Tag Archives: Election 2012

Three primary stories

Posted on May 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

TX Trib: 4 Democrats Vying to Replace Hochberg in HD-137 Observers say the winner of the contest for HD-137 is likely to be decided in the Democratic primary, whose four candidates are former Capitol staffers Joseph Carlos Madden and Jamaal … Continue reading →

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Final early vote totals

Posted on May 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The pattern remained consistent till the end. Nearly 116,000 Harris County residents have made their selections in next week’s primaries through early voting and returns from a record batch of mail-in ballots. In all, 90,489 people voted in person at … Continue reading →

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For shame, Keryl Douglas

Posted on May 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Take a look at what was being handed out at an early voting location yesterday: So much for all those denials about that “Ministers for Keryl” email. You’d think that President Obama’s recent embrace of marriage equality might have made … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Three for SBOE

Posted on May 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron finally crosses one redistricting-affected category off its list by issuing three endorsements in State Board of Education primaries. State Board of Education, Position 6, Democratic primary: This race has drawn a particularly strong slate of Democrats. (We are … Continue reading →

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Petition drive to overturn the homeless feeding ordinance

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s underway. The petitioners have until July 1 to gather their signatures because that’s when the ordinance goes into effect. City Attorney David Feldman just informed me that petitioners have the longer of either 30 days following an ordinance’s passage … Continue reading →

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Hubbard profile

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Impressive. Of the six top-tier candidates running for the U.S. Senate, only Sean Hubbard may have to worry about being challenged by eagle-eyed poll watchers, suspicious that he is too young to vote. Fresh-faced and slight, the Dallas resident is … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: For Rep. Alma Allen

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

There are three contested Democratic primaries involving an incumbent State Representative in Harris County, and six such primaries involving Republicans. The Chron has now made an endorsement in one of those races. In the Democratic primary race for Texas House … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit sends open beaches lawsuit back to district court

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Unfortunately, the headline makes it sound like better news than it is. A federal appeals court Monday ruled that the Texas Open Beaches Act is unconstitutional in the case of a Galveston Island property, a ruling that puts the fate … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: One more down, still many more to do

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

After a three-day hiatus, the Chron gets back on the endorsement track by recommending Cindy Vara-Leija for Constable in Precinct 1. We believe Cindy Vara-Leija, who retired last October from a 32-year career in law enforcement, is the strongest candidate … Continue reading →

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A small overview of a large field

Posted on May 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has a partial overview of the cattle call in CD14. [State Rep. Randy] Weber, 58, is one of nine Republicans vying for the party’s nomination in Paul’s congressional district, which includes Lake Jackson, where the 76-year-old Paul delivered … Continue reading →

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The Trib’s strange samples

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the UT/Texas Trib poll result the Trib should have reported: Q19. If the 2012 general election for U.S. president were held today and Mitt Romney was the Republican nominee, would you vote for [randomize] Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, someone … Continue reading →

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The unhelpful SBOE overview

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The premise of this story is good and useful. Unfortunately, the execution falls short. Conservatives and moderates get a rare opportunity this year to try to stack the State Board of Education with members who will help shape public education … Continue reading →

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Interview with Rose Meza Harrison

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I know that I said when I did that last interview that it would in fact be the last interview for the primary election, but as is often the case it turns out there was more to do. I was … Continue reading →

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Early voting after one full week

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Here are your seven day early voting totals for the 2012 primaries, and some historical context to go along with them. Year 7 day Early 7 day % Final 7 day % Early % ============================================================== 2004 R 11,330 28,217 38.91% … Continue reading →

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RIP, Americans Elect

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s official. After its board met Wednesday to discuss its options, [Americans Elect] released a statement Thursday indicating that it would not change its rules, effectively disqualifying all the candidates from participating in an online nominating convention that was scheduled … Continue reading →

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Wentworth and Jones sue each other

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a contender for nastiest primary race of the cycle. On Thursday, incumbent state Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, sued challenger Elizabeth Ames Jones, a former railroad commissioner, alleging libel and slander. Emergency room doctor Donna … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: There’s only one Democrat running for County Commissioner in Precinct 4

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron correctly endorses Sean Hammerle for County Commissioner in Precinct 4, though they fail to fully explore all the reasons why he deserves it. We believe Hammerle, an LSU graduate who makes his living as a consultant for nonprofit … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Two for Doggett

Posted on May 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The San Antonio Express News did most of its endorsements before the start of Early Voting, but took its time on the Congressional races. In the end, they did all their endorsements in one editorial, and at the end of … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Madden in HD137

Posted on May 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron picks Joe Madden as their preferred candidate to succeed Rep. Scott Hochberg in HD137. In the Democratic primary on May 29, an impressive slate of candidates has come forward to run for Hochberg’s seat representing the 137th District … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed against Justice Hecht’s ballot access

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. Texas Supreme Court Justice Nathan Hecht’s Democratic opponent has filed suit seeking to delay the printing of ballots and other election material to allow time to investigate potential problems with Hecht’s candidacy petitions. Several unfilled blanks in petitions from … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Sadler

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses Paul Sadler for the Democratic nomination for Senate. Sadler, 57, a father of five who served in the Texas House from 1991 to 2003, is an East Texas Democrat from the classic mold – a populist with … Continue reading →

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“Americans Unelect”

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. Americans Elect, the deep-pocketed nonprofit group that set out to nominate a centrist third-party presidential ticket, admitted early Tuesday that its ballyhooed online nominating process had failed. The group had qualified for the general election ballot in 27 states, … Continue reading →

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How many votes will be cast early this year?

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I’m not talking total number, I’m talking what share of the vote will be cast early. The professionals think it will be a lot. “The early vote is more important this time than perhaps in any cycle in my lifetime … Continue reading →

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The Parent PAC slate

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I mentioned some of the candidates that have been endorsed by the Texas Parent PAC in this post, but since then they have released their full slate of endorsees. Texas Senate S.D. 9: Rep. Todd Smith, R-Euless  www.toddsmithfortexas.com S.D. 11: Dave … Continue reading →

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“Open letter to Williamson County”

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

John Raley is the attorney who worked for years to exonerate Michael Morton on the charge of murdering his wife in 1987. The key to the case was a bloody bandana, which DNA testing showed belonged to the real killer. … Continue reading →

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Another story about parents and education cuts

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I really want to believe that there’s an uprising in the works and that the Lege could be a very different place for the better next year, but I’m reserving judgment on that for now. Deep cuts in school funding … Continue reading →

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First day EV totals

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Here they are, courtesy of the County Clerk. Dems had 1,570 in person votes and 4,644 mail ballots returned out of 11,722 requested; Rs had 3,380 and 10,027 mail ballots out of 22,369 requested. There’s no point in making comparisons … Continue reading →

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Early voting begins today

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Feels weird to be talking about early voting for the primaries now, doesn’t it? Well, ready or not after all this time and all these twists in the road, here we are. Here are your early voting locations and schedule. … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: The list so far

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron printed their list of primary endorsements so far yesterday. It’s more impressive for what they haven’t done yet as early voting starts. After a couple of years of getting most of their business done before actual voters started … Continue reading →

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Express-News overview of Romo versus Doggett

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Some interesting tidbits in here. Despite the minority makeup of a newly drawn congressional district, a San Antonio Latina candidate faces a steep uphill climb against a white Austin liberal with a long tenure in the nation’s capital. Sylvia Romo, … Continue reading →

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Can we please call a critic a critic?

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Metro had a public meeting on Thursday to address the question of the diversion of transit funds to cities for road projects, which is expected to be a referendum topic this fall. The Chron has a story about the meeting … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of the Tax Assessor primary

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Having just reported on the vehicle registration problems at the Harris County Tax Assessor’s office, the Chron now writes about the GOP primary for that office. A Houston Chronicle story Friday reported Sumners’ staff is working overtime to process a … Continue reading →

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News flash: Texas Dems give lots of money to candidates outside Texas

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I know, I’m as shocked as you are. An analysis of Federal Election Commission data by the Houston Chronicle found that more than three-fourths of Democratic political money raised in Texas has left the state. Of the $21 million Texas … Continue reading →

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The out candidates

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

There are four LGBT candidates running for the Lege this year. Since 2003, when Austin Democrat Glen Maxey left the Texas House, no out LGBT person has served in the Texas Legislature. The Lone Star State is now one of … Continue reading →

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