Tag Archives: Dan Patrick

More on the Gillespie County elections office resignations

Posted on August 31, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

From Votebeat, how this mess got started. Last November’s sleepy constitutional amendment election nearly came to blows in Gillespie County, a central Texas county known for its vineyards. A volunteer poll watcher, whose aggressive behavior had rankled election workers all … Continue reading →

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Libertarians will remain on the ballot

Posted on August 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Too bad, Republicans. The Texas Supreme Court on Friday rejected a Republican effort to remove a host of Libertarian candidates from the November ballot, saying the GOP did not bring their challenge soon enough. In a unanimous opinion, the all-GOP … Continue reading →

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All of Gillespie County’s elections staff resigns

Posted on August 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Who could blame them? Citing threats and even stalking, all three employees at the Gillespie County elections office have resigned from their positions, leaving the office empty with less than three months before the primary election in November. The Fredericksburg … Continue reading →

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DMN/UT-Tyler: Abbott 46, Beto 39

Posted on August 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again with the DMN/UT-Tyler poll, which if nothing else always provides something to talk about. The unreadable DMN story is here. The Chron has a story with a semi-ridiculous headline about how Abbott has slightly increased his … Continue reading →

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GOP seeks to knock Libertarians off the ballot

Posted on August 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

They tried this in 2020 with no success, but might be better positioned this year. Texas Republicans have filed a petition to knock 23 Libertarian candidates off the November ballot for not paying their filing fees. On August 8, 23 … Continue reading →

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Republicans have begun attacking Mike Collier

Posted on July 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. Fox News host Laura Ingraham is joining a growing list of Republicans attacking Mike Collier, the Democratic candidate for Texas lieutenant governor, as polls indicate a narrowing race between him and incumbent Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Ingraham reposted an article from a … Continue reading →

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UH/Hobby Center: Abbott 49, Beto 44

Posted on July 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This one is post-Dobbs. In the race for governor, Republican Greg Abbott leads Democrat Beto O’Rourke by 5% among likely voters, 49% to 44%, with 5% undecided and 2% intending to vote for Libertarian Mark Tippetts. More than nine out … Continue reading →

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Houston get a medical marijuana pick-up location

Posted on July 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

For those who will need it. Houston’s first permanent pick-up location for medical marijuana opened Tuesday, giving patients another option for obtaining their prescription cannabis. Texas Original, the state’s largest medical marijuana provider, opened a 1,776-square-foot facility on Houston Avenue … Continue reading →

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A big part of the Cornyn gun bill will do nothing in Texas

Posted on June 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Just a reminder. The bipartisan gun bill that is on a fast track through Congress and backed by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn includes new state grants to incentivize red flag laws, which allow judges to temporarily seize firearms from people … Continue reading →

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Where are we with the Paxton whistleblower lawsuit?

Posted on June 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We are in the familiar position of waiting for the drawn-out appeals process to conclude. Pull up a chair and make yourself comfortable. The appeals process has grown a bit longer in state Attorney General Ken Paxton’s effort to dismiss a whistleblower lawsuit by … Continue reading →

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The very least Greg Abbott could do

Posted on June 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

You can always count on him for that. Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday called on the Texas Legislature to form special committees to make legislative recommendations in response to the Uvalde school shooting. In a letter to House Speaker Dade … Continue reading →

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Republicans threaten businesses over abortion access

Posted on May 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

If you didn’t see stuff like this coming, you haven’t been paying attention. With Texas poised to automatically ban abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, some Republicans are already setting their sights on the next target … Continue reading →

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DMN/UT-Tyler: Abbott 46, Beto 39

Posted on May 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the story, which I currently can’t access. A very brief summary of it is in this Current article. The data is here and I’m going to riff on that, with references to the February version of this poll, for … Continue reading →

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Abbott and Patrick ask SCOTx to take up Paxton’s whistleblower appeal

Posted on April 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

They sort of have a point, but they should still butt out. Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Monday urged the Supreme Court of Texas to take up Attorney General Ken Paxton’s appeal to throw out a … Continue reading →

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Beto calls for expanded gambling

Posted on April 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s fine. Good politics, given the polling. Democrat Beto O’Rourke said if he’s elected governor he’s “inclined to support” expanding casino gambling and legal sports betting in Texas, the first time he’s publicly addressed the issue on the trail. During … Continue reading →

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Dan Patrick wants a “Don’t Say Gay” bill for Texas

Posted on April 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Of course he does. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Monday he will prioritize passing Texas legislation that mimics the recently signed Florida bill referred to as the “Don’t Say Gay” law. That state’s controversial law prohibits classroom lessons on sexual orientation or gender identity … Continue reading →

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Hispanic Policy Foundation: Abbott 50, Beto 42

Posted on April 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

More poll data. In the November 2022 gubernatorial election, Greg Abbott leads Beto O’Rourke by 8% (50% to 42%) among likely voters and by 12% (53% to 41%) among the most likely (almost certain) voters. Among both groups, Libertarian Mark … Continue reading →

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Can Beto legalize pot?

Posted on March 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

He’s gonna try. It’s not entirely up to him, though. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke is making Texans a promise: If they elect him as governor, he’ll legalize marijuana. Shortly after his resounding victory in Tuesday night’s primary, O’Rourke asked … Continue reading →

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The Dem runoff for AG is not fully settled

Posted on March 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

First place in the Democratic primary for Attorney General went to Rochelle Garza. Second place is still somewhat of a question. Two days after election day in the March primary, the Democratic race for attorney general is still not settled. … Continue reading →

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Oklahoma’s experience with medical marijuana

Posted on March 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A good read. Inside an old metal building off a quiet stretch of U.S. 77, Josh Blevins walked among rows of fragrant marijuana plants basking below carefully calibrated light. Blevins, a former construction engineer from Texas, bought this former scrap … Continue reading →

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2022 primary results: Statewide

Posted on March 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

That didn’t take long: . JUST IN: Beto O’Rourke wins Texas Democratic primary for governor, @NBCNews projects. http://nbcnews.to/36VOfa3 — NBC Politics (@NBCPolitics) 8:01 PM – 1 March 2022 Literally one minute after polls would have closed in El Paso. You … Continue reading →

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DMN/UT-Tyler: Abbott 45, Beto 38

Posted on February 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

From the DMN, via another source that I can get to. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is leading former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (R-Texas) by 7 points in a new poll tracking November’s gubernatorial race. The survey, conducted by The Dallas … Continue reading →

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2022 primary early voting, Day Four: Dan Patrick contributes to the mail ballot problem

Posted on February 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This fucking guy, I swear to God. Thousands of applications for mail-in ballots submitted by Texas voters have been delayed — and some voters may ultimately not receive ballots — because Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s campaign instructed eligible voters to … Continue reading →

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Houston’s preparations for the next freeze

Posted on February 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We learned from the experience, which I hope will serve us well for the next time. The grid’s near collapse last February had drastic consequences for local governments, none more acute than the challenge water systems confronted in trying to … Continue reading →

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Republican incumbents are probably going to win their primaries

Posted on February 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Take all primary polls with a grain of salt because polling in primaries is especially tricky. That said, here’s the most recent UT/Texas Tribune polling on the primaries, which also includes a general election gubernatorial matchup. Republican incumbents in statewide … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Almost all of the big ones

Posted on February 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The Sunday Chron was full of endorsements, which given the timing and the edition is what you’d expect. Most of them are not particularly remarkable, and I’m not going to spend any time on their recommendations for Beto and Mike … Continue reading →

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Trib overview of the Democratic candidates for Lt Governor

Posted on January 31, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a good field, I’ll be happy to support any of them, but boy do I wish they’d all raise more money. Three Democrats are facing off in the lieutenant governor primary for the chance to challenge a veritable Goliath … Continue reading →

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Beto for legalizing weed

Posted on January 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I do think this is a winning campaign theme. At a crowded rally in downtown Austin, Beto O’Rourke ticked off his usual laundry list of campaign promises: stabilizing the power grid, rolling back the state’s new permitless carry law and … Continue reading →

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The Lege will get worse before it gets better

Posted on December 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. More than two dozen members of the Texas Legislature are retiring or running for a different seat next year, creating a slew of vacancies that could push both chambers to become redder … Continue reading →

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Matthew Dowd drops Lt Gov bid

Posted on December 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Sensible. Matthew Dowd, a former George W. Bush political strategist who had launched a bid to be the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 2022, ended his campaign Tuesday, six days before the candidate filing deadline. In a statement, Dowd, … Continue reading →

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It’s the power grid, stupid

Posted on December 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s also a campaign theme. Texas Democrats want to talk about the power grid. Specifically, they want to talk about how it failed in February, how they don’t think enough has been done to fix it and why they believe … Continue reading →

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Fraudit funding

Posted on November 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s bullshit all the way down. GOP leaders on Friday approved shifting $4 million in emergency funds for the Texas secretary of state’s office to create an “Election Audit Division” at the agency, which will spearhead county election audits as … Continue reading →

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Michelle Beckley files for Lt. Governor

Posted on November 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

And now there are three. Democratic state Rep. Michelle Beckley of Carrollton, who gained national attention for joining lawmakers who fled to Washington, D.C., to block a Republican election bill this summer, is running for lieutenant governor, expanding her party’s … Continue reading →

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Comings and goings

Posted on October 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Rep. Lloyd Doggett will run in a new district again. Longtime U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, has decided to run for reelection in Texas’ 37th Congressional District, opting to vie for one of Texas’ two new congressional districts — a … Continue reading →

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