Tag Archives: Election 2012

Just keep cutting till we tell you to stop

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I have two things to say about this. Looking to get an early start on shaping budget discussions for the 2013 legislative session, the Texans for a Conservative Budget Coalition recommended Tuesday that lawmakers plan to reduce welfare spending, increase … Continue reading →

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Interview with Rep. Borris Miles

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

State Rep. Borris Miles is in his second term representing HD146, though his terms were not consecutive. He knocked off longtime Rep. Al Edwards in 2006, lost a rematch in 2008, then won again in 2010. He will face Edwards … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Sen. Wendy Davis’ office firebombed

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, my God. State Sen. Wendy Davis’ West Seventh Street office in Fort Worth was firebombed Tuesday afternoon, according to reports, but no one was injured in the attack. According to scanner traffic, Fort Worth patrol officers were searching for … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Who not to vote for 2012

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

There are a number of interesting and exciting Democratic primary races on this year’s ballot. You can see a bunch of them here and here. There are many good candidates, and many races in which you may have a difficult … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Interview with Rep. Garnet Coleman

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

State Rep. Garnet Coleman is one of my favorite people in the Legislature. He’s one of the most knowledgeable members in the House on matters relating to health care policy, and he’s a leader on a wide range of issues … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Americans Elect starts the petition process

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

And they’re off. Americans Elect — an emerging, alternative third party that plans to use the Internet to field a presidential ticket this year — is starting to gather signatures of registered voters in Texas to try to gain a … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Texas will be relevant to the GOP nomination circus after all

Posted on March 17, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

After Mitt Romney’s unimpressive showing on Tuesday, the race for the GOP Presidential nomination continues to slog on with no clear end in sight. Which is good news, I guess, if you’re a Texas Republican because it means that your … Continue reading →

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Interview with Wanda Adams

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Also running in HD131 is Wanda Adams, who has served two full terms in Houston City Council District D and was re-elected easily for her third term last November. Adams is a native Houstonian who graduated from Kashmere High School … Continue reading →

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The Congressional shuffle

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Pending any further news, I think I’ve got my 2012 Democratic primaries, non-Harris County page updated. Most of the action was in Congressional races. Here are a few highlights from these filings. – David Alameel switched from CD06 to CD33, … Continue reading →

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More on the feds’ rejection of the Texas voter ID law

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Trib story. The U.S. Department of Justice has rejected Texas’ application for preclearance of its voter ID law, saying the state did not prove that the bill would not have a discriminatory effect on minority voters. “The department’s … Continue reading →

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Interview with Rep. Alma Allen

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I now finally turn my focus to legislative and Congressional primaries. As you might imagine, it’s been a bit of a challenge figuring this part out, since we just now know what the districts look like and who the candidates … Continue reading →

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Re-Filing deadline roundup

Posted on March 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The re-filing deadline was Friday, and as expected there was a flurry of activity on the final day. I’m going to do a news roundup to highlight what went on and who’s now running for what. You can find a … Continue reading →

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DOJ denies Galveston County redistricting

Posted on March 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Just a reminder that there’s more to redistricting than the state level. The U.S. Department of Justice late Monday rejected Galveston County’s proposed redistricting maps for county commissioner precincts, justices of the peace and constables. The rejection could put at … Continue reading →

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It’s Williams on Williams time again

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I would not call it a good thing to come out of the updated interim maps since there’s a good chance one of these jokers will get elected, but for those of you with a morbid fascination with sideshows, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Interview with Sean Hammerle

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Sean Hammerle is running to be the Democratic nominee for Harris County Commissioner in Precinct 4, the seat formerly held by the now-convicted Jerry Eversole and now by Jack Cagle. Hammerle is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), and has … Continue reading →

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Filings and un-filings

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Tomorrow is the re-filing deadline, the last day that candidates have to jump into a district that now looks good to them, or to withdraw from one that no longer does. There is still a possibility of further map changes, … Continue reading →

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It’s time to go on the offensive for women’s health

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I believe that just as Democrats must make the 2012 elections in Texas about public education, they must also make them about health care, in particular access to health care for women. There’s some polling data to suggest this will … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Good news and bad news

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. Big news today: Bastrop County Judge Ronnie McDonald is stepping down from his position. At a press conference today, he announced today that he will either run for the 17th Legislative District, anchored in Bastrop and currently held … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: For the love of God, stop this thing already!

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This may be the earliest Chron endorsement ever. We say: Stop the shooting. We share the view of many that the Republican Party’s most constructive course going forward is to waste little time and unite behind the candidate most likely … Continue reading →

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Colbert > Romney

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Naturally. How popular is comedian Stephen Colbert’s semi-serious Super PAC, Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow? In Texas, it’s more popular that Mitt Romney’s leading Super PAC. Federal Election Commission records examined by the Houston Chronicle indicate more Texans have … Continue reading →

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Interview with HCDP Chair Lane Lewis

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Next week I will begin running interviews for legislative races. As you might imagine, the long-running saga of when the primary would be, coupled with the uncertainty of what the districts would be as well as the re-filing period now … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Bonds, school bonds

Posted on March 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Another thing that may be on your ballot this year. Houston ISD Superintendent Terry Grier said Thursday it was time to start discussing a possible bond referendum to update the district’s aging campuses. In his annual state of the schools … Continue reading →

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Mighty pricey Main Street you’ve got there

Posted on March 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

My Irony-O-Meter goes to eleven. A Houston-based super PAC is targeting a dozen Democratic and Republican incumbents to reshape the political landscape in five states, including Texas where critics say an election law loophole is being used by a wealthy … Continue reading →

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A place to start

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

At least one elected Republican is feeling a bit angsty about the Republican war on women’s health. For some GOP lawmakers, the issue gets deeply personal, and the line between party loyalty, allegiance to anti-abortion politics and public health is … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

May 29 election date and re-filing period officially set

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the court order, and here’s the revised election calendar. The main things you need to know are that candidates who had filed for office in the prior period are automatically in unless they withdraw. The new filing period runs … Continue reading →

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Interview with Patty Quintana-Nilsson

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

My final interview with the Democratic hopefuls for State Board of Education District 6 is with Patty Quintana-Nilsson. She is a UH graduate with a degree in Radio & Television Communications, and she is a 15-year employee of the Spring … Continue reading →

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Lampson saddles up

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s good to have him back. On Monday, former U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson told a crowd of about 40 supporters gathered at Texas City’s city hall that he was running in the newly drawn 14th District “because Congress is too … Continue reading →

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We have maps

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

From The Trib: Federal judges in San Antonio unveiled maps for the state’s congressional delegation and for the state House this afternoon, and they did it in time to allow the state to hold its delayed political primaries on May … Continue reading →

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Interview with David Scott

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Next up for State Board of Education District 6 is David Scott. Scott ia an A&M graduate who has a Masters of Library Science from the University of North Texas. He worked a variety of jobs in several industries, including … Continue reading →

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How you can help support policies and funding for public schools

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox, sent by Sue Dimenn Deigaard: Over the past week I have heard several legislators make the misleading claim that they increased funding for public education this past session.  As a parent with a child that is in … Continue reading →

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Interview with Traci Jensen

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We now move on to the State Board of Education, the one entity affected by legislative redistricting that is not at issue in the current litigation, as the new SBOE map was precleared. I don’t think I need to explain … Continue reading →

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One good thing will come out of Craig James’ Senate campaign

Posted on February 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

He apparently won’t be brought back by ESPN. Sportwriters and fans alike rejoice.

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Buddymentum!

Posted on February 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

For the three of you reading this who know who Buddy Roemer is and were aware that he was running for President (other than Greg, who of course already knew), this announcement from his campaign may possibly be of interest … Continue reading →

Posted in The making of the President | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Who’s on the Perry 2014 bandwagon?

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe not so many people. If he really wants to run for another term as governor — as he told The Texas Tribune on Tuesday — Rick Perry has some work ahead of him. While 39 percent of Texas voters … Continue reading →

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