Tag Archives: Election 2008

Smith v. Barton on redistricting

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From Politico: A bitter, behind-the-scenes fight has broken out among Texas Republicans over redistricting, pitting Rep. Lamar Smith against longtime colleague Rep. Joe Barton. The dispute is over the makeup of four new congressional districts for the Lone Star State, … Continue reading →

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Moving the primaries back

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

In the 2007 legislative session, there was some energy to move the primary date up in Texas, on the theory that an earlier primary would finally enable Texas voters to have a say in the Presidential process, which was usually … Continue reading →

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Population growth by legislative district

Posted on March 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Some nice work by the Trib here. Our new interactive map visualizes population changes by district for the total population and residents who are of Hispanic origin. These totals are especially important now given that lawmakers are preparing to redraw these … Continue reading →

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Council redistricting will be messier than it needs to be

Posted on March 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Houston City Council is set to start their discussion about redistricting, but some people want them to stop. Councilman Mike Sullivan views expansion as a function of mayor-council politics, and he opposes it. Houston’s residents, Sullivan said in an impromptu … Continue reading →

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Credit where credit is due

Posted on March 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

State Supreme Court Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson calls on the Lege to protect legal aid funding. The budget crisis threatens to leave the state’s neediest without legal representation, Jefferson said, and even now “the courthouse door is closed to many … Continue reading →

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Harris County minus one?

Posted on February 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Despite essentially keeping up with the state growth rate, Harris County may lose a legislative seat in the next round of redistricting. As Texas lawmakers turn their attention to the complex and contentious task of redrawing their own districts, that … Continue reading →

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Dan Barrett for Fort Worth

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I’m delighted to see this. Democrat Dan Barrett, a lawyer and former state representative, is planning to file as a candidate for Mayor of Fort Worth. “I think its time for a new direction,” Barrett said. “The other candidates in … Continue reading →

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Yeah, it is too early to be polling for 2012

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

But that won’t stop anyone from doing them. 2012 could be the year Democrats are finally competitive for President in Texas…but only if the Republicans nominate Sarah Palin. There are vast differences in how the various different potential GOP contenders … Continue reading →

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Quittencourt

Posted on January 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I have one thing to say about this: Many things about Paul Bettencourt have been true for as long as he has inhabited public life. The former Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector hates when public money is spent on professional sports … Continue reading →

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All eyes on the Senate

Posted on December 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this: Republicans hold a 19-12 majority in the Senate, but 21 senators need to agree to bring the bill to a vote, so Democrats have two members who can make a stand on … Continue reading →

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We have a Census number

Posted on December 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Here you go. After knocking on 50 million doors and handling tens of millions of surveys, the Census Bureau on Tuesday announced that the official population of the United States is now 308,745,538. The 2010 census also shows America’s once-torrid … Continue reading →

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Thibaut versus Murphy, third time around

Posted on November 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We know that the story of HD133, which has now been won twice by Jim Murphy and once by Kristi Thibaut, is one of turnout. With sufficient turnout in the Democratic part of the district – that is, the precincts … Continue reading →

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If you’re looking for a focal point

Posted on November 10, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Democrats will have no shortage of opportunities to play offense in 2012, but if you want to get a head start on that, I have a suggestion. Here’s a bit from this story about Commissioner Sylvia Garcia’s electoral defeat to … Continue reading →

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So was this a one-time thing or not?

Posted on November 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

So was the Republican showing in this year’s election an aberration or not? I’m going to limit this discussion to Harris County here. It’s clear by now that what we saw here was an unprecedented spike in Republican turnout. A … Continue reading →

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On straight ticket voting

Posted on November 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

After Democrats made big gains in 2008 in Harris County thanks in part to straight ticket voting, I defended the practice from the Republican concern trolls that came out to wring their hands about it now that they were no … Continue reading →

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How many votes did we think we’d need?

Posted on November 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve already established that this election saw an historically high level of turnout in the county, and an historically high level of vote support for Republican candidates. It’s clear that Republican candidates rode a wave of voters who don’t normally … Continue reading →

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From the “Grant me the grace to accept the things I cannot change” department

Posted on November 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

What’s that old saying? “Could be worse. Could be raining.” As Democrats around the country girded for a midterm GOP tsunami, Bill White and his down-ballot Democratic cohorts spent the weekend tacking up political plywood and looking for signs, any … Continue reading →

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Final early vote wrapup

Posted on October 31, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As was the case in 2008, we saw record levels of early voting this year in Harris County. As polls closed Friday before Tuesday’s general election, as many as 450,000 people are expected to have cast their ballots early or … Continue reading →

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“The cul-de-sac battleground”

Posted on October 30, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Observer has an interesting look at three State House races in suburban areas that were once Republican strongholds but have now become battlegrounds. Two of them are Democratic-held – HDs 52 and 133 – and one (HD105) is still … Continue reading →

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Former Rep. Kino Flores convicted

Posted on October 27, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Former State Rep. Kino Flores, who was indicted last year on multiple counts of tampering with a governmental record, was convicted today on eleven of those counts. Flores, a 14-year state representative, was convicted of five counts of misdemeanor tampering … Continue reading →

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Once again, I’ll take the under

Posted on October 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a bizarre new UT/Texas Trib poll that’s so odd I can’t even come up with a good introduction for it, so I’m just going to jump straight to the weirdness: Republican Gov. Rick Perry leads his Democratic challenger, Bill … Continue reading →

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One week of early voting

Posted on October 25, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s start with the breakdown of the early voting numbers after one full week: 2010 Overall Strong R = 47.7% Medium R = 9.4% Medium D = 17.9% Strong D = 22.9% Total R = 57.1% Total D = 40.8% … Continue reading →

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Early voting, Day One

Posted on October 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

One day of early voting is in the can, and when all was said and done 26,051 in person votes were cast. In 2006, 8,545 in person early votes were cast. You can see a spreadsheet of 2006 daily EV … Continue reading →

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Forget about generic polls

Posted on October 13, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib has had a few stories lately about legislative horse races. There’s one point in this piece about House Democratic freshmen trying to win re-election that stood out to me and deserves some fleshing out. As in any close … Continue reading →

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The social network campaign

Posted on October 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Governor Perry won’t show up at a debate, but he is a presence on the Internet. The list of things that Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Bill White, his Democratic opponent in November, disagree upon is long. But on the … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of the County Clerk race

Posted on October 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron overview story of the County Clerk race between Democrat Ann Harris Bennett and Republican Stan Stanart to replace the retiring Beverly Kaufman. This is the bit that interested me: Where Bennett and Stanart diverge is their approach … Continue reading →

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Back to Basics jumps in to HD133

Posted on September 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Back to Basics folks, who must have the busiest website design shop in the Western hemisphere, have jumped into the HD133 race by going after Jim Murphy, the former Rep from HD133 running to win his seat back from … Continue reading →

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Interview with County Judge Ed Emmett

Posted on September 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Those of you who have followed my blog and my interview series may be wondering why today’s interview subject is Harris County Judge Ed Emmett. I’m a Democrat, and I make no pretense of the fact that I do these … Continue reading →

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This ain’t your daddy’s Fort Bend

Posted on September 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting article about the changing demographics in Fort Bend County and the changes in politics that have come with it. Today the GOP holds 27 of 31 elective offices in the county. Rick Miller aims to keep it that way. … Continue reading →

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Interview with Diane Trautman

Posted on September 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Diane Trautman was the Democratic nominee for Harris County Tax Assessor in 2008 against then-incumbent Paul Bettencourt. With Bettencourt announcing his resignation approximately five minutes after he won re-election, the office is on the ballot again this year, and Trautman … Continue reading →

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Interview with Loren Jackson

Posted on September 14, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Next up is Loren Jackson, who is finishing up the unexpired term of Harris County District Clerk that he won in 2008 after incumbent District Clerk Charles Bacarisse resigned to run in the GOP primary for County Judge. Jackson has … Continue reading →

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Interview with State Rep. Armando Walle

Posted on August 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

State Rep. Armando Walle is finishing his first term representing HD140 in northeast Harris County. Walle won a contested primary in 2008 against Craddick D Kevin Bailey, which helped contribute to the downfall of the former Speaker. At 32 years … Continue reading →

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Interview with Joe Montemayor

Posted on August 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We turn our attention this week to some of the Democratic candidates who are running in Republican-held districts. First up is Joe Montemayor, who ran for HD127 in 2008 against Joe Crabb and is running for it again this year … Continue reading →

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How much better is the fundraising picture for Democrats in Texas?

Posted on August 15, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

By one important measure, it’s a lot better. The financial success of Democratic gubernatorial nominee Bill White has revealed a new generation of wealthy contributors who are stepping forward to back Texas Democratic candidates. White’s campaign has been able to … Continue reading →

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