Tag Archives: Election 2012

Don’t forget about apartments

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

On the subject of how Battleground Texas can achieve its aims, Greg adds a note and some numbers about apartment complexes. I opted to look at one of the most GOP-friendly places in Harris County: HD130 in the northwestern corner … Continue reading →

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The Lykos era officially ends

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

That’s all she wrote. A grand jury scrutinizing former District Attorney Pat Lykos and her administration declined Thursday to indict Lykos regarding allegations of misuse of public resources. The Harris County grand jury’s decision to end its term without action … Continue reading →

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No increase in jail population as yet

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Good to hear. When Harris County District Attorney Mike Anderson toppled incumbent Pat Lykos in last year’s Republican primary, some county budget hawks got fidgety. The campaign’s central issue, after all, was Anderson’s opposition to a Lykos policy that treated … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sen.-elect Garcia ready to get going

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The only thing holding Sen.-elect Sylvia Garcia back at this point is the bureaucracy. “Sylvia’s well poised to have an impact in the senate. For one thing, Senate districts are too big to ignore,” [Democratic political consultant Harold] Cook said. … Continue reading →

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Nate Silver takes another look at Texas

Posted on March 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It’s always about the numbers. Since President Obama’s re-election in 2012, Republicans have worried about what an increasingly diverse electorate will mean for their future as a national party. Democrats, meanwhile, have started talking about turning ruby red states like … Continue reading →

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Trib poll shows Perry leading Abbott

Posted on March 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Make of this what you will. Gov. Rick Perry would defeat Attorney General Greg Abbott by a nearly 3-to-1 margin if a Republican gubernatorial primary were held today, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Such a contest … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Congressional overs and unders

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

To wrap up my look at 2012 versus 2008 results for all the new districts, here’s how the 36 Congressional districts compared. Dist McCain Pct Obama08 Pct Romney Pct Obama12 Pct RIdx DIdx ============================================================================== 01 178,520 68.85% 78,918 30.44% 181,833 … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Sylvia Garcia wins SD06 runoff

Posted on March 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations, Sen.-elect Sylvia Garcia. Former Harris County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia beat State Rep. Carol Alvarado in the runoff race for the Senate District 6 seat, according to preliminary results. Garcia earned 53 percent of the vote, compared to Alvarado’s 47 … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Today is Runoff Day in SD06

Posted on March 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Harris County’s Chief Election Official Stan Stanart reminds eligible voters in State Senate District 6 that the last day to vote in the Special Runoff Election is Saturday, March 2, 2013. Polls will be open from 7 … Continue reading →

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On city delegations and firefighter pensions

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

There are two points of interest in this Chron editorial about the Legislature and the desire of the city to get a bill passed that would give it some leverage over the firefighters in their fight over the pension fund. … Continue reading →

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Battlegound Texas officially launches

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

You have probably heard by now that Battleground Texas has officially launched. Spearheaded by organizers of Obama’s re-election campaign in 2012 — when Republican nominee Mitt Romney handily carried the Lone Star State — a new push, called “Battleground Texas,” … Continue reading →

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On Latinos not winning Latino Congressional districts

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I have a problem with this analysis by Nathan Gonzales, at least as it pertains to the three Texas districts included. Even though a record number of Latinos are serving in the 113th Congress, Hispanic candidates are significantly underperforming in … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Precinct analysis: Comparing 2012 and 2008, Senate and SBOE edition

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

To follow up on my previous examination of how the 2012 election returns looked in State House districts compared to the 2008 returns, I now have the data to look at other types of districts as well. You can find … Continue reading →

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The mouth that roared

Posted on February 24, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I have two things to say about Ted Cruz. Cruz’s fans, and there are many, compare him to Ronald Reagan, who happens to be the 42-year-old senator’s boyhood hero. Cruz’s detractors, and there are many, compare him to Joe McCarthy, … Continue reading →

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Messing with the primaries

Posted on February 14, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It’s like deja vu all over again. State Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, has filed a bill to move up the primary one month in even-numbered years, to the first Tuesday in February. Patrick said people in both parties should support … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Comparing 2012 and 2008

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Though the data isn’t yet posted on individual members’ webpages, I have gotten a copy of the 2012 election results by State Rep district, for which there was much rejoicing. The first question of interest is how much the 2008 … Continue reading →

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Feds get involved in Dewhurst campaign embezzlement case

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The plot thickens. The campaign manager for Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, already facing a state investigation over allegations of theft from Dewhurst’s political account, has been accused of also taking at least $1 million from the Republican’s U.S. Senate campaign … Continue reading →

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Trace cases to be prosecuted as felonies again

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

So says our new DA. Newly elected Harris County District Attorney Mike Anderson said Thursday he will prosecute as felonies drug cases that involve trace amounts of crack cocaine, reversing his predecessor’s stand on the so-called “trace cases.” “If there … Continue reading →

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Election Day in SD06

Posted on January 26, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It’s highly unlikely that this will settle anything, but today is Election Day in SD06. If you live in SD06 and have waited till today to cast your ballot, you can find your polling place here or here. I’ve already … Continue reading →

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Final SD06 early voting turnout

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the final daily record of early voting in SD06. Tuesday was the strongest day as expected, with a bit over 1,000 ballots being cast, but that just got the total to 8,245. With four more days for mail ballots … Continue reading →

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When, Wendy?

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

When will Sen. Wendy Davis run for statewide office? Fortified by a convincing re-election victory, state Sen. Wendy Davis is resuming her role as a fierce critic of Republican-led education cuts as she enters her third regular session of the … Continue reading →

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Looks like we’ll be waiting on SCOTUS for awhile

Posted on January 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Redistricting: The Texas redistricting appeal wasn’t on the list of cases reviewed by the Justices at their screening conference today. With the passage of time – and the case not even being listed for review – the calendar now … Continue reading →

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January reports for SD06 candidates

Posted on January 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Stace beat me to the punch in reporting on the January campaign finance reports for SD06, so I’ll have to one up him by being more obsessive thorough in bringing the numbers. So here we go. Seven of the eight … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Why not both?

Posted on January 10, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I should have seen this coming. [Sen. Mario] Gallegos’ passing opened the Senate District 6 seat after the deceased man polled 70 percent in the November general election against a Republican opponent. No fewer than eight candidates are seeking to … Continue reading →

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Interview with Carol Alvarado

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The special election in SD06 to succeed the late Sen. Mario Gallegos is Saturday, January 26, and early voting for this election begins Wednesday, January 9. There are two serious candidates in this race, former County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia and … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of SD06

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The day before early voting begins in the SD06 special election (which is today), the Chron previews the race. It has a lot of stuff we already know, and it mostly focuses on the two frontrunners, Sylvia Garcia and Rep. … Continue reading →

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Interview with Sylvia Garcia

Posted on January 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The special election in SD06 to succeed the late Sen. Mario Gallegos is Saturday, January 26, and early voting for this election begins Wednesday, January 9. There are two serious candidates in this race, State Rep. Carol Alvarado and former … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

SCOTUS has not taken up the Texas redistricting lawsuit yet

Posted on January 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Redistricting: No decision announced [Friday at the Supreme Court about whether the court will hear the Texas redistricting case. The court, however, could issue additional orders on Monday. The Justices haven’t had these briefs for long, so it’s not … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: GLBT Caucus for Sylvia

Posted on January 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: The Caucus membership met Wednesday evening to consider endorsement for the vacancy in Senate District 6 created by the passing of Senator Mario Gallegos. Members had to make a very difficult decision between two amazingly qualified and … Continue reading →

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It was a very good year for Gene Wu

Posted on January 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Rep.-elect Gene Wu has some big shoes to fill in HD137, but I am confident that he will do a fine job of it. Wu relates much of what he plans to do and why he sought public office to … Continue reading →

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Anderson’s DWI proposal

Posted on January 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

You may recall that former Harris County DA Pat Lykos’ DIVERT program for DWI offenders was a major point of contention in the GOP primary fight that was eventually won by new DA Mike Anderson. (If you don’t recall, see … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Precinct analysis: Third parties revisited

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Politico has a question. Is Austin’s Travis County the nation’s Libertarian Party stronghold? The co-founders of a Libertarian political action committee based there make that case, arguing that the Texas locale is the “most Libertarian large county in America.” Wes … Continue reading →

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White Ds and non-white Rs

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

A few points to make about this. White Democrats are an increasingly vanishing species in the Texas Legislature, where there will be only 10 when the new legislative session starts in early January. The face of the Legislature has undergone … Continue reading →

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Soto’s parting gift on textbooks

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Outgoing SBOE member Michael Soto will be missed. Soto, the Trinity University English professor who was knocked off in this year’s Democratic primary by the little-known Marisa Perez, spent much of his two years on the board grappling with frustration … Continue reading →

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