting more uncertainty about when the contentious case will be resolved and when voters … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged Cynthia Bailey, District B, Election 2019, Houston, Houston City Council, lawsuit, Renee Jefferson Smith, Tarsha Jackson | 1 Comment

All have filed who are going to file

Posted on December 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Barring any late challenges, disqualifications, or lawsuits, what we have now is our lineup for the March primary. Most of what there is to say was covered in yesterday’s post, but here are the highlights and there is some big … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Alan Rosen, Ann Harris Bennett, Anna Eastman, Brenda Stardig, CD02, Commissioners Court, Congress, Constable, Democratic primary, Diana Alexander, Elaine Palmer, Election 2020, Emily Wolf, filing deadline, Harold Dutton, Harris County, Harris County Tax Assessor, HD127, HD142, HD148, HD23, HD43, HD62, Jerry Davis, Jolanda Jones, judicial races, Kristi Thibaut, Michael Moore, Mike Lang, primaries, Republican Party, Richard Bonton, SD28, Senate, Sima Ladjevardian, Steve Radack, Texas, The Lege, Tom Ramsey | 8 Comments

8 Day runoff 2019 campaign finance reports

Posted on December 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We start with a Chron story. Mayor Sylvester Turner raked in more than $1.7 million from late October through early December and spent roughly the same amount, leaving him with almost $600,000 for the final days of the runoff, according … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged Abbie Kamin, Amy Peck, Anthony Dolcefino, At Large #1, At Large #2, At Large #3, At Large #4, At Large #5, Brad Jordan, campaign finance reports, Carolyn Evans-Shabazz, Cynthia Bailey, David Robinson, District A, District B, District C, District F, District H, District J, Edward Pollard, Election 2019, Eric Dick, fundraising, George Zoes, Houston, Houston City Council, Isabel Longoria, Janaeya Carmouche, Karla Cisneros, Letitia Plummer, Mayor, Michael Kubosh, Mike Knox, Raj Salhotra, runoff, Sallie Alcorn, Sandra Rodriguez, Shelley Kennedy, Sylvester Turner, Tarsha Jackson, Tiffany Thomas, Tony Buzbee, Van Huynh, Willie Davis | 5 Comments

Marvin Miller makes the Hall of Fame

Posted on December 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Finally. Earned admiration can take time to reveal itself within the voting system that creates a National Baseball Hall of Fame class. For years, the late union leader Marvin Miller’s indisputable role in reshaping the sport was acknowledged everywhere but … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | Tagged Baseball, Hall of Fame, Marvin Miller, MLB, Ted Simmons | Comments Off

Interview with Elisa Cardnell

Posted on December 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, you know what time it is? I’ll tell you – it’s time for primary interviews. I know, the filing deadline isn’t till later today, and we’re still in early voting for the city runoffs, but there’s no time to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged CD02, Congress, Democratic primary, Election 2020, Elisa Cardnell, interviews, Texas | 3 Comments

Willie D will not be on the Democratic primary ballot

Posted on December 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

He wanted to run for Commissioners Court but his application was rejected because of his previous felony conviction. Former Geto Boys rapper William “Willie D” Dennis wants to run for Harris County Commissioners Court, but local Democratic party officials rejected … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Cynthia Bailey, Democratic primary, District B, Election 2019, Election 2020, Harris County, HCDP, Houston, Houston City Council, Rodney Ellis, The Lege, Willie Dennis | Comments Off

Another “resign to run” question

Posted on December 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Reply hazy, ask again. A state law that deems certain officeholders ineligible for the Legislature is raising questions about whether Texas House candidate Josh Flynn is allowed to run for the seat while keeping his current position as a Harris … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Congress, Constitution, Election 2010, Election 2018, Election 2020, Eric Dick, Harris County, HCDE, HD138, Josh Flynn, Kay Smith, primaries, Republican Party, resign to run, Roy Morales, Texas, The Lege | 2 Comments

The “Has Not Yet Filed” list

Posted on December 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Today is the actual, official filing deadline. Anyone who has not filed for a spot in the primary by 6 PM today is not a candidate for a Democratic nomination in 2020. A whole lot of people have already filed, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Alan Rosen, Alexandra Smoots-Hogan, Borris Miles, CD03, CD19, CD20, CD21, CD22, CD27, CD28, CD31, CD36, Cesar Blanco, Christopher Suprun, Colin Allred, Commissioners Court, Congress, Constable, Dan Jangigian, David Brown, Democratic primary, District Attorney, Eddie Lucio, Elaine Palmer, Election 2020, filing deadline, George Powell, Harris County, Harris County Attorney, Harris County Sheriff, Harris County Tax Assessor, HCDE, HD119, HD23, HD43, HD84, HD99, Herb Ritchie, Jaclanel McFarland, Jennie Lou Leeder, Jessica Cisneros, Joaquin Castro, John Love, judicial races, Justice of the Peace, Kelly Stone, Leticia Bresnahan, Luis Guajardo, Maria Jackson, MJ Hegar, Railroad Commission, Rene Oliveira, Robert Alonzo, Roland Gutierrez, Ron Reynolds, SBOE, SD12, SD13, SD18, SD19, SD22, SD28, SD29, Sean Villasana, Senate, Tanner Do, Texas, The Lege, Ursula Hall, Wendy Davis | 4 Comments

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