Monthly Archives: January 2020

January 2020 campaign finance reports: SBOE and State Senate

Posted on January 31, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s finish off our review of state offices. This post will cover State Board of Education, District 6, and the State Senate. My two-part look at the State House was here and here, Harris County offices were here, and statewide … Continue reading →

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Lyceum poll: Trump with a mostly modest lead

Posted on January 31, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Among the large pack of Democratic presidential primary contenders still vying for the nomination to be the party’s nominee for U.S. president, former Vice President Joe Biden is currently leading in the Lone Star State, with Vermont … Continue reading →

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The next round in the Motor Voter 2.0 lawsuit

Posted on January 31, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Score one for the plaintiffs. Finding Texas in violation of federal law, a U.S. judge gave civil rights lawyers a small win Thursday — fueling hopes of a wider victory in a continuing fight over the state’s online voter registration … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Grant Harvey

Posted on January 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

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Andrea Duhon would like you to vote for someone else in her HCDE primary

Posted on January 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

As you may recall, Andrea Duhon has been appointed to the HCDE Board of Trustees to replace Josh Flynn. As you may also recall, Duhon had filed for a different position on the HCDE Board in the March primary. If … Continue reading →

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Crunch time for I-45

Posted on January 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The rubber is meeting the road, as it were. Three Houston Planning Department meetings scheduled for this week, days prior to a key state deadline, could prove pivotal in shaping how Interstate 45 is rebuilt — with ramifications for years … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of January 27

Posted on January 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance double checked the calendar and can confirm that it is in fact still January as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Interview with Ann Harris Bennett

Posted on January 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

As I said before, I wasn’t originally expecting to do interviews in the Democratic primary for Harris County Tax Assessor, but once that became a contested race then of course I had to fit it into the schedule. We all … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Bryan Acklin

Posted on January 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

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Runoff results: Eastman wins, Markowitz loses

Posted on January 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m posting this before all the votes are in, but the results are not in doubt. Anna Eastman was leading Luis La Rotta by a 67-33 margin in HD148 after 26 of 37 vote centers were in. See here for … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Megan Daic

Posted on January 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of HD134

Posted on January 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Is this the year Sarah Davis loses? That’s the question. The March primaries are weeks away, but the first question at a recent forum for the three Democrats running to unseat state Rep. Sarah Davis centered on November: “How do … Continue reading →

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We have an Astros apology

Posted on January 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From a former player, not a current player. It’s still something. Twelve days later, an apology appeared on the south side of Chicago, from a bearded face that was constant throughout the Astros’ now-ruined renaissance. “Was it against the rules? … Continue reading →

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What to expect in HD28?

Posted on January 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Time to play the expectations game. It is hard not to argue Democrats have gone all in on the special election runoff for House District 28. Ahead of the Tuesday election, at least three presidential candidates have come to the … Continue reading →

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Interview with Commissioner Rodney Ellis

Posted on January 27, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t think I need to spend too much time introducing County Commissioner Rodney Ellis. A longtime State Senator after serving on Houston City Council, Ellis became the 2016 Democratic nominee for County Commissioner in Precinct 1 via that weird … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: V. R. “Velda” Faulkner

Posted on January 27, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The busking lawsuit

Posted on January 27, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. A Houston accordionist is feeling squeezed by an obscure city law aimed at restricting where musicians can play for tips. Anthony Barilla, also a composer whose work can be heard on the radio program “This American Life,” lodged the … Continue reading →

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District B lawsuit has its hearing

Posted on January 27, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Feels like we’ve been waiting forever for this. Lawyers for the third-place finisher in Houston city council District B’s election told a judge Friday that the city erred in failing to declare an opponent ineligible because of her felony conviction … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for January 26

Posted on January 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

“Trump May Be Even More Unpopular Than His Approval Rating Shows”. “This passage is one of many reminders that the equation of Christianity with homophobic, racist, misogynist and false beliefs did not originate with any of these writers. It’s an … Continue reading →

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January 2020 campaign finance reports: State House part 2

Posted on January 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s Part 2 of my look at the finance reports from State House races. Part 1 was here, Harris County offices were here, and statewide races were here. You may also want to refer to this Trib story and this … Continue reading →

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HISD considers metal detectors

Posted on January 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s (maybe) come to this. Houston ISD officials are exploring the idea of installing metal detectors at the district’s middle and high schools in response to last week’s fatal on-campus shooting of a student, a step few districts in the … Continue reading →

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How many explosions is too many explosions?

Posted on January 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Unfortunately, we’re on track to find out. It’s a scene that’s all too familiar to Houston residents. Explosions, flames reaching into the sky, plumes of black smoke, calls to shelter in place, evacuations, injuries and deaths. The explosion early Friday … Continue reading →

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January 2020 campaign finance reports: State House, part 1

Posted on January 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m going to take a two-part look at the finance reports in State House districts. Part One will be from Harris County, looking at both contested primaries and contested November races. Part Two will focus on races in the counties … Continue reading →

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Dan Patrick makes the most predictable announcement ever

Posted on January 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Really, who didn’t see this coming? Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Thursday he may further lower the threshold required to bring bills to the Senate floor if Republicans lose one or two seats in November. Patrick made the comment at … Continue reading →

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Is there an Astros apology coming?

Posted on January 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe. A “strong statement” of apology could be forthcoming from the Astros players involved in electronic sign-stealing during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, owner Jim Crane said Tuesday. In response to interviews given by Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman on … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Ana Martinez

Posted on January 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

January 2020 campaign finance reports: Statewide

Posted on January 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a whole lot of candidates of interest for state offices. I’m going to break them down into several groups, to keep things simple and the posts not too long. Today we will look at the candidates for statewide office. … Continue reading →

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Looking ahead in CD07

Posted on January 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This story is primarily about the Republican primary in CD07. I don’t care about that race or those candidates, but there’s some good stuff at the end that I wanted to comment on. Since she’s taken office, some Houston Republicans … Continue reading →

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Interview with Suleman Lalani

Posted on January 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

One last time in HD26. Election results on the SOS webpage only go back as far as 1992. In that time, HD26 has always been held by a Republican – through the 90s, when Fort Bend had two State Rep … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Tamika Craft

Posted on January 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Speaking of voter registration

Posted on January 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron notes the latest milestone. For the first time in history, Texas has topped 16 million registered voters and is adding voters faster than its population grows heading into the 2020 presidential election. With the voter registration deadline for … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of January 20

Posted on January 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance will be stepping back from its primary duties as a member of the royal family, but will continue to bring you the weekly roundups.

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Interview with Rish Oberoi

Posted on January 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Continuing on with HD26. One of the ironies of incumbent Rep. Rick Miller’s racist comments about Asian voters in this district was, as State Rep. Gene Wu noted, HD26 was specifically drawn to make it easier for an Anglo candidate … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Jimmie L.J. Brown, Jr.

Posted on January 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

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