Tag Archives: Election 2008

Keeping up with Team Hillary

Posted on May 18, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Just checking in, but this story does address a question I’ve been wondering about. The dozen or so Hillary Clinton supporters gathered here late Tuesday had no illusions that ruby-red Texas would play a key role in electing the next … Continue reading →

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Separating the Sheriff and the jail

Posted on May 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

As Commissioners Court prepares to name a replacement Sheriff, they have some bigger plans to discuss as well. A revolutionary idea is being pitched that would reshape the law enforcement agency by removing the troubled jail from the sheriff’s responsibilities. … Continue reading →

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Fletcher will run for Sheriff in 2016

Posted on May 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Not unexpected. The day after Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia announced he is running for mayor of Houston, Republican state Rep. Allen Fletcher of Cypress said he would abandon his House seat for a bid to replace Garcia. “I will … Continue reading →

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More on the potential Hillary effect in Texas

Posted on April 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From the Trib, from shortly before Hillary Clinton made her official announcement. 2. She could resuscitate Texas’ Democratic farm teams. Beyond the presidency, Democrats are betting on gains in the U.S. House in 2016. They’ve got nowhere to go, they … Continue reading →

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Al Bennett confirmed to federal district court

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Great news. After months of delay, a unanimous U.S. Senate on Monday confirmed Alfred Bennett to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, cracking open slightly a national logjam of judicial nominations and a backlog of … Continue reading →

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Cruzing for President

Posted on March 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I just have one thing to say about this. As Sen. Ted Cruz announces he will run for president, he likely has two things on his mind: money and Iowa. Cruz will formally enter the presidential race ahead of any … Continue reading →

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Morrison’s challenge

Posted on February 2, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I often said last year that I wanted to get through the 2014 elections before worrying too much about the 2015 ones. I feel the same way this year, and thus don’t plan to spend much time writing about 2016 … Continue reading →

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Gilbert Pena

Posted on January 4, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Let the man have his victory lap, but let’s not read more into his victory than there is. By the time Harris County’s conservative leaders fished for their car keys at their Election Night watch party, there were few candidates … Continue reading →

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We need to understand why our voters didn’t vote

Posted on January 3, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

So now we know that Battleground Texas wasn’t pursuing a base turnout-increase model for the 2014 election, for reasons that have not yet been adequately explored. I’m mad about that, but I don’t want to get bogged down in that. … Continue reading →

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On BGTX, Wendy Davis, and the future

Posted on January 2, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This has been a pretty busy Christmas break, as far as blog-worthy news has gone, so in order to preserve the small illusion that I’m taking a breather and recharging my batteries, I’m just going to give three quick thoughts … Continue reading →

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Once again with Anglo Dems and Anglo voters

Posted on December 9, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Time once again for the biennial eulogy for Anglo Democrats in the Texas Legislature. When Donna Howard of Austin won a seat in the Texas House in 2006, she was the only white woman among Democrats in the state Legislature. … Continue reading →

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Fort Bend’s electoral future

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Fort Bend County isn’t what it used to be politically, but it’s also not what it ought to be headed for yet. It has been more than two decades since a Democrat won countywide office in Fort Bend, but swift … Continue reading →

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2014 first week EV totals

Posted on October 27, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Here they are, and here are the full 2010 EV totals. Democrats still have a lot of work to do, at least in Harris County. I sure hope it happens, that’s all I can say. We’re already seeing postmortems for … Continue reading →

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Voter registration numbers top 14 million

Posted on October 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Sweet. More than 14 millions Texans have registered to vote in the November elections, the secretary of state’s office announced Thursday, calling the number a record high. The total marks an increase of 2.8 percent since the most recent presidential … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Shawna Reagin

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates on the November ballot. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote. … Continue reading →

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Voter registration numbers are up

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news here. The number of Texans registered to vote in the state’s five largest counties increased by 2 percent since 2012, a reversal of the decline in total voter registrations that was seen before the last midterm election. … Continue reading →

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Interview with Sam Houston

Posted on September 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

As we head into the home stretch of the campaign – early voting begins in three weeks, and the deadline to be registered for this election is one week from today – we turn to the statewide candidates for the … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Ogg for DA

Posted on September 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Chronicle endorses a change in thew Harris County DA’s office. Houston has changed since the hang ’em high days of Holmes’ tenure. Our region has grown more diverse, our mentality more mature. While some may look back with nostalgia, … Continue reading →

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Interview with Debra Kerner

Posted on September 15, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

We round out the county races this year with the Harris County Department of Education, a seven-member board that handles federal grants and provides various programs for the many independent school districts in Harris County. It’s hard to believe, but … Continue reading →

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If you read just one more story about Wendy Davis’ campaign

Posted on August 11, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I would recommend you read this one, by Andrea Grimes. In four months, Texans are guaranteed to elect a new governor for the first time in 14 years, and Davis’ battle stance is appropo: She’s been under attack from naysayers, … Continue reading →

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Hassan drops out of County Judge race

Posted on August 2, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I’m okay with this. Democrat Ahmad Hassan has ended his campaign for Harris County judge, saying incumbent Republican Ed Emmett should be given another four-year term to finish projects vital to the community. Hassan, owner of the Katy-based Alexandria Realty … Continue reading →

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In defense of Ivy Taylor

Posted on July 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Ivy Taylor is a San Antonio City Council member. She’s currently considered a frontrunner to succeed outgoing Mayor Julian Castro once he leaves to become Housing Secretary. Her elevation to Mayor would be historic, as she would be the first … Continue reading →

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What would you have done differently?

Posted on June 27, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Lisa Falkenberg remembers the Wendy Davis filibuster and complains about what has and hasn’t happened between then and the one-year commemoration of it. You don’t just dust off a social movement because a year has passed and you need to … Continue reading →

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On defining success

Posted on June 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It depends on what your goals are. Suppose you were a Texas Democrat and a realist. You want your candidates to win in November and to break the spirit-killing string of losses that started after the statewide elections in 1994. … Continue reading →

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Some postmortem thoughts

Posted on May 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib leads with the obvious. As the results of Republican primary runoffs began to roll in Tuesday evening, Texas Democrats realized they were getting exactly what they wanted — and exactly what they feared. The victories of Dan Patrick … Continue reading →

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The small number of competitive legislative races in November

Posted on May 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib discusses the lack of legislative action in November. In the House, nine Republican and two Democratic races are still undecided. An early list of competitive November races — this is in a House with 150 seats — comes … Continue reading →

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The UT/TT poll’s track record in past Democratic primaries

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The one result in that UT/TT poll from Monday that has people freaking out is the one that shows nutball LaRouchie Kesha Rogers leading the Senate race with 35%, followed by David Alameel with 27%. I expressed my skepticism of … Continue reading →

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Gallup’s poll of Latinos in Texas

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I have four things to say about this. Texas Hispanics are decidedly Democratic in their political party preferences, 46% to 27%, but that 19-percentage-point Democratic advantage is much smaller in Texas than the average 30-point gap Democrats enjoy among the … Continue reading →

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What is the sound of one politician switching?

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It depends. When Lawrence Meyers won a seat on the statewide Court of Criminal Appeals in 1992, he was the first Republican elected to the state’s highest criminal court. This month he made history again. After switching parties, Meyers, who … Continue reading →

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Why some polls are less accurate than others

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The local GOP had a rally Monday night that among other things featured a “straw poll” of the faithful to see who their preferences were in the upcoming primary election. Harris County Republicans worked to energize their base on Monday … Continue reading →

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EV Day 10: Two normally big days to go

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

We have completed ten days of early voting. Traditionally, the last two days are the big ones. Will we see the same this year? First, here are the comps: 2013 2011 2009 2007 Here’s a look at how turnout has … Continue reading →

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EV Day 7 totals: Is this the 2008 of city elections for early voting?

Posted on October 28, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

One full week of early voting is in the books, and the fast pace has not let up. Here are the comps: 2013 2011 2009 2007 The seven-day totals for each: 2013 – 14,342 mail, 37,828 in person, 52,170 total … Continue reading →

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2014 Democratic lineup updates

Posted on October 28, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

In honor of Peggy Fikac, an update on who is running for what as a Democrat in 2014. Starting at the top, folks who attended the HCDP Johnson-Rayburn-Richards event on Saturday had the opportunity to meet Maxey Scherr, a 33-year-old … Continue reading →

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Sam Houston officially announces for AG

Posted on October 19, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Houston attorney and fortuitously named Democrat Sam Houston announced Thursday his plans to make a statewide run at Attorney General, making him the first Democrat to officially toss his hat in the ring. Houston, who received the most votes … Continue reading →

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