Tag Archives: Election 2012

Look out, here comes The Donald

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Make of this what you will. Donald Trump supporters have met an official ballot deadline in Texas, paving the way for the business mogul to become a third-party candidate there, a source close to Trump tells The Blaze. Trump himself … Continue reading →

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Wait, you mean there’s a Democrat running for Senate?

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

There’s actually seven of them, but the Chron writes about the one with actual legislative experience. Paul Sadler, a plaintiff’s lawyer who represented an East Texas district from 1991 to 2003 and who developed a reputation during his years in … Continue reading →

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Lykos v Anderson

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I obviously don’t have a dog in the Republican District Attorney primary fight, but I like a good high-profile political battle as much as the next junkie, so stories about it are interesting to me. [DA Pat] Lykos argues she … Continue reading →

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One can ban backer will face recall

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The can ban battle in New Braunfels is not over yet. New Braunfels city councilman Bryan Miranda, who supported a hotly debated container ban on the Comal and Guadalupe rivers, will face a recall election in May after voters signed … Continue reading →

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DOJ preclears Commissioners Court map

Posted on January 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This came in late Friday. The U.S. Department of Justice has approved Harris County’s redistricting map for commissioner precincts, which has been the subject of a lawsuit from Latino activists since August. The approval, known as “pre-clearance” under the Voting … Continue reading →

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A little schadenfreude to end the year

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you our only Governor. Gov. Rick Perry was once again stumped on the stump Thursday, this time with a question about a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that threw out Texas’ anti-sodomy law. Perry, taking … Continue reading →

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Constable Abercia to step down

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I wish him well. Longtime Harris County Constable Jack Abercia, citing health concerns, said Wednesday he will not seek re-election next year. Abercia, 78, has served as Precinct 1 Constable since 1991, when he was appointed to fill the unexpired … Continue reading →

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

DOJ files amicus brief in favor of interim maps

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Michael Li: The Justice Department is not a party to the San Antonio case and, until now, it hasn’t been involved in the interim map appeal before the Supreme Court. However, given the possible impact that a Supreme Court ruling … Continue reading →

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Ballot failure

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Newt Gingrich will not appear on the Virginia presidential primary ballot, state Republican Party officials announced Saturday, after he failed to submit the required number of valid signatures to qualify. The announcement was … Continue reading →

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D.C. panel issues decision defining preclearance standards

Posted on December 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From Michael Li: Late Thursday evening, the D.C. panel issued its long-awaited opinion defining the standards for preclearance under section 5 of the Voting Rights Act and further explaining why the court had earlier rejected the State of Texas’ request … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS redistricting briefs

Posted on December 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Opening briefs for the SCOTUS hearing on Texas redistricting were filed yesterday – you can see them here. The State of Texas is going long – Michael Li explains. The State of Texas asks the Supreme Court to let the … Continue reading →

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“It’s all politics!”

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The grand jury investigation of the District Attorney’s office over DWI evidence and policies continues to be the most compelling local story right now. A prosecutor who last week refused to answer questions from a grand jury said Monday she … Continue reading →

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When is a filing deadline not a filing deadline?

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Answer: When there will be another filing period after the filing deadline, as will be the case in Texas, according to the Secretary of State. “Based on the federal court’s order handed down December 16, candidates will be permitted to … Continue reading →

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Sanchez ends his Senate campaign

Posted on December 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This news broke late Friday. Leading Democratic U.S. senatorial candidate Ricardo Sanchez announced Friday that he’s ending his campaign to replace retiring Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. In a statement issued by his campaign to supporters, Sanchez said anemic fundraising and … Continue reading →

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Make sure you measure everything

Posted on December 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

A lot of groups are measuring a lot of things related to the state’s cuts to public education funding, but there’s one big thing not mentioned in this story that needs to be accurately tracked as well. In March, the … Continue reading →

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Austin rethinking its May election

Posted on December 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Yeah, maybe that wasn’t the best decision. Austin City Council members are again discussing whether to move the May council election back six months a politically fraught question that led city officials to trade thinly veiled insults earlier this year. … Continue reading →

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We have a deal on a unified primary date

Posted on December 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the Inbox: Joint Statement from TDP and RPT on Agreement Regarding 2012 General Primary Election Parties have submitted a joint agreed proposal to the San Antonio federal panel. Today, the Texas Democratic Party (TDP) and the Republican Party of Texas … Continue reading →

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The filings keep coming

Posted on December 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Prior to the SCOTUS stay, yesterday was the filing deadline for the 2012 primaries. That has now been pushed back to Monday, with the likelihood of another window after we get some kind of ruling about what the maps will … Continue reading →

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The split primary blues

Posted on December 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Republicans have them. Republican lawmakers turned up the heat on the Texas GOP leadership Wednesday, asking them to keep Texas’ primaries on a single election day while their own party continues to push for two primaries, one in March and … Continue reading →

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Craig James to file for Senate

Posted on December 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

You know what we need? Another Republican candidate for Senate. Former SMU standout Craig James will file his candidacy for the U.S. Senate by Thursday’s deadline, according to sources close to his developing campaign. James, an ESPN college football analyst, … Continue reading →

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State revenues inching up

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

A little bit of good news. State coffers will be bit plumper than previously expected, Comptroller Susan Combs announced Monday, but her outlook for the Texas economy is less optimistic. Texas is estimated to collect $1.6 billion more than was … Continue reading →

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Can someone beat Sharon Keller this time?

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Grits notes that CCA Presiding Judge Sharon Keller has opponents in March and in November – her colleague Larry Meyers for the former, and 2010 Dem CCA candidate Keith Hampton for the latter – and wonders if either of them … Continue reading →

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DC court sets date for preclearance trial, primary dates still up in the air

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Via email from the Lone Star Project: [Monday], a three-judge panel of the District of Columbia Federal District Court set January 17, 2012 through January 26, 2012 as the trial dates to formally review the Congressional, State House and State … Continue reading →

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How do we know it was a challenge from the left?

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I find this story about the primary challenge that may or may not be between Rep. Lloyd Doggett and State Rep. Joaquin Castro to be frustrating because it makes a huge assumption that it never bothers to verify. Longtime Austin … Continue reading →

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Wentworth touts his redistricting commission

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

State Sen. Jeff Wentworth takes to the op-ed pages to tout again his bipartisan redistricting committee bill, the merits of which I daresay look a little clearer now given recent events. Last June, during the special legislative session, a bill … Continue reading →

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That’s logistics

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Michael Li, on why many an elections administrator likely spent the weekend pulling out their hair: The March 6 primary also remains in place for now, but adjustments are virtually certain- even if the Supreme Court rules quickly after the … Continue reading →

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Sullivan files against Sumners

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I was writing a long candidate update for the weekend on Friday that’s pretty much junk now, but not every election is affected by the SCOTUS stay ruling. One such election is for Harris County Tax Assessor, where on Friday … Continue reading →

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Who will be the Lege education expert post-Hochberg?

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

In writing a political obituary for State Rep. Scott Hochberg, who announced his retirement from the House last week, Abby Rapoport spends a paragraph on his purported successor as the go-to education legislator. Rep. Jimmie Don Aycock, R-Killeen, is clearly … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS issues a stay

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. The Supreme Court, working late on a Friday, agreed to rule on the constitutionality of three redistricting plans for the two houses of the Texas legislature and its 36-member U.S. House of Representatives delegation, and put on hold temporarily … Continue reading →

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From the “You don’t like me! You really don’t like me!” files

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This is Rick Perry’s latest TV ad, uploaded to his Presidential campaign’s YouTube channel, in which he promises to end President Obama’s war on religion. No, I don’t know what he’s talking about either, but that’s not important. Look at … Continue reading →

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Allowing alcohol sales in Buda and Kyle

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

More Texas towns seek to loosen restrictions on selling alcohol. A political action committee hoping to make Buda and Kyle wet said it has collected enough signatures to put language easing laws regulating alcohol sales on each city’s ballot. The … Continue reading →

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Three for HD144, Lee for HCDE

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Since Monday night, I have heard of three people who are interested in running for HD144, the State Rep district that was drawn to favor the election of a Democrat by the San Antonio court. For the record, the 2008 … Continue reading →

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African-American State Reps state their map objections

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Black-lawmakers-blast-revised-Texas-voting-maps-2346838.php Contending that African Americans have been an afterthought during the contentious yearlong redistricting process, four Houston lawmakers on Monday voiced their objections to the interim House map a three-judge panel drew recently. “A lot of emphasis over the past … Continue reading →

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More on Lykos versus the cops

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s another Chron story about the recent dust-up between Harris County DA Pat Lykos and six Harris County police groups that don’t like her policy that trace amounts of crack will not be prosecuted as felonies. Two points that are … Continue reading →

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