Monthly Archives: October 2020

The overlooked Congressional race

Posted on October 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

There are ten Congressional races involving Republican-held seats that are seen as competitive. Nine of them have gotten a fair amount of attention. The tenth is CD06, and the Texas Signal steps in to fill the gap. The race in … Continue reading →

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November 2020 Early Voting Day Four: One hundred thousand is the magic number

Posted on October 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Lather, rinse, repeat. The county announced it had passed the 100K mark in a tweet just after 6 p.m. It was the four straight day with more than 100,000 ballots cast by county voters. Those four days now mark the … Continue reading →

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30 Day 2020 campaign finance reports: State races, part 4

Posted on October 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Last but not least, here are the 30-day finance reports from the 10 non-Houston-area seats that Dems flipped in 2018, plus four others of interest. Part One of my stroll through the 30-day finance reports, for statewide, SBOE, and State … Continue reading →

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State judge halts Abbott’s mail ballot dropoff limit order

Posted on October 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Remember there was a state lawsuit over the executive order that limited counties to one mail ballot dropoff location? That suit had a hearing this week, and the plaintiffs prevailed. For now, at least. A Travis County state district judge … Continue reading →

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And it’s off to SCOTX for the Republicans who want to stop drive-through voting

Posted on October 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It was inevitable. State and local Republicans have taken their challenge of drive-thru voting in Harris County to the Texas Supreme Court. In separate petitions, the Texas and Harris County GOP are asking the state’s highest court to limit drive-thru … Continue reading →

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Paxton accuses his accusers

Posted on October 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Well, that’s one way to do it. In Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton’s first interview since seven of top aides accused him of accepting bribes and abusing his office, he said Tuesday that he was about to put one of … Continue reading →

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November 2020 Early Voting Day Three: It’s still raining voters out there

Posted on October 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

People want to vote. About 1.9 million Texans had cast ballots in-person or by mail as of Wednesday, according to state and county election data, continuing to crush state records for early voting. The 2020 presidential election is expected to … Continue reading →

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30 Day 2020 campaign finance reports: State races, part 3

Posted on October 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Moving on to the 30-day campaign finance reports for the hot State Rep races outside the Houston area. As noted, a lot of candidates have been reporting big hauls, as has the HDCC, the fundraising committee for State House Democrats. … Continue reading →

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Petition to stop drive-through voting dismissed

Posted on October 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

That was quick. Drive-thru and curbside voting programs in Harris County can continue after a state appeals court Wednesday quickly threw out a last-minute lawsuit filed by the Texas Republican Party challenging the county’s efforts to provide more voting options … Continue reading →

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Nate Paul strikes back

Posted on October 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Just when I think this can’t get any better. When Ken Paxton announced Friday his office was dropping the investigation into an Austin real estate investor’s claims of mistreatment during a federal raid of his home and business, the attorney … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of October 12

Posted on October 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance mourns the death of transgender activist and icon Monica Roberts as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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November 2020 Early Voting Day Two: One million votes on Day One

Posted on October 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Pretty impressive so far. More than a million Texans have already cast ballots after just the first day of early voting. And the state isn’t even finished counting the first day’s numbers. Record breaking early voting, combined with unusually high … Continue reading →

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30 Day 2020 campaign finance reports: State races, part 2

Posted on October 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Continuing to look at the 30-day campaign finance reports. A lot of candidates have been reporting big hauls, especially in the hot State Rep races. As before, I will split these into four parts. Part one, with statewide, SBOE, and … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit upholds Abbott’s mail ballot dropoff limits

Posted on October 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Because of course they did. Why would you have expected anything else? In a ruling issued late Monday night, a federal appeals court upheld Gov. Greg Abbott’s order that limited counties to one mail-in ballot drop-off location. A three-judge panel … Continue reading →

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State GOP files suit to stop curbside voting in Harris County

Posted on October 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Honesty, it feels like they’re just trolling now. Hours before early voting began, the Texas Republican Party filed a new lawsuit Monday night challenging Harris County’s efforts to provide more voting options during the coronavirus pandemic, this time asking a … Continue reading →

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Here comes another rideshare company

Posted on October 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Seems like a less than optimal time to be expanding, but here we are. Alto, a new rideshare company based in Dallas, will roll into view in Houston as it looks to expand its reach and compete with Uber and … Continue reading →

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November 2020 Early Voting Day One: People sure were ready to vote

Posted on October 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

You’re going to hear the words “record-breaking” a lot. More than 125,000 Harris County residents went to the polls Tuesday to cast ballots on the first day of early voting, smashing the county’s previous records. As of about 7:30 p.m., … Continue reading →

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30 Day 2020 campaign finance reports: State races, part 1

Posted on October 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Time once again to look at campaign finance reports. I don’t usually review the 30-day reports but this is a special year, and there’s a lot of money sloshing around, so let’s keep an eye on it. As before, I … Continue reading →

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We need a better word than “controversial”

Posted on October 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From the Chron: Meet Al Hartman, the controversial Houston CEO who is suing Hidalgo, Abbott over COVID orders. Al Hartman is not shy about his beliefs. As a guest on a Christian radio show, he spoke about a faith so … Continue reading →

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2020 early voting starts today

Posted on October 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: The Early Voting period for the November 2020 General Election begins tomorrow, Tuesday, October 13th, and continues through Friday, October 30th. This is the longest Early Voting period in Texas history, and voters who are not eligible … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Judicial races

Posted on October 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses two Dem challengers and one Republican incumbent for the Court of Criminal Appeals. A court’s legitimacy derives in part from its capacity to inspire trust in the minds of those who live by its rulings. “There cannot … Continue reading →

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Interview with Rep. Lizzie Fletcher

Posted on October 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I knew I wanted to talk to freshman Rep. Lizzie Fletcher this cycle, because there’s just so much to talk about. You know her story from 2018 – the crowded primary, the unprecedented amounts of money raised and spent, the … Continue reading →

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Why did Ken Paxton hire a newbie attorney to be a “special prosecutor” or whatever he meant to call him?

Posted on October 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib has some questions. It was a baffling, perilous, perhaps unprecedented task. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton hired an outside lawyer last month to look into a complaint of misconduct by a host of state and federal officials, including … Continue reading →

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Pension reform law partially blocked

Posted on October 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I have to admit, I have no idea what this may mean. A state district judge on Wednesday struck down a key portion of Houston’s landmark pension reform package that applies to firefighters, a move that likely would upend the … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: For Biden

Posted on October 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Duh. Character, without question, is the starkest divide between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. For all his faults — and there are a few — the latter possesses a rare ability in these polarized times to … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for October 11

Posted on October 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Kimberly Guilfoyle sure sounds like a boss from hell. So, what happens if a Presidential candidate dies or becomes incapacitated before Election Day? No reason, just asking. “For The First Time, Scientists Successfully Extract DNA From Insects Embedded In Tree … Continue reading →

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Judge briefly halts Abbott’s order limiting mail ballot dropoff locations

Posted on October 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Late Friday breaking news, which lasted until the early afternoon on Saturday. A federal judge ruled Friday that Texas counties can have multiple drop-off locations for absentee ballots heading into the Nov. 3 general election, blocking the enforcement of Texas … Continue reading →

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We are finally about to get that District B runoff scheduled

Posted on October 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

About damn time. A court hearing set for Oct. 19 finally could end the election dispute that has delayed a runoff in Houston city council’s District B for nearly a year. A state district judge is scheduled to hear an … Continue reading →

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Mayor will support the task force recommendations

Posted on October 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Good start, now let’s get it going. Mayor Sylvester Turner on Wednesday endorsed “almost all” the 104 recommendations laid out last week by his Task Force on Policing Reform. Speaking at a virtual city council meeting, Turner said a few … Continue reading →

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Military ballots

Posted on October 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

When we talk about the deadline to print and send out mail ballots, we are specifically talking about ballots sent to active duty military personnel, which by federal law are to be sent out 45 days before Election Day to … Continue reading →

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UT/Trib: Trump 50, Biden 45

Posted on October 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’ll get into a broader discussion in a minute, but for now, there’s this: President Donald Trump leads former Vice President Joe Biden with the support of 50% of the state’s likely voters to Biden’s 45% in the 2020 race … Continue reading →

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Abbott to allow bars to reopen

Posted on October 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Sort of. It’s kind of the most Abbott thing ever. Gov. Greg Abbott announced Wednesday that bars in Texas can reopen for in-person service next week — as long as their county governments choose to allow it. Effective Oct. 14, … Continue reading →

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More on Nate Paul

Posted on October 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This Trib story delves into the life and times of Nate Paul, the young Austin real estate entrepreneur whose relationship with Ken Paxton is the underpinning of the current scandal surrounding Paxton. The story goes into some detail about Paul’s … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: For MJ

Posted on October 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron changes its course in the US Senate race. For 18 years, John Cornyn has represented Texas in the U.S. Senate with dignity, decorum and a legislative work ethic that has made him one of the more productive, and … Continue reading →

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