Tag Archives: Election 2008

Interview with Dexter Handy

Posted on September 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

My penultimate City Council candidate interview is with Dexter Handy, who is running in District G. Handy is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force where he had a distinguished 28-year career that included a stint as Chief of … Continue reading →

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Interview with Carlos Obando

Posted on September 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We don’t get a lot of competitive Council race in Houston that don’t involve an open seat. As I’ve noted before, we may get one this year for At Large #5. One of the candidates seeking to unseat incumbent Council … Continue reading →

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Three candidates so far for HISD Trustee in District I

Posted on August 31, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We know that Natasha Kamrani, the incumbent Trustee in HISD District I is not running for re-election. One candidate to replace her is Alma Lara, who was in the race before Kamrani announced that she was stepping down. According to … Continue reading →

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The state of the Governor’s race

Posted on August 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

So we know that Tom Schieffer is in. So are Mark Thompson and Felix Alvarado. Ronnie Earle may or may not be in. Hank Gilbert now says that he’s in. Kinky (sigh) is fixing to be in. Some people think … Continue reading →

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The Sheriff and the deputies

Posted on August 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I had mentioned before that there was some discontent from the Sheriff’s deputies bubbling up, mostly in the form of emails sent to Carl Whitmarsh’s listserv. Earlier today, the following was sent out: SHERIFF GARCIA, KEEP YOUR PROMISES A Labor … Continue reading →

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The exodus from the DA’s office

Posted on August 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron writes about disgruntlement in the DA’s office. Harris County District Attorney Pat Lykos promised to clean house when she was elected in November and promptly fired seven senior prosecutors. Now other experienced prosecutors, including a member of Lykos’ … Continue reading →

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Edwards gets a primary challenger in HD146

Posted on August 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

For the third straight election cycle, there will be a contested Democratic primary in HD146. Harvey Kronberg reports. Billy Briscoe, who served as Paul Hobby’s travel aide during his campaign for Comptroller in 1998, says that he is running in … Continue reading →

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When county officials cooperate

Posted on August 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I was sent a copy of this story as a PDF a few days ago, and I’m glad to see (via Hair Balls) that it’s available online. It’s about the level of cooperation between Harris County District Attorney Pat Lykos … Continue reading →

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The CW on KBH

Posted on August 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison gets set to launch her listening announcement tour of Texas, Gardner Selby brings us a conventional wisdom roundup of the state of her campaign. To win, Hutchison faces a daunting task — making a case … Continue reading →

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Lone Star Project on Bohac

Posted on August 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Last week, the Lone Star Project took a look at how now-reassigned Associate Voter Registrar Ed Johnson got his hands on drivers license data, which he and his business partner State Rep. Dwayne Bohac then used to sell campaign data … Continue reading →

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At Large action

Posted on August 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve certainly got a fascinating Mayor’s race going on this year, with three viable candidates that can all plausibly claim a path to victory, but it seems to me that there’s a lot of interesting stuff happening in the At … Continue reading →

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More legislative primaries

Posted on August 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Freshman State Rep. Tara Rios Ybarra, who knocked off veteran Rep. Juan Escobar in the 2008 Democratic primary, will have a primary opponent of her own. Kingsville businessman J.M. Lozano, aged 29, announced via a video on Facebook and You … Continue reading →

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Mayor White wants to consider term limits review

Posted on August 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor White wants to reconsider term limits. In a City Council meeting Wednesday, White said he is not advocating an end to the policy, but rather a commission that would study the possibility of changing or eliminating the rule. Voters … Continue reading →

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Here comes Addie

Posted on August 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Timing is everything in this life. [Former Houston City Council Member Addie] Wiseman tells me she is going to run a full and vigorous campaign to replace State Rep. Joe Crabb. Details are still being worked out, she didn’t have … Continue reading →

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More names surfacing for statewide runs

Posted on August 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Via Greg, it appears that Smokey Joe Barton may want to party like it’s 1993. No one seems to be mentioning U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Arlington, as a candidate to replace outgoing Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas. Turns out that … Continue reading →

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Crabb not running for re-election

Posted on August 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Republican State Rep. Joe Crabb, whose district is HD127 up in Kingwood, is not running for re-election next year. The announcement came when he briefly spoke at the Crosby Alumni Association Reunion dinner. Crabb represents District 127 in the Texas … Continue reading →

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State Supreme Court Justice Harriet O’Neill not running for re-election

Posted on August 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Trail Blazers reports that State Supreme Court Justice Harriet O’Neill will not run for re-election in 2010. They have a statement from her, which I’ve placed beneath the fold. Two things to note about this: One, as she did not … Continue reading →

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The Gallup poll of partisan preference

Posted on August 6, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

There’s been some buzz lately about this Gallup poll that shows 42 percent of Texans identify as Democratic or claim to “lean” Democratic, while only 40% are Republican or lean that way. Greg and Matt are optimistic, while The Contrarian, … Continue reading →

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Doing it in the Facebook with the Twittering, HCRP-style

Posted on July 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Lisa Falkenberg checks in on the Harris County Republican Party’s efforts to bring social media skillz to their masses. It’s easy to make fun of them for this – okay, it’s easy to make fun of them in general – … Continue reading →

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On the matter of turnout

Posted on July 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This Star-Telegram story about turnout in the 2008 election versus turnout in the 2004 election has got some people talking. The presidential race between Barack Obama and John McCain sent more Texans to the polls last year, but the state … Continue reading →

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(Don’t) Run Everywhere, Dallas-style

Posted on July 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Remember when Dallas was a stronghold for the state GOP? Those days are long gone. After two straight losing cycles that forced them out of power, Dallas County Republicans will feature a scaled-down ticket for the 2010 elections. Party Chairman … Continue reading →

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Interview with CO Bradford

Posted on July 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Next up in the interview series is C.O. “Brad” Bradford, who is running for At Large #4, currently held by the term-limited Ronald Green. Bradford was the Democratic candidate for Harris County District Attorney last year, and though he lost … Continue reading →

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Pity the poor HCRP

Posted on July 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

My heart is breaking for them. The Harris County Republican Party is in arrears amid a dour fundraising climate and an internecine struggle over its chairman, Jared Woodfill, whose leadership numerous local GOP stalwarts have begun to question publicly. The … Continue reading →

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On the future of Democrats in Texas

Posted on July 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

By now you’ve probably read Mike Lux’s HuffPo piece (crossposted at BOR) about the future of the Democratic Party in Texas. The main thrust of Mike’s piece is about turnout, and where there’s numbers there’s my curiosity getting piqued. Let’s … Continue reading →

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Garcia’s agenda

Posted on July 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia lays out his agenda on the op-ed pages. This is an opportunity for me to work with every stakeholder in the Harris County justice system — including, first of all, you — to make sure … Continue reading →

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Texas Congressional races on the radar

Posted on July 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Hill lists its Top 10 dark-horse Congressional races to keep an eye on for 2010. Two of them are in Texas. 1. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) McCaul was technically a lower-tier Democratic target in 2008, but that was really … Continue reading →

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Federal court bench moving out of Galveston

Posted on July 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Disgraced former judge Sam Kent may be the last federal judge to serve in Galveston, at least for the foreseeable future. The state’s oldest federal bench, which remains vacant after the resignation of U.S. District Court Judge Samuel B. Kent, … Continue reading →

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Perry’s haul

Posted on July 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Rick Perry does what Rick Perry does best. Gov. Rick Perry has raised $4.2 million in the final nine days of June, giving him $9.3 million to begin his expected GOP primary campaign against Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. Hutchison transferred … Continue reading →

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Earle is running for something

Posted on July 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Well, he’s taken the first step towards running for something, anyway. Democrat Ronnie Earle today filed paperwork with the Texas Ethics Commission to run for office in 2010 but did not specify which office he will seek. The former Travis … Continue reading →

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Lawrence looking at Commissioners Court

Posted on July 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Something I’d realized recently is that almost everyone in city government who is or would have been term-limited out is running or has run for another office. Mayor White is running for Senate. City Controller Annise Parker is running for … Continue reading →

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Jeff Weems

Posted on June 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve been hearing plenty about the top of the ticket for Democrats in 2010, but there are still several slots to fill. One of them is the Railroad Commissioner seat held by Victor Carrillo. Via email to Carl Whitmarsh, here’s … Continue reading →

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The whole “two thirds” thing is more flexible than you might think

Posted on June 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

State Sen. Jeff Wentworth is mad as heck about some Senate rules shenanigans, according to the Statesman’s Jason Embry. Wentworth, R-San Antonio, thinks that Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst abused his authority in the recently completed legislative session, and he wants … Continue reading →

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Another appeals court case to be proud of

Posted on June 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

By “proud”, I mean “deeply embarrassed”. Here’s Rick Casey discussing a decision by the 1st Court of Appeals in which the infamous case of death row inmate Calvin Burdine and his sleeping lawyer, Joe Cannon is referenced, and not in … Continue reading →

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One more judicial race

Posted on June 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This was mentioned as a sidebar to a story about Governor Perry signing a bill, but I think it deserves more than that. There’s a new justice on the First Court of Appeals, which means there will be one more … Continue reading →

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