Tag Archives: Chris Hollins

Rerun candidate running again

Posted on April 12, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Oh good grief. Orlando Sanchez, the former Harris County treasurer, City Council member and mayoral candidate, is running for city controller, his second consecutive run for the office. Sanchez received 47.8 percent of the vote in 2019, losing to incumbent Chris Brown, who … Continue reading →

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Hollins moves to the Controller’s race

Posted on April 7, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I have some thoughts. Chris Hollins, the former Harris County clerk, said Thursday he is dropping his campaign for mayor and will seek the controller’s office instead, roughly one week after Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee announced she would enter the … Continue reading →

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No one asked you, Tony

Posted on April 6, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Oh good Lord. Tony Buzbee, the millionaire businessman and trial attorney who unsuccessfully challenged Mayor Sylvester Turner in 2019, is considering another run for City Hall’s top job. Buzbee on Wednesday said supporters are urging him to run again, and he believes he is … Continue reading →

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Of course there’s already a Mayoral poll

Posted on March 30, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

From the Daily Kos Morning Digest: Veteran Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee upended Houston’s race for mayor on Sunday when she announced her entry into the crowded field looking to succeed term-limited incumbent Sylvester Turner this fall. Jackson Lee has … Continue reading →

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Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee is in for Mayor

Posted on March 28, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Okay then. The Quorum Report was first on the scene. Sources: In a closed-door event over the weekend, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee told pastors she is running for mayor of Houston The chatter is getting louder out of H-Town, where … Continue reading →

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A few words about Lee Kaplan

Posted on March 23, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I mean, I dunno. During the early stages of a mayoral race, polls carry little significance and every candidate says they are organizing a diverse coalition of supporters. There often is only one indicator to differentiate contenders from also-rans: money. Fundraising enables … Continue reading →

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Gilbert Garcia is in for Mayor

Posted on March 11, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Widely expected. Gilbert Garcia, the bond investor and former Metro chairman, is running for mayor, he told the Chronicle Friday. Garcia’s candidacy has been an open secret in Houston politics for months, if not years. His name has appeared on most early … Continue reading →

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CM Gallegos enters the Mayor’s race

Posted on February 10, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I wish him well. Councilmember Robert Gallegos, the lone Hispanic member of Houston’s City Council, has entered the mayoral race. Gallegos filed a form Thursday with the secretary’s office to start raising money for a mayoral bid, and he told the Chronicle … Continue reading →

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January 2023 campaign finance reports: City of Houston

Posted on January 23, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It’s late January, so you know what that means: It’s campaign finance report time again. The reports of the greatest interest will be for the city of Houston, but I’ll be checking in on HISD, HCC, and Harris County as … Continue reading →

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So how much money does Whitmire have available for his mayoral campaign?

Posted on January 18, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It’s already a lot, and it could be a whole lot more. State Sen. John Whitmire is kicking off his mayoral campaign with a $10 million war chest, most of it drawn from the money he has amassed over decades … Continue reading →

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Whitmire launches his Mayoral campaign

Posted on December 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

And we’re off. State Sen. John Whitmire formally launched his campaign for Houston mayor Tuesday evening with a fundraiser at the ritzy Post Oak Hotel, attended by dozens of the city’s political luminaries — including the hotel’s billionaire owner, Tilman … Continue reading →

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A too-early look at who’s running for Houston city offices in 2023

Posted on November 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Because it’s never not election season. With the midterm elections behind us, city election season is now heating up. Next November, Houston will elect a new mayor, a new controller and 16 City Council members. The campaigns actually got underway long before … Continue reading →

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July 2022 campaign finance reports: City of Houston

Posted on July 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We’re still more than a year out from the 2023 election, but we are now up to three serious conteners for Mayor, plus two others in the wild, so the finance reports are beginning to generate some real interest. The … Continue reading →

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Hollins and Edwards report big Mayoral fundraising numbers

Posted on July 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Yes, we’re going to need to start paying attention to this. Houston’s next mayoral election is not for another 18 months, but the early contenders already are raising heaps of cash. Former Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins has taken in more than … Continue reading →

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No new election admin yet

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Hope this delay is brief. Harris County’s top election position remains unfilled, after a Monday meeting of the county’s election commission to select a candidate was canceled due to a lack of quorum. Their final pick will face a narrowing time … Continue reading →

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Amanda Edwards to run for Mayor

Posted on March 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The field is now at three. Amanda Edwards, a former at-large member of Houston City Council and candidate for U.S. Senate, announced Wednesday she is running for mayor of Houston in 2023. Edwards’ return to politics comes two years after … Continue reading →

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January 2022 campaign finance reports: City of Houston

Posted on March 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

January finance reports are always worth a look, if only as a ritual to start the new year. We’re a year out from election season truly beginning for Houston, but as we now have two brand name contenders for Mayor … Continue reading →

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Chris Hollins to run for Mayor

Posted on February 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. Chris Hollins, the former Harris County elections chief who pushed measures aimed at expanding ballot access during the November 2020 election, announced Monday that he’s running for Houston mayor in 2023. “The challenges that we’re facing as Houstonians are … Continue reading →

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Vote No and take the dough

Posted on January 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s as Republican as insurrection and hydroxychloroquine. Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, last year left little doubt why she was voting against a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure measure, calling it nothing more than a “socialist plan full of crushing taxes and … Continue reading →

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First two lawsuits filed against the voter suppression bill

Posted on September 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

No time wasted. The top elections official in Harris County and a host of organizations that serve Texans of color and Texans with disabilities have fired the opening salvos in what’s expected to be an extensive legal battle over Texas’ … Continue reading →

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SOS Hughs resigns

Posted on May 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

In retrospect, I should have seen this coming. Texas Secretary of State Ruth Ruggero Hughs announced Friday she will step down from her post as the state’s top elections official, less than two years into her term. The decision comes … Continue reading →

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Making voting worse

Posted on April 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve spent a lot of time this year writing about how Republicans in the Legislature want to make it harder to vote. That’s undeniably true, but it doesn’t fully capture what’s going on. Voting is a thing that most of … Continue reading →

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The Texas/Georgia comparison

Posted on April 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The main thrust of this story is that the Texas voter suppression bills are not as bad as the law Georgia passed. But as you can see, these laws are still Very Bad. After major corporations criticized Georgia for adopting … Continue reading →

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A bit of business pushback against voter suppression

Posted on April 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start, but much more is needed. A group of 72 Black business leaders are calling on companies to publicly oppose a series of bills being advanced by Republicans in at least 43 states that could dramatically curb access … Continue reading →

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The Republican attack on Harris County voting

Posted on March 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s straight up retaliation for Harris County getting positive national attention for going out of its way to make it easier to vote in 2020. Harris County made a big push to expand mail-in and early voting during the 2020 … Continue reading →

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Republicans want to ban voting at night

Posted on March 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Give me a break. Texas Republicans have made it clear that voter suppression is a legislative priority, and one of their biggest targets involves Harris County. State Rep. Jared Patterson filed a bill last week that would restrict voting hours at … Continue reading →

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Do we still have to worry about the Elections Administrator’s office?

Posted on December 31, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m a little hesitant to bring this up, but… This year, Harris County began the process of consolidating the two offices that have historically handled elections — the county clerk and the tax assessor-collector’s office — under one roof. Isabel … Continue reading →

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The Harris County Election Security Task Force

Posted on December 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I hadn’t realized that this was a thing, but it was and I’m glad it was. A task force formed to ensure the security of the November election in Texas’ biggest county has found no evidence of wrongdoing after finishing … Continue reading →

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Ken Paxton’s attempted jihad against Harris County

Posted on December 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. Attorney General Ken Paxton tried to get the Trump administration to revoke millions in federal COVID relief funding that Harris County budgeted for expanding mail-in voting earlier this year, newly revealed records show. Paxton wrote in a May 21 … Continue reading →

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More on the TDP 2020 audit

Posted on December 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m very much looking forward to seeing the final report, but I don’t have a clear idea of the objectives from this story. [Unsuccessful State House candidate Brandy Chambers’] election night confusion mirrors the second-guessing going on within the Texas … Continue reading →

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Commissioners Court rejects Paxton allegation about Elections Administrator

Posted on December 3, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Straight to the point. The Democrats on Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday rejected an opinion from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in which he said they illegally created an independent elections office and hired an administrator. The move invites … Continue reading →

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Paxton has a tantrum about the Harris County Election Administrator

Posted on December 1, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Someone is going to have to help me understand this, because I’m clearly missing something. Harris County failed to follow the Texas Election Code when it created an independent election administration office, rendering the office and the appointment of Isabel … Continue reading →

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Interview with Chris Hollins

Posted on November 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

To put a bow on this long, strange trip that was the 2020 election season, I have a couple of interviews to bring you with key players from the election. The first is with Chris Hollins, the now-former Harris County … Continue reading →

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I remain pessimistic about the chances of good voting bills passing

Posted on November 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This Trib story suggests that with Republicans doing well in the high turnout 2020 election, and with the emergency measures that were implemented to expand voting access, the odds of getting a bill passed to make some forms of voting … Continue reading →

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